Refers to herbaceous plants. Herbaceous plants classification, description

The diverse herbaceous plants that grow on Earth are amazing. Some of them bloom with beautiful flowers or have decorative leaves, others are edible, others have medicinal properties and able to cure all ailments. Description of some types of herbs, their appearance and useful properties is devoted to our article.

Annual herbaceous plants completely die off at the end of the vegetative period. With the onset of favorable weather conditions, they again grow from seeds, managing to form a stem with leaves in one year, bloom and give seeds.

Lipstick, gazania and marigolds with beautiful flowers are grown in flower beds as ornamental plants. Linen and rapeseed are of great economic importance, and string is a valuable medicinal plant.

Tiger sponge

Gubastic belongs to the Frimov family. It grows in temperate regions everywhere except Europe. The Latin name of the plant mimulus in translation means "comedian" or "jester". The flower received this name for the unusual shape of the corolla and the variegated, spotted color.

Various types of mimulus are grown in flower beds as ground cover plants. Interesting varieties with a characteristic color of flowers have been bred, for example, tiger sponge.

For many, the brindle variety is admired for its variegated flowers.

• It grows low, up to 35 cm.
• It can be grown from seeds in a flower bed and in an indoor planter.
• Mimulsa flowers exude a delicate pleasant aroma.
• During flowering, which lasts from June to September, it is covered with gramophone flowers.

It can be propagated by cuttings, like a petunia, to save the varieties you like for the next year. In open ground, the flower does not hibernate, and although it is a perennial, it is grown as an annual plant. Unlike petunia, it is undemanding to light.

Gazania is harsh

Gatzania is a herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, which is native to Africa. It is grown in flowerbeds as an ornamental, thanks to large flowers with bright colors - yellow, orange, red, white, brown or variegated. The plant loves the sun, easily tolerates lack of watering and soil poverty.

Gatsania does not tolerate frost, so it does not hibernate in a flower bed. When frost sets in, you can dig up a flower and bring it into the house, and plant it again in the garden in the spring. But it is easier to grow it as an annual, sowing seeds every spring.

Marigold

This is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, the genus of which includes about 50 species. The homeland of marigolds is America, the Latin name Tagetes was given to it by Karl Liney in honor of Tagits, the grandson of the God Jupiter. Hybrid varieties of marigolds are grown in middle lane Russia in the flower beds. These flowers fell in love with flower growers with a cheerful, orange or yellow color, abundant flowering and unpretentiousness in care.

The following types of marigolds are widely used:

• small-flowered;
• anise;
• upright;
• thin-leaved, or Mexican.

Marigolds bloom from June until frost and go well with many flowers in the flower bed.

The height of the plant is from 20 to 120 cm. But the flowers differ not only in the height of the bush, but also in the shape of the inflorescences, which can be double, semi-double, carnation, chrysanthemum or simple. The leaves are most often pinnately divided or pinnately dissected.

Linen

Annual flax is a delicate blue or lilac flower with graceful stems native to the eastern Mediterranean.

Flax flowering is spectacular and unusual. Its flowers bloom for one day.

This plant has been cultivated by people since time immemorial. Its seeds are used in medicinal purposes and the stems are used to make yarn. Some varieties are planted as decorative flowers in a flower bed.

Flax is a sun-loving plant, does not tolerate shading. It is advisable to allocate a separate flower garden for it, since the plant easily propagates by self-sowing and grows, occupying large space. Flax seeds are planted in a flower bed in March, and it is impossible to grow flax through seedlings - it has fragile roots. Therefore, the seeds are planted immediately in open ground.

Spring and winter rapeseed

Rapeseed is a good honey plant, because it is often sown next to apiaries. It belongs to the cabbage family. This bright yellow flower blooms in May. But the main value of rapeseed is not in flowers - it is used as a valuable oilseed for food and industrial purposes, goes to feed livestock. Oil is made from seeds.

There are two varieties of plants - spring and winter. The latter does not tolerate drought and severe frosts, but it is a good fodder crop and honey plant.

Three-part series

A series is a medicinal plant that has been grown in Russia for a long time. The genus belongs to the Asteraceae family. A warm and moisture-loving plant grows in nature along the banks of reservoirs and in the fields, and enters vegetable gardens as a weed. With the help of this herb, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dysentery, and purulent wounds are treated.

In central Russia, a tripartite succession is widespread, which is called so because its leaf is divided into three lobes. In medicine, only this type of plant is used.

The series is three-parted - an annual, its height is from 30 cm to 1 meter, the seeds are small, with two horns. In Russia, before the revolution, the plant was harvested in industrial scale, are still cultivated today. In pharmacies, you can buy infusion and briquettes of grass.

Biennials for open ground

Herbaceous biennials live for two years. In the first year, the main vegetative organs are formed - the root and the stem with leaves. And in the second year - generative, a peduncle and seeds appear. Unlike perennials, biennials do not have modified underground shoots - bulbs, rhizomes and tubers.

Biennials include the majority of garden root crops, as well as valuable medicinal plants - speckled hemlock, marsh thistle, blue cornflower, and various-leaved motherwort.

Hemlock

Hemlock mottled is a tall herbaceous plant with white umbrella flowers from the Umbelliferae family. When collecting medicinal raw materials, it is important to distinguish hemlock from other similar plants. If you pick the leaves or flowers of hemlock and rub them in your hands, they smell like a mouse's nest. Red droplets are visible on the trunk, similar to droplets of blood.

In nature, grass grows in water meadows and forest edges. Most often it enters gardens as a weed, but it can also be used for medicinal purposes.

Hemlock is used to treat various ailments - to combat oncology, convulsions and spasms.

The patch and extract are used as an external anesthetic.

Bogyak marsh

Thistle is a biennial or perennial plant from the Asteraceae family, in which more than 400 species are known. Such grass grows in meadows and fields, it is considered a weed, as it penetrates into crops. Some types of bodyak are used in traditional medicine, grown as ornamental and vegetable crops. Its inflorescences are rounded baskets with tubular flowers of crimson or purple. This plant is a good honey plant.

• The marsh bog has a thorny stem and spiky leaves.
• Plant height - from 50 cm to 2 meters.
• The leaves are pinnately dissected on short petioles, with spikes along the edge and pubescence on top.
• Blooms purple, rarely white flowers.

The plant loves moist soil, grows in Siberia and on the European part of the continent in swampy forests and river valleys.

Cornflower blue

Blue cornflower from the Asteraceae family is an excellent honey plant and a valuable medicinal plant. Bees make thick honey with a pleasant almond smell from the nectar of its flowers. Blue cornflower grows in nature in the Caucasus, Siberia, Central Asia and the European part of Russia.

For medicinal purposes, the petals of its flowers are used as a choleretic and diuretic.

Decoctions of cornflower are used for coughs, nervous and gastric diseases, lotions are made with them to treat eczema and ulcers.

This unpretentious flower grown as ornamental plant on the flower bed. It can be sown from seeds directly in open ground. Cultivars bloom not only blue, but also white, pink, burgundy flowers from June to September.

Motherwort variegated

This herbaceous plant from the Lamiaceae family prefers clay-sandy soils rich in nitrogen. It has a tap root and green stems with a reddish-purple hue, from 50 cm to 1 meter in height. Lilac small flowers are collected in the axils of the upper leaves, forming a spike-shaped inflorescence. The plant blooms in June or July. In Russia, it is found in the Far East and Eastern Siberia.

For medicinal purposes, the stems, leaves and flowers of motherwort are used. Alcohol tincture plants can be bought at the pharmacy. It is used as a sedative for nervous diseases, as well as an antispasmodic for spastic pains, coughs and convulsions.

perennial herbaceous plants

In perennial grasses, the above-ground shoots die off at the end of each vegetative period and in winter the plants in the open field are dormant.

In spring, they begin to grow again from renewal buds on modified underground shoots. There are many ornamental and medicinal plants among perennials.

River gravel

The genus Gravilat from the Rosaceae family includes about 50 species that are found in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Earth. On the territory of Russia, 7 types of gravilate grow, one of them is river gravilate. It can be found on wet, rich soils along the banks of streams and swamps.

• It is a perennial herbaceous plant up to 80 cm high.
• Its stem is slightly branched at the top.
• Gravilat stems are densely covered with hairs.
• It has two types of leaves - stem and basal.
• The bell-shaped, drooping flowers of the plant are unusual. Their petals are very small and inconspicuous, and the bright sepals are painted in a reddish-brown color.

Gravilat seeds are formed after self-pollination of flowers in July or August. For medical purposes, use the leaves, flowers and rhizomes of plants.

They have astringent, hemostatic, tonic, analgesic, wound healing and diaphoretic action. This plant is recognized by official medicine.

Gaillardia grandiflora

Gaillardia is a perennial or annual plant for open ground, creating a compact bush with numerous flowers. Belongs to the Astrov family, its homeland is North and South America. In total, there are 24 species of Gaillardia in nature. Gaillardia grandiflora is especially good for open ground.

In the flower bed, it is propagated by seeds or by dividing the bush. The flowers have an orange center and yellow petals at the ends. They look very sunny and bright, and bloom throughout the warm season. The plant is drought-resistant and unpretentious in care.

goose bow

It's grassy bulbous plant from the Liliaceae family grows in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

• The inflorescences of the goose onion are umbellate.
• Star-shaped flowers are yellow in color and consist of six petals arranged in two circles.
• After flowering, the aerial part of the plant dies.

Goose onion is used in folk medicine, it can be consumed boiled. The plant propagates with the help of bulbs, which are sometimes formed in place of the buds, in the axils of the leaves or on the bottom of the bulb.

basil

Basil is used in ornamental gardening and in folk medicine. There are over 150 species of this plant. They are perennial and belong to the genus Ranunculaceae. According to legend, the grass got its name from the name of the healer Vasilisa, who used it to heal the wounds of soldiers.

In folk medicine, cornflower leaves are used to treat skin diseases.

Plant height can be from 5 cm to 2.5 m. The smallest Alpine cornflower grows in the tundra and alpine meadows. The color of flowers can be very diverse - pink, white, yellow or purple. They are collected in dense, sometimes loose, inflorescences - panicle or brush.

Wolf bast or wolf berries are bred as ornamental plants in gardens, creating hedges from bushes. There is an interesting garden form that blooms in November with purple flowers.

Folk healers use the bark and berries of the plant as an external remedy.

In traditional medicine, the use of the plant is prohibited, as it is very poisonous.

Goryanka grandiflora

Goryanka, Flowerless, or Epimedium, belongs to the Barberry family. These are perennial herbs with a creeping rhizome and bright colors. Many decorative garden forms, which are grown in shady flower beds. Plants love moist, fertile soil.

Most species bloom in spring, but some continue to bloom all summer. There are decorative-deciduous, evergreen, large-flowered and other varieties. Goryanka large-flowered is grown as a perennial ornamental plant in a flower bed. It is used in Chinese folk medicine to increase male potency. This perennial plant from the Ranunculaceae family grows in nature in Altai, Siberia, Central Asia and Mongolia. Plant height about 50 cm to 2 meters. Violet flowers are collected in multi-flowered racemes.

The whole plant is used for medicinal purposes. White-mouthed aconite is harvested during fruiting and dried.

Anemone tender

This beautiful ornamental plant from the Ranunculaceae family has been cultivated since the 19th century.

Varieties with a variety of flower colors have been bred:

• Pink Star - pale pink;
• Purple Star - pale purple;
• Radar - dark red with a white center;
• Blue shades - blue.

Tender anemone prefers well-drained soils, loves partial shade, suitable for growing in shady beds between trees. In nature, the species is listed in the Red Book.

It is difficult to imagine our Planet without herbal vegetation. If it did not exist, then our Earth would not be so green. It is her thick root system ensures the stability of the soil of our Planet. According to their external appearance, plants are divided into the following life forms: trees, shrubs, shrubs, semi-shrubs and herbaceous plants.

Shrubs are a form of perennial woody stunted plants (several tens of centimeters high) that do not have a main trunk. Their lignified shoots branch very strongly. Representatives: lingonberries, blueberries, cranberries ...

Semi-shrubs are a form of perennial semi-woody - semi-herbaceous plants, in which only the lower part of the shoots becomes stiff, on which there are renewal buds. The upper part - grassy with the onset of cold weather dies off. And in the spring it grows again.
Representatives: lavender, sage ...

herbaceous plants- the life form of higher plants, a feature of which is a soft aerial stem. If the plant does not have a woody stem, then it can safely be called grass.

Herbaceous plants include a huge group of ornamental and flowering plants. Herbs can be forest, meadow, medicinal, fodder, etc. All existing groups are mainly divided into annual, biennial and perennial herbs.

Annuals are herbaceous plants that mature, bloom and die in the same growing season (a certain period of the season). They reproduce only by seeds. These include chamomile, dill, peas ...

Biennials are plants that develop root and rosette of leaves in the first year of life, and bloom in the second year of life and then die off. Their life cycle is from one to two years. These include mallow, pansies, bluebell ...

Perennials are herbs whose underground organs (root, bulb, tuber) have renewal buds and a long lifespan (more than two years). The aerial parts of these plants do not become woody. They can be divided into 4 groups: super-early, early, middle and late. Perennials include delphinium, tulips, peonies ...

When we pronounce the word grass, we involuntarily imagine a low plant 10-20 cm high. But in fact, grasses can be from 0.4 mm to 15 meters high.

Duckweed of the genus Wolfia is the smallest flowering plant. This aquatic plant belonging to the subfamily Duckweed family Aroid. It looks like a tiny green plate in the shape of an ellipse, ranging in size from 0.4 to 1.5 mm. It has no roots and floats on the surface of the water.

Wolfia

In the Sikhote-Alin Reserve, which is located in the Far East of Russia, a huge variety of grasses grow from several centimeters to several meters high. Here you can see, for example, the large-flowered Slipper. This is a perennial plant of the Orchid family up to 50 cm high, listed in the Red Book. And in the lowlands of the Sikhote-Alin mountains, grasses grow up to 3.5 meters high.

Slipper large-flowered

In the southern part of Siberia there is a mountain system - the Western Sayan. Here you can find simply giant herbs, such as, for example, Delphinium and Ivan - narrow-leaved tea.

Delphinium or Larkspur high is a poisonous perennial herbaceous plant of the Ranunculaceae family, grows mainly in Siberia and the North - Eastern Europe. Its height can reach up to 4 meters.

Delphinium

Ivan - tea grows throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Its height is from 50 cm to 2 meters.

Ivan - narrow-leaved tea

Ornamental grass includes pampas grass. It grows in Europe, Australia and North America. It is also a tall perennial herbaceous plant up to 3 meters high.

Pampas grass

Some bamboo plants can also be classified as herbs. The bamboo subfamily, belonging to the Cereals family, is divided into two tribes: these are bamboos (plants - trees reaching a height of up to 30 - 40 meters) and olives (plants - herbs that rarely grow above a meter).

Bamboos

Olir

Banana is a herbaceous perennial plant that is often mistaken for a tree. Its height can reach 15 meters.

Banana

Especially a huge variety of the Banana family can be seen in the Malay Archipelago. Banana is the oldest food crop. The fruits of this plant are eaten all over the world.

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Over 20,000 wild and ornamental crops are found in the vast Russian expanses. This includes 2,000 shrubs and trees, as well as 18,000 herbs or herbaceous plants.

Herbaceous crops: description, varieties

Herbaceous plants have a soft aerial stem and tolerate cold throughout the year or several years in a row. The building is different:

• roots;
• flower part;
• foliage.

Among the vegetation there are both dwarf and giant species: duckweed - from 4 to 15 mm and bamboo, reaching 35 m.

Depending on the life span, the types of herbs are divided into:

• annuals;
• biennials;
• perennials.

Annuals crops grow, bloom, mature and die during one growing season. The method of reproduction is seed. TOherbal representatives of this group include:

• chamomile;
• Dill;
• peas.

In biennial plants, flowering does not occur in the first year of development. Roots, leaves and stem are improved. To this class belong:

• pansies;
• mallow;
• bell.

The life expectancy of perennial crops is more than 2 years. Perennials are endowed with a root system with renewal buds in the form of a tuber, bulb or shoots. They are divided into early and ultra-early, middle and late. They include:

• peonies;
• daffodils;
• delphinium.

Herbaceous annuals are planted in the spring in the soil by seedlings or seeds. Heat-loving herbs are planted when the threat of spring frost has passed.

Most annual grasses tolerate transplanting with the advent of the summer season and at the stage of budding.

Delenki propagate perennials on a permanent bed in spring or early autumn. A culture that blooms in the spring season requires a transplant in the fall. Transplanting grass is accompanied by a period of rest and adaptation and needs special care. For annual grasses, the period is 7-14 days, for perennial crops - 1 or 2 growing seasons.

Herb types

A variety of herbs does not allow to single out the best representatives that actively bloom for a long time, in addition, they are undemanding to environmental conditions, immune to diseases and harmful insects. Herbaceous cultures respond to mineral dressings with growth and beautiful flowers.

Cornflower blue

Herbaceous annual culture grows on lands that are saturated with minerals, and reaches 0.5-0.6 m in height. Cornflower has an upright trunk with developed roots and lobed lower leaves. It often grows in fallow fields. Blooms from late spring to mid-summer.

The plant serves as a raw material for the manufacture of pharmacological preparations:

• anti-inflammatory;
• diuretic;
• antivirus.

It also fights digestive disorders.

field mustard

Habitat:

• Chernozem and Ciscaucasia;
• southern regions of Siberia and the Far East;
• European zone of Russia.

An annual plant belonging to the cruciferous family, it reaches 60 cm. Mustard has a branched stem with yellow buds. When ripe, a fruit is formed - a pod.

field mustard

Mustard seeds have medicinal properties due to the chemical composition:

• vitamins and proteins;
• carbohydrates and essential oils;
• flavonoids and phosphorus;
• magnesium and calcium.

Grass seed powder is used in the manufacture of mustard plasters. In the beauty industry, mustard is a component of anti-aging creams.

Interesting. In alternative medicine, the drug will cure the common cold. Just right for hot foot baths with a pot of mustard.

Large celandine

The perennial grows up to 0.9 m. The branched trunk has green-gray leaves with rich yellow inflorescences and pod-shaped fruits-boxes. Distinctive feature herbs - milky orange juice. The peak of decorativeness falls in May and continues until August.

Reproduction is carried out by seeds that were carried by ants or the wind. Grows:

• in landfills and near housing;
• along roads and in ditches;
• abandoned parks and gardens.

Celandine has found application in veterinary medicine, folk medicine (for removing warts), as an insecticide in the backyards of gardeners. Blackening of metals is indispensable without celandine juice, grass stains wool in red and yellow colors, and is toxic.

Badan thick-leaved

Badan thick-leaved

Herbaceous perennial grows in Russia, often found in the Irkutsk region. The plant likes damp slopes, forests, river valleys. Grass features:

• branched and powerful roots;
• leathery foliage with a sheen;
• red flowers in the form of a bell;
• fiery coloring of leaves in autumn;
• preservation of leaves in winter.

badan has useful properties. It is used in cooking and alternative medicine for therapy:

• seborrheic dermatitis and erosion in gynecology;
• rheumatism and hemorrhoids;
• gastritis and whooping cough.

Geranium Rosana

The hybrid variety will please gardeners with the blueness of large flowers and the massiveness of soft leaves. Rozanne blooms all summer. Individuals are not tall - they reach 50 cm. Regular watering and growing in a sunlit front garden will ensure excellent flowering. In drought conditions, partial shade is required.

pin

An elegant plant that constantly brings joy with abundant flowers of yellowish color that change each other during the summer season. Perennial refers to long-flowering crops. Requires sunlight and not very moist soil. The height of an adult flower specimen is a maximum of 60 cm.

Astrantia

The meter long-lived variety is not demanding on environmental conditions. By the duration of flowering is compared with annual plants. Landing is desirable in partial shade, diligently monitor the moisture of the earth.

Veronicastrum virginiana

Veronicastrum virginiana

A simple inhabitant of the prairies is popular with flower growers. Ideal for drawing in a naturalistic direction on garden plot. The demand for plants is the reason for the development of new varieties. Diana is considered a classic. Requirement for agricultural technology: loose soil, sunlight. The height of adults is 120 cm.

Reed grass shorthair

With the approach of autumn, numerous cereals flaunt in the fields, among which reed grass stands out. The herbaceous plant looks spectacular against the background of other cultures, thanks to its neatness and decorativeness. The culture grows well in the sun and moderately fertile soil. The semi-shaded bed is also to the liking of the short-haired reed. The maximum grass height is 120 cm.

Features of herbs and scope

Herbal plants are used in various fields, depending on personal characteristics:

• spices: basil and coriander, celery and rosemary, thyme and dill to improve the taste of foods;
• medicinal crops: plantain and nettle, chamomile and dandelion, calendula and sage - for production medicines and in alternative medicine;
• fodder grasses for feeding livestock;
• ornamental flowering herbaceous plants are indispensable in landscape design.

Poison crops

In addition to beauty and benefits, individual individuals threaten human and animal health. Therefore, it does not interfere with the description and names of such plants. Meeting with herbs often occurs in the forest:

• raven eye and belladonna;
• lily of the valley and euonymus;
• marsh calla and spotted hemlock;
• henbane and stonecrop caustic.

Separate types poisonous plants cultivated in dachas in the decor of the site. This refers to the aconite, or wrestler. It grows everywhere in the central zone of the Russian Federation, in Asian and North American regions.

Interesting. The famous Khan Timur, whose skullcap was saturated with poison, died from aconite.

agricultural plants

A variety of herbs distinguishes crops that are grown for narrowly practical purposes. Usually they are grown separately on the site. The convenience of the location facilitates care, protection from phytodiseases and pests. The plants are pretty. When disembarking, take into account decorative properties herbs. Carry out the arrangement of walls, slides, spirals and other structures.

curly herbs

Planting dwarf vines will add elegance to the structure. An example forgreen architecture serves:

• decorative arcs and lattices;
• hedges;
• trellis.

Cultures of reservoirs

• deep-sea and marsh;
• oxygenators and coastal;
• floating.

Oxygenators lead an underwater lifestyle. They sometimes raise flowers to the surface of the water. The roots of deep-sea plants are at the bottom of the soil, the foliage with flowers is at the top. Floating plants live on water. The root system of coastal flora is located in the ground under water, shoots with leaves - in the air. Necessary condition coexistence of varieties of marsh grasses - constant stay in moist soil.

Cultures of reservoirs

Important! Each group has specific functions that affect general state pond or lake.

Pests and diseases

There are several categories of harmful insects and diseases that affect ornamental as well as agricultural crops. Damage to foliage, seedlings, shoot bark, sucking out nutrient juices provoke growth inhibition, and sometimes death of plants.

Crop protection begins with the arrival of spring and ends in autumn. With the help of prevention (effective and reliable reception), they fight pests and ailments.

Attention! When walking in the garden, be sure to look closely at suspicious plants and take urgent measures.

Often herbaceous plants suffer from:

• aphids and scale insects;
• leafhoppers and earwigs;
• molluscs and nematodes.

Diseases are conditionally divided into:

Plants most often get sick:

• bulb rot and powdery mildew;
• keel and rust;
• black spotting and stalk.

garden decor

ornamental grasses

Ornamental grasses are used to decorate household plot. Due to the variety of herbaceous plants, gardeners create unique flower beds:

• borders and flower beds;
• group and single landings;
• bosquets and stalls;
• themed gardens.

The selection of species is determined by: the composition of the soil, the illumination of the territory, the close occurrence of water, meteorological conditions. Pay attention to the color of the flowers, the period of budding.

Note! Purple geranium buds look great, which will delight gardeners in the summer. The catchy appearance of oak sage will not leave anyone indifferent. When the buds are cut, the unpretentious sage will bloom again.

Herbaceous plantings in the garden are in demand to create luxuriouspresentations:

• landing carpet;
• color spot;
• decorative wall;
• decoration of the near-stem zone of trees;
• flower towers;
• loggia decoration.

Ornamental crops are conventionally divided into flowering and ornamental plants. When selecting the assortment, emphasis is placed on meadow grasses and large flowers. Among deciduous ornamental plants, there are:

• cereals;
• ferns.

Herbaceous plants differ in diversity, properties, development, habitat. Applications: culinary and medicine, Agriculture and cosmetology, plant growing. In addition, the greenery of herbs and flowering deliver not only aesthetic pleasure, but also improve mood.

The name "grass" combines many plants. As a matter of fact, this family is one of the largest in the vegetable kingdom, and about ten thousand of its members are scattered around the world. When you look at very simple grass leaves, you might think it's something very primitive, and you'd be wrong. Herbs are the product of a long evolution. So sometimes their flowers are not even considered flowers. The fact is that grasses grow in open spaces, where the wind almost always walks, and therefore they do not need other pollinators. If they do not have to lure insects, bats or anyone else, then there is no need for bright large flowers. On the contrary, the flowers of the herbs are small, inconspicuous, with tiny scales instead of petals, and they grow in inflorescences on tall stems that expose them to the wind.

Herbs need only one thing - an abundance of light. They are not able to grow in deep forest shade. But they easily endure many hardships that would cripple or destroy plants of other families. They withstand not only the frequent lack of rain, but also the scorching sun. They survive fires: if the fire devours their leaves, the root system near the soil surface is rarely damaged. They even withstand constant plucking by grazing animals or mowing with a lawn mower.

Such remarkable endurance is explained by the peculiarities of the growth of grasses. The leaves of most other plants develop from buds on the stem, along with a complex network of vessels that carry the sap, and quickly reach their final size and shape. If they are damaged, they will plug the destroyed vessels to prevent the leakage of juice, but there is nothing more they can do to help themselves. The leaf of grass is arranged differently. His vessels do not form a network, but stretch straight along its entire length. The growing point is located at the base of the leaf and remains active until the end of the plant's life. If the top of the leaf is damaged or torn off, it grows from the base until it regains its length. In addition, grass spreads not only through seeds, but also by throwing out horizontal stems along the ground, each articulation of which is capable of producing leaves and roots.

The fibrous roots of herbaceous plants grow so much that they form a tangled layer several centimeters thick in the soil - the so-called sod. It holds the soil in place even during a drought, does not allow the wind to carry it away, and as soon as the rains pass, new leaves will appear in a day or two.
These hardy, well-adapted plants appeared relatively recently. In the era of dinosaurs, they did not yet exist, and therefore herbivorous lizards had to be content with horsetails, cycads and conifers. When the new trees in the forests began to bloom differently than the conifers, and the lakes were covered with water lily stars, the dry flat plains beyond the forest edges were still bare land. And only some twenty-five million years ago, when the era of reptiles ended and the rapid expansion of mammals began, grasses finally began to master the plains.

Nowadays, herbaceous plants cover a quarter of the entire land. The grassy plains have many names: the pampas in southern South America, the llanos in the Orinoco basin in the north, the prairies in North America, the steppes in Asia and north of the Black Sea, the veld in southern Africa, and the savannah in the eastern part. this continent. These are all very fertile areas. Individual herbaceous plants can live for several years, after which they are replaced by new sprouts, but dead leaves turn into humus, which loosens and enriches the soil, and opens air into it. Among the herbs, partly sheltered by them, small flowering plants thrive - vetch and other legumes, which accumulate nitrogen in their root nodules, daisies and dandelions, collecting small flowers in beautiful inflorescences, and all sorts of other species belonging to other families, accumulating nutrients in bulbs and rhizomes. An ever-growing grass that endures droughts and floods, grazing herds and fires, is juicy in wet areas, dry and tough in arid areas, but is nevertheless edible and provides easily available food for a wide variety of animals. As a matter of fact, a hectare of a grassy plain is able to feed noticeably more units of live weight than any other locality.

There is no steppe without wild animals grazing, it simply degrades - either overgrown with shrubs, or accumulating a huge layer of “felt” of dry grass that no one eats. It will eventually burn like a powder keg. Therefore, all other reserves, which have in their composition areas of grassy steppes, are forced to fight this “felt” - or mow it down, or even set it on fire in order to free the land. The ideal steppe is best maintained under conditions of moderate ungulate grazing.

Growing herbaceous plants from seed is as widespread as growing potted or even alpine plants. Although most varieties of herbaceous plants are selective and require vegetative propagation, many of them, such as delphiniums and lupins, can be successfully grown from seed.
Seeds of many cold-resistant plants, especially those ripening in late summer or autumn, must be kept in the cold before germination to bring them out of dormancy.
If the plants flower in the spring and the seeds are formed in the summer, then the latter, as a rule, do not have a dormant period; they are harvested and sown slightly green. Seeds germinate very quickly, and seedlings appear before the onset of winter.

In some herbaceous plants, especially members of the legume family, such as lupine, the seeds have a very dense skin. This prevents early germination: it takes time for the skin in the soil to break down and the seeds to begin to absorb water. To speed up the germination of these seeds, their skin is cut with a safety razor blade and thus facilitate the flow of water into them; in addition, the seeds can be rubbed with a coarse sandpaper or other abrasive materials.
The rest period in some herbaceous plants, such as lilies and peonies, proceeds in a rather peculiar way, delaying the emergence of seedlings. If sowing is carried out in the winter-spring period, with an increase in temperature, the seeds begin to germinate, but at the same time one root system is formed. For the development of stems, the plant needs to go through another period winter cold. As a result, seedlings appear only in the spring of the second year.

Ornamental herbaceous plants are easy to grow and care for. Most ornamental grasses are unpretentious and grow well on ordinary soil, fertilizers have to be applied extremely rarely. They are rarely susceptible to insect pests and diseases.
Herbaceous plants in the forests of our country are much more common than shrubs and trees combined. The length of their stem, as a rule, is small, although there are quite tall ones - banana, reed, corn, etc.

The feature that characterizes herbaceous plants is the soft or succulent aerial stem. There is an opinion that these types of grass are the result of the evolution of woody representatives of the flora. Scientists came to this conclusion by comparing their anatomical structure with the anatomical structure of one-year-old branches of related tree species.

Herbaceous plants are divided into several types according to their life span: annuals, biennials and perennials.
Annuals include those whose entire life span is one growing season, i.e. one season that is favorable for their growth. As a rule, the seeds of such plants germinate in the spring, then they reach their normal size, bloom, bear fruit, and then die off completely. These are millet, cucumber, tomato, corn, flowering aster, petunia, wild quinoa, cornflower, wood lice, etc.

Biennial herbaceous plants have two growing seasons: during the first, their vegetative organs are formed, after which the leaves die off, and the roots remain, and in the second year, shoots grow from the buds, the plant bears fruit, and then dies. These are beets, cabbages, and carrots known to us, which cannot stand the cold on their own, so gardeners usually dig them up and store them in basements or cellars in order to plant pre-selected seeds in the spring. Wild biennials are burdock, thistle, cumin, chicory.
However, the vast majority of species known to us are perennial herbaceous plants, many of which do not reach the flowering period either in the first or even in the second year of their life, but five to ten years after seed germination. The period of flowering and fruiting they repeat up to twenty years. Every year, new ground shoots are formed from the buds, which die off by the end of the growing season, however, not entirely: only the upper part dies, while what is at or below the soil level remains. Sometimes the shoots spread along the ground, pressed against it with plant debris covered with it.

Almost all herbaceous plants of the forest are perennial, many of which hold their place for a long time, while, thanks to their long roots and ground shoots, they spread in different directions, capturing new habitats.
This variety is poorly propagated by seeds, since in the forest the soil is almost always covered with a thick layer of fallen needles or leaves, which makes germination difficult, and such litter is not an obstacle to the vegetative propagation method.
Many types of winter-green grasses grow in the forest, which are safely hidden under a thick layer of snow. They are shade tolerant and tolerate the absence of light well.

However, the forest is not the only habitat for perennial herbaceous plants. Many of them grow well in meadows, glades, in general, in any open place. Here, as a rule, they grow much more magnificently, and they bloom and bear fruit much more abundantly.
Herbaceous forest plants are always very sensitive to soil conditions: the presence of nutrients and moisture, so they can be called a kind of indicator of the state of forest land. That is why many of them are closely related in their distribution to the type of forest: some grow among deciduous trees, others among coniferous trees.
However, it is worth noting the fact that among herbaceous plants there are also those that have a very wide distribution area, independent of the type of soil. These are the so-called indifferent plants.

Herbs are made up of a root system, stem, leaves, and flower part. Unlike trees and shrubs, they usually have succulent green non-lignified stems that, together with leaves, are unable to survive bad season and die off after the end of the growing season, falling to the soil surface. The only exceptions are the tropics, where grasses have perennial aerial parts, sometimes reaching very impressive sizes.

Herbaceous plants usually grow in open areas and are readily available food for many animals. Their flowers are inconspicuous, small, with tiny scales, grow in inflorescences. They are located on long stems, exposing them to the wind, which serves as an excellent pollinator. The fibrous roots of these plants grow so much that they form a tangled layer in the soil - a sod, the thickness of which is several centimeters. It strengthens the soil, does not allow a strong wind to carry itself away, and a day or two after the rain gives life to new leaves.

Many of these plants have medicinal properties - these are the so-called medicinal herbs. They create soft and effective action on the human body with no side effects are able to maintain it in good shape, increase efficiency and improve the quality of life. With their help, many diseases have been successfully treated since ancient times.

Herbs are very unpretentious plants and need only an abundance of light. They are not at all able to exist in the deep shade of the forest, but they easily withstand the lack of rain, the scorching sun, mowing with a lawn mower and constant plucking by grazing animals. They are even able to survive a fire: if the fire devours their leaves, then the root system remains intact. Such remarkable endurance of grasses is explained by the peculiarities of their growth. Their vessels, unlike trees and shrubs, do not form a network, but stretch along the entire length of the leaf. The leaf growth point is located at its base and is active until the end of the plant's life. Therefore, when the upper part of the leaf is damaged or torn off, it continues to grow from the base.

All herbaceous plants are divided into annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals(millet, tomato, aster, cornflower, etc.) after the end of the flowering and fruiting season, they die off completely, and then grow again from seeds. They go through their full life cycle in one season. In spring annual grasses, seeds germinate in spring, and the plants die off in autumn. In winter annuals, the seeds begin to germinate in autumn, then the plants hibernate in the form of a shortened shoot, and over the next year they bloom, bear fruit and die.

biennial herbs(carrots, cabbage, parsnips, cumin, burdock, etc.) live for two years. In the first year, a taproot and a shoot with basal leaves develop from seeds, and a flower-bearing shoot is formed the following year. After the flowering and fruiting season, the biennials also die off. In addition, they are distinguished from annuals by the presence of the remains of last year's leaves at the base of the stem, and from perennials by the absence of rhizomes, bulbs and tubers.

At perennial herbs(peony, mint, dahlia, clover, tulip, etc.) creeping on the ground or underground shoots live for several or many years, and aboveground - only one year. Many of them only after five to ten years from the moment of seed germination reach the flowering period, which can be repeated up to two decades. The ground parts of these plants do not lignify and completely die off, and new shoots grow annually from the renewal buds located on underground shoots.

Growing herbs from seed is now as widespread as growing ornamental or potted plants, even though many varieties of herbaceous plants are selected and propagated by vegetative methods. The collection of herbs cannot be carried out totally (pick plants one and all). Be sure to leave 1/5 of the plants so that they can continue to multiply and develop.

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