Ground turkey: photo, description. Field grass

The perennial herbaceous plant Calamagrostis epigeios, in Russian called reed grassland, is certainly familiar to every European living in a temperate climate zone. Thick islets of furry spikelets are abundant in meadows and forests. They are widely used in ornamental horticulture and decoration of bouquets, some medicinal properties of this plant are also known. At the same time, reed grass is a weed that considerably hampers the process of natural regeneration of the forest.

How can be called ground contour

The Latin name of the genus of this plant is derived from two words of the Greek language: "calamos" and "agrostis", which means "reed" and "bent". In scientific use, it came in thanks to Dioscorides, the Greek naturalist and the military doctor.

In the people, the reed warrior is often called a wartime, white-fronted, roaster, a wood broom or a mettle, a kunishnik, a blacksmith, a queue, a devil, a fireman, a perepole, a dry land, a chapel, a little chapel, a steppe cup, a mouse, a grass, a pineapple.

In addition to reed on the ground, there are other types of reedbreds (acicular, cane, grayish, compressed), also widely distributed in nature.

Ground turkey: description

This perennial plant height from 80 to 150-160 centimeters, belonging to the family of cereals. It is characterized by a long, creeping comparatively thick horizontal rhizome. It is significant that, even if it is crushed, but retaining one living kidney, the rhizome is able to give life to a new plant.

The reed stems of the ground are sturdy and straight, rough, have two widely spaced knots. Sheet plates of gray-green color, can be flat and wide (up to 10 millimeters) or curled and narrow.

The inflorescence of reed grass is a dense luxuriant tuft of 20-30 centimeters long, consisting of a multitude of spikelets. Spikelets are usually five to seven millimeters long, greenish or purple, collected by thick beams. Spike flakes are almost equal with each other. The hairs under the flowers almost twice as long as the latter. Characteristic of the absence of rudimentary spikelet.

Blossoms reed on the ground all summer in the morning, fructifies in August - September. Its fruit is an elongated granule, it falls along with bracts of scales.

Distribution area

Vein terrestrial is widely distributed in many parts of Europe and Asia, mainly in the natural zones of the temperate climate zone. It also occurs on other continents as an introduction plant.

It grows in abundance in the European part of the former USSR, in the southern regions of Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Caucasus, in the south of the Far East, in Central Asia, and in the Crimea.

This plant inhabits mostly mixed and coniferous forests of moderate density, dry meadows, floodplains of rivers. It prefers sandy, well drained soil, but it occurs in damp shrubs as well as in boggy meadows. Loves the light. Well tolerates salinity. In places where forests and hills are cut down, dense thickets of reindeer are often formed.

In the formation of the grass cover, along with reed on the ground often dominate the giant gigantic, couch-grass, some species of bluegrass and other field grasses.

Medicinal properties

Traditional medicine uses rhizomes and young shoots of this plant as a medicine. Infusion of them is recommended for use as a remedy for inflammation. Medicinal raw materials are harvested in late autumn or early spring. Rhizomes and shoots should be rinsed with cold water, and then dried outdoors in the shade.

Decoction from rhizomes of reed on the ground has a diuretic effect and is used as a disinfectant for the treatment of a number of diseases of the urinary tract caused by infections.

The broth is prepared as follows: ten to fifteen grams of dry raw material should be poured with one glass of water. Bring to a boil and boil for fifteen minutes. Next, the broth should be cooled and filtered. The recommended dose is one tablespoon, repeat three to four times during the day.

Useful qualities

In addition to some medicinal properties, ground reed has other useful features. He has a long strong rhizome, he is "active" and very unpretentious. Due to this, this cereal is often specially sown where there is a need to strengthen the sandy soil - on various mounds and dumps of mines.

Often this culture is specially grown in gardens as an ornamental plant, as an element of landscape design of the site. Veinik is very cold-resistant, if necessary, it can endure prolonged waterlogging. In this regard, it remains decorative until the onset of winter frosts. She does not need a shelter in the winter.

Cut off spikelets of reed on the ground - a beautiful component of winter bouquets of dried flowers and herbs.

Formally, reed grass is considered to be grass, but hay from it turns out to be of a very mediocre quality.

It is also mentioned that it can be used as raw material for making paper.

Damage to the forest

This type of reed is a very aggressive plant. Once inside the meadow, it quickly replaces many of the other herbs growing on it. Populating fresh felling and burning, it forms in these places so thick thickets, which greatly complicates the restoration of the forest. Because of him, not only do samosev and adolescents die, but even those young trees that have already reached a considerable age and height.

Thickets of reed grass contribute to a very strong drying of the soil. They impede the deep penetration of moisture in it, falling out in the form of precipitation. Over the dried stems of this plant, snow drifts are held for a long time, thereby leading to the soaking and throttling of self-sowing and other crops. In addition, areas of the forest, overgrown with reed grass, are more freezing at low temperatures. In its thickets, mice and other pests are free to multiply. Dry stalk of reed grass significantly increases the risk of fires. This leads to the fact that in places with ground reed fight, as with a weed.