Juniper high: photo, description, protection

Juniper is tall - a tree whose history is millions of years old. This evergreen plant since ancient times was valued both for high-quality wood, and for unique healing properties. Unfortunately, in the wild nature it occurs less and less, therefore it is listed in the Red Book. In the article we will talk about the fact that the juniper tree is tall, photos will also be presented.

Description of the plant

"Prickly" - this was the name of the Celts tree, but the Slavs gave a completely different definition: "growing between spruce" - "juniper". This evergreen tree belongs to the cypress group. Juniper is tall - a relatively small plant. But compared to other representatives of the species reaches the largest size.

What is this tree? Its main characteristics are a height of up to 15 meters, a round crown and a brown crust whose flakes have the property of peeling off. Among the dense needles, you can see young shoots curved in an arc. It is on them grow the fruits of juniper - small berries. Young, they do not attract attention, however, the ripened ones stand out clearly among the gray-green needles - they have a characteristic dark blue color. White coating is not uncommon on them.

This species of juniper grows very slowly: by the age of 60 it can reach only a meter in height, up to a five-meter mark, the tree grows to 140 years. By the way, the average age of juniper life is 200 years. However, there are individuals with a 1000-year history.

The tree is very rich in essential oils, so it can only be identified by smell.

Distribution area

As for the spread, the juniper high (photo below) prefers a dry, hot climate. Therefore, it occurs throughout the entire Mediterranean coast, in the southern part of the Crimea, the mountainous terrain of Pakistan. The Caucasus and Central Asia also boast of the presence of these beautiful and useful in all senses representatives of the plant world.

It is interesting to multiply the tree: in order for the seed to germinate, it must pass through the bird's digestive system. After this difficult "journey" the seed becomes capable of germination.

Preferences

Calcite or stony soil, a large amount of sun - this is what this tree needs for life. Most often such characteristics of the terrain are mountain slopes, not quite high. Juniper grows in the lower belts of the mountains. Although there are cases when the tree is picked up high enough, for example, there are facts of growing juniper on the 4000-meter mark.

The tree is absolutely unpretentious, well tolerates both heat and short-term temperature drop. If the thermometer's column drops to -25, this is uncritical for a juniper. But it will not endure too long exposure to such colds.

Most often, a tall juniper, the description of which is given above, does not grow alone, but creates a woodland. The most comfortable tree is surrounded by fir trees, oak trees and pistachio trees.

Use in medicine

The healing properties, which are rich in juniper, are known from ancient times. They are even captured in myths and legends. So, it was with the help of this plant that Iason acquired the golden fleece (Myths of Ancient Greece). Using the sleeping pills of a juniper tree, he put the guardian snake to sleep and thus fulfilled his mission.

The aroma of the tree truly does miracles of healing. Being in the sparse junipers, inhaling the healing couples, you can get rid of many diseases. These trees are capable of cleaning the air much better than other conifers. This quality was used by our ancestors: they fumigated the premises with juniper, if there were patients. The same advised Virgil to do during the outbreak of cholera in ancient Rome.

Juniper is useful not only to breathe: for the purpose of better healing and destruction of bacteria by its oil, wounds are healed. Useful juniper tree with arthritis and rheumatism: it is enough just to wipe the affected area with essential oil.

Take juniper high inside with catarrhal diseases: from his cones, prepare a decoction and give on a tablespoon to the patient. Tea from the fruit of the tree is recommended to drink also to people suffering from diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

It should be remembered that the plant has serious contraindications: it categorically can not be used by pregnant women and people with acute kidney diseases.

Rich in medicinal properties, juniper high was endowed with our ancestors and esoteric qualities. It was used to remove spoiling, protection from dark forces, making amulets.

Use in everyday life

So rich in bactericidal qualities, juniper has fine wood, which is also resistant to decay. An example of the use of such material is the famous Genoese fortress in Sudak. The ceilings in its basements are made of juniper trunks, and they did not disappoint 700-year history of the architectural monument. Steadily hold columns of trunks load of three floors of the fortress. It is worth noting that elements made not from juniper have long required reconstruction. From wood do also utensils, toys, salaries for icons.

Juniper berries are also used for domestic purposes. Rich in sugar, they before the revolution were its source for many people living in its growing places.

Security

The tree began to be cut off mercilessly because of the high value of wood. That is why juniper is high in the Red Book.

Also in the territories of the spread of the tree fighting was conducted during the Great Patriotic War, which also affected its strength. There were also very arid years (50th), when the remaining specimens were subjected to one more test.

Currently, there is a conservation of sparse forests, in which juniper grows tall. The red book (the description of the tree is fully given in it) refers to juniper to group I - especially protected. In full swing is the organization of wildlife sanctuaries in the places of accumulations of these useful and such few trees already.