Barbaris Amur: a description of the variety and photos

Barbaris Amur is a shrub of the Barberry family, one of the species of the genus Barberry. Not everyone knows what this plant is. The description and photos of Amur barberry is contained in this article.

Territory of distribution

In the wild, Barbaris Amur grows in Primorsky Krai and in the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory, in the eastern regions of China, Korea, and in part in Japan. The name came from a description of the valley of the Amur River.

Prefers broadleaf, broad-leaved cedar and cedar-fir forests, forest edges, banks of mountain rivers, river terraces, bushes, dry rocky and gravelly slopes. He loves soils rich in humus. Solid barberries do not grow.

The plant itself is winter hardy, drought-resistant and heat-resistant, so gardeners successfully cultivate it throughout Russia.

Barbaris Amur: a description of the variety

Barberry is a low-branched thorny shrub. Its height is up to 3,5 meters. Shrub with straight, slightly branched, standing and ribbed branches, which by the autumn change color from yellowish to gray.

The buds of the Amur barberry are red or brown, up to 1.5 mm long, sharp. The leaves are arranged alternately, the shape of the leaf is elliptical or obovate, the length of the leaf is 12 cm, and the width is 5 cm. The leaves are membranous, the margins are finely-coarse-toothed. The color of the leaves varies: from matte light green to purple, dark red. Grow leaves mainly beams on short shoots.

Barks of Amur barberry yellowish, as a rule, are tripartite, reach a length of 3 cm. One-year-old sprouts often have 4-5 or 7-separate spines of cylindrical or thickened and flat shape.

Inflorescences in the bush are racemose, in length - up to 10 cm, in inflorescence from 10 to 25 flowers. The flowers themselves are dangling on long pedicels (about 1 cm), the color is pale yellow, differing in strong aroma. Six sepals are obovate. Petals and stamens also six. Blooms shrub Barbaris Amur in May-June, the flowering period - up to 20 days.

The barberry berries are dryish, ellipsoidal in shape, about 1 cm long, the color is bright red, the taste is acidic. The seed is ovoid in shape, 4-5 mm long. In 1 kg, there are approximately 6200 fruits. The time of fruiting is August-October.

Summarizing the description of the barberry of the Amur, we can say that today this plant is quite popular. Because of the beautiful shape of the bush, large leaves, abundant flowering and fruiting, both single and group plantings, as well as hedges are recommended.

Workpiece

Barbaris Amur is very often used for medicinal purposes. Prepare leaves, fruits, bark and plant roots.

The leaves are prepared in May-June, when the barberry blooms. Leaflets can be cut with scissors or simply cut off. Then they are dried, unfolding on paper or on fabric in a ventilated place (in an attic or under a canopy). After the leaves dry, they turn dark green on top and light green from below. They themselves will be thin, brittle, twisted, with a peculiar smell and slightly acidic taste. Suitable for storage are dry, well-ventilated rooms. Leaves are kept, as a rule, 1-1,5 years.

Harvesting of roots occurs in autumn (October-November) or in spring (April). They need to be excavated with a shovel, shake off the ground, cut off small roots and dry them in the air. You do not need to wash them to preserve their medicinal properties. Dried roots should be cut 1,5-2 cm and dried well. This is suitable for a canopy or attic, as well as a dryer or an oven. Well-dried roots have longitudinal wrinkles, inside the lemon-yellow color, on the outside - brown, with a faint smell and bitter taste.

Completely root system of the bush is not used, as a rule, leave a stem 10-15 cm. In thick roots (diameter more than 6 cm), only the core and a small amount of the core are used.

Dried roots are packed in bags and stored for up to 3 years.

Harvesting of the bark occurs in the spring (April-May), when the sap flow begins. For this, only young branches are suitable that are cut through the entire diameter in 10-15 cm, then cut along and remove the bark. It must be dried as well as roots. In dried form, the bark looks like pipes or grooves with the remains of wood on the inner surface. The color of the dried bark is yellowish-gray inside and gray or brownish-yellow outside, with a weak specific smell and bitter taste. It can be stored up to 3 years.

Collection of fruits occurs after their full maturation in late autumn, when the first frosts will pass. You can dry them in the sun, under a canopy or in the oven.

Chemical composition and pharmacological properties

Barbaris Amur is rich in alkaloids, berberine, palmitin, etc. The bark and roots are rich in berberine, hydroxyacanthine, alkaloids, tannins, coloring and resinous substances.

The fruits of barberry are rich in sugars, carotene, vitamin K, ascorbic, citric, tartaric, malic acid, alkaloids, tannic, pectin, coloring substances, mineral salts. The leaves are rich in tannic, resinous substances, essential oils, vitamin C, malic acid, carotene, and phyloquinone.

Barberry preparations have anti-inflammatory, choleretic, diuretic, antimicrobial, astringent, hemostatic and antiseptic properties. With the help of barberis, berberine is reduced by arterial pressure, slows down the pulse with tachycardia, and increases the outflow of bile.

Barbaris of the Amur is widely used in medicine. They treat chronic diseases of the liver and gallbladder, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and tuberculosis. Barberry treats diarrhea, dysentery, asthma. Tincture of barberry stops uterine bleeding in the postpartum period.

Planting and care

Barbaris Amur is not picky about the soil, is not afraid of strong winds, well tolerates drought, does not like only waterlogging. The plant is photophilous, but it will grow well in the penumbra. In this case, there is only one feature: if you grow shrubs under direct sunlight, then the color of the leaves will be a rich purple; In shrubs that grow in the penumbra, the leaves will be green.

With single plantings, the distance between plants should be about 1.5-2 meters. Making a freely growing hedge, plant two bushes of barberry for 1 running meter. If you need a dense hedge, then 4 bush per 1 meter.

The plant grows well in both acidic and neutral soils, although it prefers neutral.

Soil mixture for planting is prepared from garden soil, humus and sand in equal proportions. If the soil is still acidic, liming is recommended.

You can feed the plant for the second year after planting. In the spring, this is done with nitrogen fertilizers. After that, one needs to feed once every 3 years with complex fertilizers with microelements. Water the barberry one time a week. Also, the plant likes weeding and frequent loosening.

Every year pruning barberry - remove weak, poorly developed shoots. In spring, it is desirable to thin the old bushes. Forming the hedges, pruning is carried out for the second year after planting, thus cutting about half of the above-ground part. After that, pruning is carried out 2 times a year: in June and in August.

Diseases and pests

Barbaris Amur is affected by the following pests:

1. Barberry alder - while the leaves shrivel and dry up. A solution of laundry soap (300 grams of soap and a bucket of water) helps to get rid of it. Sprinkle in the spring.
2. Flower moths - these caterpillars eat fruits. Get rid of it helps "Decis" (0.05-0.01%) or "Chlorophos" (0.1-0.3%).

Of the diseases, powdery mildew may be noted. It appears as a mealy coating on leaves, shoots and fruits.

A solution of colloidal sulfur (0.5%), sulfur-lime mixture or sulfur-lime broth helps to get rid of it. The first time sprayed when the leaves bloom, then every 2-3 weeks. Strongly affected shoots need to be removed and burned.

Rust barberry of this variety is less affected than other types of barberry.

Reproduction and cultivation of Amur barberry

The plant multiplies by dividing the bush, roots, cuttings and seeds. With the first all is clear, we will consider cultivation of barberry of Amur from seeds.

The seeds are sown, as a rule, in the autumn. Freshly picked berries should be squeezed, sifted through a sieve, washed and slightly dried.

The seed itself is produced in pre-prepared grooves to a depth of not more than 1 cm. The soil for growing Amur barberry must be loose and fertile, and the site is open and well lit. In the beginning of summer the seeds come together. When two real leaves appear, the seedlings need to be weeded out, leaving a distance of about 3 cm between them. After this, the seedlings should not be transplanted, a transplant is possible after two years.

Using barberry

The use of Amur barbaris is multifaceted. In addition to its medicinal properties, barbaris bushes form living hedges and curbs. These bushes are perfectly suited to the conditions of the central strip of Russia. The hedges of them are impenetrable. They can be easily cut, giving the bushes any shape. Barberry is suitable for both solitary and group plantings, for growing in rock gardens and as a ground cover plant.

Varieties

The most popular varieties of Amur barberry are Orpheus and Japan.

Orpheus are compact small shrubs. He has bright leaves and he does not blossom.

Japan has wide leaves and long yellow inflorescences, drooping in the form of a brush. Thanks to this plant is very beautiful.