A plant similar to sea buckthorn. Shepherdia - Canadian sea buckthorn. Pair for Shepherdia

At home, in America, this culture is very popular - they call it a buffalo berry and make incredibly tasty jelly from the fruit. The famous breeder Ivan Michurin brought her to our country. But it still remains a rarity. And in vain. Shepherdia is very unpretentious and incredibly useful!

In nature, there are three types of this berry, but in orchards silver shepherdia is usually grown, which belongs to the sucker family and is the closest relative of sea buckthorn. They are also outwardly similar: a bush 2–6 m high, the same silvery leaves, and typical berries. Only in Shepherdia they are round and red. This plant, like sea buckthorn, is dioecious - it has male and female specimens.

What is the use

Shepherdia fruits contain more sugar and vitamin C than sea buckthorn. So, this is an excellent tool for boosting immunity, preventing colds and flu.

And they are also rich in anthocyanins, which reduce the risk of cancer, carotenoids and kahetins, which are useful for vision - these substances increase the strength and elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, reduce their fragility, and reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

What is the beauty

Shepherdia fruits ripen in August-September and do not fall off for a long time - you don’t have to worry about the harvest. But if the tree is shaken properly, they will crumble - this greatly facilitates cleaning: I put polyethylene under the bush, and shook the berries. Moreover, manually collecting them is not very convenient - the plant is prickly.

The berries are sweet and sour with their original taste and slight astringency, which completely disappears after frost. Most gardeners believe that they are tastier than sea buckthorn, they do not have a "medicinal" smell.

This plant is winter-hardy, drought-resistant, undemanding to soils, can take root in any climate. It is not affected by pests and diseases. On the roots of shepherdia there are nodules in which special bacteria live - they capture nitrogen from the air and give it to the soil.

This culture blooms quite early, in late April - mid-May. And at this time there are frosts. But shepherdia has a wonderful property: the buds do not bloom all at once, so if some flowers are killed, others that open later will give a harvest.

And these trees are incredibly beautiful! Especially when berries appear on them: red beads against the background of silvery foliage - this is unimaginable! It is not for nothing that many plant shepherdia not in an orchard, but in an ornamental one. Or as a hedge - these plants easily tolerate a haircut and eventually form an impenetrable wall.

Landing Rules

Shepherdia's only requirement is an abundance of sun. Therefore, it must be planted in an open place. And it is advisable to avoid areas where water stagnates in spring and after rains.

The garden should have at least two plants: one male and one female. But in general, one “boy” is enough for several “girls”. The distance between them is 1.5 m. If there is not enough space, only a female can be planted, a couple of male branches can be grafted into her crown.

Planting pits are dug with a diameter of 60–70 and a depth of 40–50 cm. Bushes (better than a two-year-old) are planted so that the root collar is at the level

soil. The roots are covered with fertile soil, watered well and mulched with humus or peat with a layer of 3–5 cm.

It is better to plant shepherdia in the spring.

Care tricks

The roots of Shepherdia are shallow, so there should be no weeds in the near-trunk circle - they are strong competitors for the bush, they take away all the moisture from it. It is better to weed them out by hand, so as not to damage the roots. Better yet, keep the soil around the plant constantly mulched.

From time to time, a shoot appears in shepherdia and it must be removed. It is undesirable to simply cut off at ground level - there will be even more shoots. It is best to carefully dig the soil around the unwanted shoot, cut it from the horizontal root “to the ring”.

Shepherdia is formed in the form of a tree with a low trunk (30–40 cm). Pruning is carried out annually in October: all vertical shoots are shortened so that the crown height does not exceed 2–2.5 m. Every 3–5 years, all old branches are cut out, leaving only 1–2–3-year-old ones. If this is not done, the yield will decrease, and the berries will be small.

ACADEMIC COUNCIL

Shepherdia can be propagated by seeds, green cuttings, layering. But the easiest way is by root offspring. The strongest of them are chosen (preferably at the age of two), carefully separated from the mother plant and planted in a new place. You can do this both in spring and autumn.

OUR REFERENCE

It is possible to distinguish between male and female shepherdia plants only at rest, when the buds are clearly visible. In "boys" they are large and round, while in "girls" they are small and oblong.

V The first harvest of Shepherdia is given for 3-4 years. From a young tree, you can collect 2-5 kg ​​of berries, and from an adult - 10-15 kg. They make jam, jelly, kissels, compotes and much more. Trees bear fruit annually for 40–50 years.

Could you tell me what is Canadian sea buckthorn? Is it better than ordinary? I think that the plant you wanted to know about is Canadian shepherdia. With sea buckthorn, it is in a fairly close relationship, because they belong to the same family of suckers. Well, outside the tree is very similar to sea buckthorn: the same silvery, elongated leaves up to 1.5 wide and up to 5 cm long. The trunk is dark gray. Gray shoots are placed obstinately, depart from the trunk at a right angle and from time to time may end in thorns. Shepherdia was found later than many of her garden counterparts - at the end of the 19th century in Central America. It was brought to Russia by the famous breeder I.V. Michurin. Shepherdia is quite hardy, grows well and bears fruit not only in Ukraine, but also to the north. The plant is very hardy and can grow even on stony and eroded soils.

Sex differences in shepherdia are much more pronounced than in sea buckthorn. Male specimens have a straight trunk, openwork crown and strong branches. Their generative buds are rounded, 2-3 mm in diameter, collected in short spikes on the shoots of the past year. In female specimens, the branches are thin, drooping. Their generative buds are up to 2 mm long, collected 2 tons 3 pieces in a bunch. Flowering of male and female plants begins almost immediately and lasts from 7 to 20 days. To obtain fruits, it is imperative to have a male plant. Sea buckthorn c. Shepherdia is not suitable as a pollinator. Shepherdia blooms very early, in late April - early May. Pollinated by insects. Fruits are formed on last year's shoots and on two-three-year-old tree species. The fruit is a round juicy drupe up to 6 mm in diameter. The peduncle is small, the separation is semi-dry, the pulp is loose. Fruits are rich in nutrients

Persimmon oriental (Japanese). The scientific name of the genus means "divine fruit", "fruit (or food) of the gods." Ukrainian and

Shepherdia is absent in the flora of the USSR. This interesting plant is native to North America, where it grows naturally on open rocky slopes from Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Kansas and Nevada. Close relatives of Shepherdia are domesticnye species of sea buckthorn and sucker from the family of sucker. They have similar

habit, leaf morphology and fruits.

The genus Sheferdia includes three species, of which in the USSR cultivir. there are two - silver and Canadian.

Shepherdia was discovered in 1818 by Thomas Natoloi (1786-1859), a professor of botany at the University of Philadelphia, and named after John Shepherd (1764-1836), director of the Botanical Garden 2 Liverpool (England).

It is interesting that it was introduced into culture only in 1904 at the Southern Experimental Station in Dakota. The first generation of Shepherdia, 7,500, was grown from seed collected along the Missouri River, where Shepherdia grows in abundance. It has gained great popularity among many settlers of new areas due to its high yield and very pleasant taste of the fruit, although the strong roundness of the shoots causes inconvenience. at harvesting fruits.

High variability in the size and chemical composition of fruits: naturally growing plants are a wide field of activity for breeders.

In the USA, where shepherdine fruits, known as rabbit, bison, berries, Nebraska currants, are widely used for food, large-fruited forms have been bred. They make meat sauce.

Shepherdia fruits have high nutritional and dietary properties, rich in biologically active substances. They contain 21.6-29.6 % dry matter, 12-21 Sakharov, 1.8-3-4 acids (calculated as malic), 0.001 carotene, 0.036 catechins, 0.250 vitamin WITH, up to 0.62% tannins (in terms of tannin).

The fruits are used fresh, and also as an excellent raw material for jam, preserves, juices, compotes, wine, and even drying.)

In ornamental horticulture, shepherdia can be used for single and group plantings. Against the background of dark green leaves or needles of other species, its long, linear-lanceolate silvery leaves stand out beautifully. Trees with silvery foliage and scarlet-red fruits very attractive in summer and autumn. Dust and havo-resistant, suitable for landscaping cities and hedges.

In agriculture, shepherdia can be widely used to combat soil erosion, strengthen gullies and ravines, slopes and landslides, as it gives numerous offspring.

Canadian shepherdia differs from the silver one in weaker growth, rarely reaching a height of 2.5 m. The leaves are round-ovate, the fruits are yellowish-red, almost tasteless.

Shepherdia was brought to the USSR on the initiative of I. V. Michurin. AT currently it is cultivated in botanical gardens, at experimental stations, in parks and squares cities, on household plots. Three seedlings of shepherdia, sent by Ivan Vladimirovich in 1926 to Kyiv to Academician N.F. Kashchenko, laid the foundation for its cultivation in Ukraine, from where it spread to the botanical gardens and arboretums of Odessa, Uman, Vinnitsa, Uzhgorod, and is also available in the orchard collective farm them. Zhdanov, Korsun-Shevchenkovsky district, Cherkasy region.

In response to the request of N. F. Kashchenko to tell about the origin of shepherdia, Ivan Vladimirovich wrote: “The plant is dioecious of North American origin, the bush reaches 4-5 arshins in height, the fruits are sherlakh-red in color, round, pleasantly barberry-sour in taste. Indispensable for making liqueurs. Since 1926, Shepherdia silver has been cultivated in Kyiv, first in the acclimatization garden named after. N.F. Kyashenko, peach, apricot, common quince, edible chestnut were introduced in the north of Ukraine *

New, sea buckthorn, mountain ash homemade (Crimean) and many others, a then

in the Central Republican Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.

Features of biology. Several generations of Shepherdia from seeds have been grown in the Central Regional Bioorganic Plant of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR. 60-year-old plants have been preserved, male specimens of which reach a height of 6-6.5 m with a trunk circumference of 47-50 cm and a crown diameter of 10-12 m. The height of female plants is 6-7 m, the trunk circumference is 45 cm, the crown diameter is up to . From the seedlings, two large-fruited forms were selected and vegetatively propagated. Shepherdia planting material was released to experimental stations, botanical gardens, amateur gardeners.

Shepherdia is a single or multi-stemmed spreading plant, often with obliquely intertwined, creeping branches and original crosswise branching. The leaves are dense, oblong, greenish-white, 3-5 cm long, obtusely truncated, silvery on both sides, similar to sea buckthorn and sucker leaves.

Male and female plants can be externally distinguished only by flower buds: in males they are round, large, in females they are pointed, small. Female plants bloom 2-3 days earlier than male plants. Flower buds are formed on annual shoots and continuation shoots. Flowers almost sessile, collected in short spicate inflorescences, pistillate flowers occasionally solitary.

Pollination in shepherdia, as well as in related sucker and sea buckthorn, is cross-pollinated (the sucker and shepherdia are insect-pollinated, sea buckthorn is wind-pollinated). The flowers of the sucker are bisexual, shepherdia and sea buckthorn are unisexual. In male (stamen) flowers, nectaries alternate with stamens. Sometimes, in Shepherdia, the transformation of staminate flowers into bisexual ones is observed by the formation of a normal pistil in the center of the flower, which can be considered as an atavism, proving the secondary unisexuality in these genera.

Shepherdia blooms before the leaves bloom with small yellow flowers in late March - early April at an average daily air temperature of 6-8 ° C. During the flowering period (6-10 days), the temperature often drops, however, since the flowers in the inflorescences open at the same time, few of them die in some unfavorable years. Female plants bloom 2-3 days earlier than male plants, and by the end of flowering, their vegetative buds are fully blooming.

This amazing tree has many names: Nebraska currant, soapberry, rabbit berry, there is even a slightly strange name crucified berry due to the cruciform shape of the branches.

Shepherdia silver or American sea buckthorn is very similar to ours. Similar silvery leaves, and only the berries are painted in a different color. In an American woman, they are red, and slightly flattened, and there is also a bone inside. The fruits of sheferdia silvery taste sour-sweet, a little tart.

The tree is high-yielding, the fruits are delicious - this is how they won not just any kind of popularity. American sea buckthorn berries are very useful. Of these, you can cook compote, make jam, preserves, various seasonings, tinctures, wine. Berries can be frozen for the winter. After all, they contain a lot of vitamin C, which is so necessary in winter.

You can eat the fruits fresh, when compared with our sea buckthorn, the berries of which have a peculiar medicinal flavor, but silver shepherdia does not have it. Fruits can be dried, used as dried fruits. In America and Canada, dried berries are often sold.

If you are lucky enough to purchase silver shepherdia bushes, the following questions are relevant for you: how to plant and how to care for American sea buckthorn?

Location selection

Shepherdia silver prefers a bright and dry place for landing. Be sure to make a fence from the winter wind. American sea buckthorn is less winter hardy than domestic.

Shepherdia silver can be planted near ours - they do not pollinate. It can be planted on any soil, it bears fruit well on both sandy and clay soils. But, most importantly, no waterlogging.

Pits for planting should be dug 0.5 m deep and 0.7 m wide. When planting or transplanting, handle the roots carefully, do not damage the nodules on the roots. It is desirable to mulch the upper 5 cm layer with humus or last year's manure.

The interval between plantings of silver shepherdia is 1.5 - 3 m. And to create a hedge - from 0.5 to 1 meter. American sea buckthorn bush grows quite high 4 - 6 meters.

Shepherdia silver is not very demanding in terms of care. It is enough to regularly water and loosen the soil around the trunk. But, no deeper than 8 cm, there are already roots.

There is such a thing as root shoots, they should always be removed. To do this, you need to dig them up, and then cut them off from the horizontal root.

No pests of Shepherdia silver are terrible. Resistant, strong plant. Illness is rare.

Shepherdia silver grows quite densely, so its crown must be thinned out annually. And every 4 years, anti-aging pruning should be carried out. In the return of 2-3 years, the central and lateral shoots are shortened to wood.

It is best to form American sea buckthorn in the form of a bush or small trees up to 2 - 2.5 meters. But, this is for an aesthetic look, you can grow up to 5 meters, but then it will be more difficult to collect fruits.

reproduction

Propagated by root cuttings. At the age of 2 years, they can be transplanted and somewhere in 3 years the bushes will begin to bear fruit.

Shepherdia silver can also be propagated by seeds. To do this, they are sown in the fall 2 cm deep. American sea buckthorn is a dioecious plant. For 4-6 years, the seedlings will begin to bear fruit, the extra male plants are removed. For 4 female bushes, 1 male bush is enough.

Shepherdia silver is also propagated by cuttings. The principle is the same as for other cultures. The cuttings should be inserted into a wet sandy-peat mixture, covered with a transparent film on top for the time of rooting.

Only for the cutting, choose not stiff, but green shoots, they take root better.

Harvesting

This pleasant procedure begins in the month of September. But, the longer the berries ripen, the less tart flavor remains in them. If you want to eat sweet fruits, then it is better to collect them after the first frost. In the pulp, the amount of acid and bitterness decreases, and sugar content increases.

As a rule, there are a lot of berries on silver shepherdia. Therefore, to collect as quickly as possible all this goodness. It is best to spread a large, wide blanket, and then shake the bush. An adult bush gives an approximate 12 - 14 kg of red berries.

Shepherdia is a sprawling perennial shrub from the Lokhov family. It grows in North America, but is successfully cultivated in Europe. Shepherdia is also known by the names "buffberry" or "soapberry". In appearance, shepherdia is very similar to sea buckthorn, but the fruits of the plant contain much more nutrients and have a pleasant taste. It is not difficult to take care of the shrub, it will regularly give the owner a bountiful harvest and delight in its beautiful appearance. It is enough to follow a few simple rules in care so that sheferdia decorates the garden for several decades.

plant description

Sheferdia is a perennial shrub plant 3-7 m high. Evergreen and deciduous forms are found in the genus. Thin branches are covered with rough yellowish-gray bark. They are strongly branched along their entire length and covered with long spines. The branches are densely intertwined and tend to the ground, forming an impenetrable thorny fence.

Shoots are covered with lanceolate or oval bright green leaves. Foliage on short petioles is opposite. The length of the dense leaf plate is 4-7 cm. On both sides or only from the bottom there is a silvery coating in the form of short scaly villi.

From the end of March, miniature axillary flowers bloom, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. Flowering occurs before leaves appear. The buds are attached to the shoots with short pedicels, they densely cover the branches. Shepherdia is a dioecious plant, that is, there are specimens exclusively with male or female flowers. To achieve fruiting, it is necessary to plant at least one male plant for 7-10 females in the garden. Female buds open a little earlier than male ones. Pollination occurs with the help of insects, after which small rounded berries ripen.

On the surface of the red skin of drupes there are many small white dots. Delicate edible pulp has a sweet and sour taste. Due to the pronounced astringency, shepherdia fruits are more often consumed not in their raw form, but as part of jams, jellies and compotes. The fruits remain on the branches until frost. Low temperatures make them more tender and sweet. Inside contains a single flattened seed. Flowering and fruiting occurs 2-3 years after planting. Ripe drupes are easily crushed from the branches, which facilitates harvesting. One plant can produce up to 15 kg of fruits per season.

Common types

A small genus of Shepherdia has only 3 species.

The variety got its name from the whitish pubescence that is present on young branches and leaves on both sides. This thorny shrub can grow up to 6 m in height. Flowering begins in mid-April. On male plants, flowers are collected in miniature spikelets. Female buds are located singly. In September, fruits ripen - red or yellow-orange berries. The ornamental variety Goldeneye is very popular. Ripe fruits on it are painted in bright yellow color.

This species is shaped like a spreading tree. The branches are covered with brown bark. The upper part of the leaves is smooth, dark green. From below, the leaves are covered with a silvery pile and yellow scales. In mid-April, small green-yellow flowers bloom. In September, dark red oblong berries 4-8 mm long ripen.

The variety forms a tall, spreading shrub. The branches are tightly intertwined. They are densely covered with rounded dark green leaves. Numerous warty growths are visible on the surface of a dense sheet plate. The species is characterized by very abundant flowering and fruiting. Under the weight of the fruits, the branches bend to the ground. Shepherdia rotundifolia is almost never found outside the Colorado Plateau.

reproduction

Shepherdia can be propagated in several ways.

• Sowing seeds. Seeds should be sown in November in open ground. They are buried in the soil to a depth of 1.5-3 cm. In winter, it is recommended to cover the sowing place with snow. By mid-April, the first shoots will begin to appear. In September, the length of the seedlings will be 10-15 cm. If necessary, they are transplanted to a permanent place. Flowering and fruiting is expected in 4-6 years.
• Rooting cuttings. This method is good because it allows you to immediately determine the male and female plants. For rooting choose green cuttings with 2-3 buds. Their length is usually 8-12 cm. During the first day, the branches are kept in Kornevin, and then planted in sandy-peat soil. The shoot should be deepened by 3-4 cm. At the end of September, the cuttings will develop strong roots and they can be planted in the garden in a permanent place.
• Separation of root shoots. Every year, several children are formed at the roots of shepherdia. In March-April, strong plants can be transplanted from the main bush to a new place. Transplantation can also be scheduled for early autumn.

Shepherdia Care

Shepherdia is unpretentious and adapts well to living conditions. It can grow on any soil, however, in heavy soils, it is recommended to add sand or gravel for better drainage. In order for the fruiting to be plentiful, and the berries to be sweeter, you should choose an open, sunny place. All types of shepherdia are resistant to cold and do not require additional shelter for the winter. Plants are also not afraid of drafts.

Shepherdia is drought tolerant and does not like waterlogged soil. Usually it has enough natural rainfall. Only in long hot and dry weather, especially during the period of fruit ripening, can the bushes be watered with an average portion of water.

For normal development, the plant needs regular weeding and loosening of the soil. This procedure will allow air to penetrate to the roots. Remove weeds and loosen the ground with care, as the roots lie quite close to the surface of the soil.

To maintain an attractive appearance, shepherdia must be trimmed. In the garden, plant height is often limited to two meters. This makes it easier to care for and harvest. You should also thin out the crown, otherwise the branches will tangle and tend to the ground.

plant in landscape design

Dense thickets of Shepherdia attract with silvery foliage and scarlet fruits. They look good against the background of conifers, as well as shrubs with red foliage (barberry, irga, weigela). The plant is convenient to use to create green hedges around the perimeter of the garden. Undersized forms are suitable for creating a background in a flower garden.

Beneficial features

Shepherdia berries lead in the amount of ascorbic acid. In addition to it, the fruits contain:

• tannins;
• vitamins A, P, E;
• pectin;
• organic acids.

The use of Shepherdia fruits helps to strengthen the immune system, take care of the state of blood vessels, and normalize blood pressure. Berries can be consumed raw, made into alcohol tinctures, and prepared all kinds of sauces, jams and preserves. They are more of a food product than a medicine, so they have no contraindications. Caution should be exercised only by people prone to allergic reactions.