Norway spruce - features of growing a festive tree. Spruce: description, classification and range. Natural spruce species, selected varieties and forms At what age do spruce cones appear

Spruce (lat. Picea) is an evergreen conifer tree, a symbol of the New Year. Belongs to the pine order, pine family, spruce genus. Spruce height can reach 50 meters, and the life span of a tree can be 600 years, although usually a tree lives up to 250-300 years.

Spruce - description, appearance, photo.

At young tree during the first 15 years of growth, the root system has a rod structure, but then it develops as a superficial one, since the main root dies off as it grows older. In the first years of life, the spruce grows up and practically does not give lateral branches. The straight spruce trunk has round shape and gray bark, exfoliating into thin plates. spruce wood low-resinous and uniform, white color with a slight golden hue.

The pyramidal or cone-shaped crown of spruce is made up of whorled-arranged branches growing almost perpendicular to the trunk. short spruce needles located on the branches in a spiral order and has a tetrahedral or flat shape. The color of the needles is usually green, blue, yellowish or dove. The needles remain viable for 6 years, and the fallen needles are renewed annually. Some insects are not indifferent to spruce needles (for example, nun butterflies) and eat the needles so much that brush shoots form on damaged spruce branches - very short and hard needles that look like brushes.

spruce cones have a slightly pointed, slightly elongated cylindrical shape. They can reach a length of 15 cm and have a diameter of at least 4 cm. A spruce cone is an axis, and a lot of covering scales grow around it, in the axils of which seed scales are located. On the upper part of the seed scales, 2 ovules are formed, endowed with a false wing. Spruce seeds ripen in October, after which the seeds are dispersed by the wind and remain viable for 8-10 years.

Types of firs, names and photos.

Today, more than 45 species of spruce trees have been studied, growing in natural conditions and having a trunk height from 30 cm to 50 m, a different crown structure and various colors of needles. Among all representatives of this genus, the most famous are the following varieties:

European (ordinary) spruce (lat. Picea abies). An evergreen coniferous tree, the average height of which is 30 m, but there are instances of 50 m in height. The crown of the spruce is cone-shaped, whorled branches of a drooping or prostrate type, the bark of the trunk is dark gray, begins to peel off with age in plates of small thickness. Spruce needles are tetrahedral, arranged in a spiral on spruce legs. Ordinary spruce forms huge forests in the north-east of Europe, is found in the mountainous regions of the Alps and the Carpathians, in the Pyrenees and the Balkan Peninsula, in North America and central Russia, and even in the Siberian taiga.

Siberian spruce (lat. Picea obovata). Tall, up to 30 meters tall tree with a pyramidal crown. The diameter of the Siberian spruce trunk in girth can exceed 70-80 cm. The needles of the Siberian spruce are somewhat shorter than those of the common spruce, and more prickly. Siberian spruce grows in the forests of the northern part of Europe, in Kazakhstan and China, on the Scandinavian Peninsula and in Mongolia, in the Urals and in the Magadan region.

Oriental spruce (lat. Picea orientalis). The height of the tree varies from 32 to 55 meters, the crown is conical, with densely arranged branches. The bark of the spruce trunk is low-resinous, gray-brown in color, scaly. The needles are shiny, slightly flattened, tetrahedral, with a slightly rounded tip. Oriental spruce is widespread in the forests of the Caucasus and in the northern territories of Asia, forming pure massifs there, or found in mixed forests.

Korean spruce (lat. Picea koraiensis). A rather tall coniferous tree, reaching 30-40 m in height, with a grayish-brown trunk in color of the bark, with a girth of up to 75-80 cm. Under natural conditions, Korean spruce grows in the regions of the Far East, in China, in the Primorsky Territory and the Amur Region, in North Korea.

Ayan spruce (small-seeded, Hokkaido) (lat. Picea jezoensis). Outwardly, this type of spruce is very similar to European spruce. The pyramidal crown of the Ayan spruce has bright green, almost non-resinous needles with a sharp tip, the height of the trunk is usually 30-40 meters, occasionally up to 50 m, the girth of the trunk reaches a meter, and sometimes more. Spruce grows in the Far East region, in Japan and China, on Sakhalin and the territory of the Kamchatka Territory, in Korea and the Amur Region, in the Kuril Islands, along the coast Sea of Okhotsk and in the Sikhote-Alin mountains.

Tien – shan spruce (lat. Picea schrenkiana subsp. tianschanica). Spruces of this species often reach a height of 60 m, and the trunk is 1.7-2 meters in diameter. Crown Tien Shan spruce cylindrical, less often pyramidal. The needles are diamond-shaped, straight or slightly curved. Distinctive feature- the presence of anchor roots that are able to bend and cling tightly to stones or rocky ledges. Spruce grows in regions of Central Asia, is widespread in the Tien Shan mountains, and is especially common in Kazakhstan and the mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan.

spruce glen (lat. Picea glehnii). A coniferous tree with a very dense, cone-shaped crown. The height of the trunk is from 17 to 30 meters, the diameter varies from 60 to 75 cm. The bark is covered with scale plates, has a beautiful chocolate tint. The long tetrahedral needles are slightly curved, sharp in young trees and slightly blunt in mature specimens. The needles are dark green, with a bluish bloom, has a tart spruce aroma. Spruce Glen grows in Japan, in the southern regions of Sakhalin, in the south of the Kuril Islands.

Canadian spruce (gray spruce, white spruce) (lat. Picea glauca). Slim evergreen tree, most often not exceeding 15-20 meters in height, the diameter of the Canadian spruce trunk in diameter is not more than 1 meter. The bark on the trunk is quite thin, covered with scales. The crown is narrowly conical in young specimens, while in adult fir trees it takes the form of a cylinder. The needles of spruce are long (up to 2.5 cm), blue-green in color, have a diamond-shaped cross section. grows Canadian spruce in the states of North America, often found in Alaska, Michigan, South Dakota.

red spruce (lat. Picea rubens). An evergreen tree, from 20 to 40 meters high, however, under poor growing conditions, it can have a height of only 4-6 meters. The diameter of the red spruce trunk rarely exceeds 1 meter, and is usually 50-60 centimeters. The crown is cone-shaped, significantly expanding towards the base of the trunk. The needles are quite long - 12-15mm, practically do not prick, as it has a rounded tip. This type spruce is common in England and Canada, grows in the highlands of the Appalachians and in Scotland, occurring almost along the entire Atlantic coast.

Serbian spruce (lat. Picea omorika). An evergreen representative of coniferous trees, from 20 to 35 meters high, Serbian spruce trees reaching 40 meters in height are very rare. The crown was pyramidal, but narrow, and closer to columnar in shape. The branches are short, sparse, slightly raised upwards. The needles were green, shiny, with a slightly bluish tint, slightly flattened above and below. This type of spruce is very rare: in its natural environment it grows only in Western Serbia and Eastern Bosnia.

Blue spruce, she is prickly spruce(lat. Picea pungens)- a very popular type of spruce, often used as ornamental plant. Blue spruce can grow up to 46 meters in height, although the average height of the tree is 25-30 m, and the diameter of the trunk is up to 1.5 m. Needles 1.5-3 cm long are different shades- from grayish green to bright blue. Spruce cones 6-11 cm long can be reddish or purple, becoming light brown when ripe. Blue spruce grows in western North America (from Idaho to New Mexico), where it is widely distributed on moist soils along the banks of mountain rivers and streams.

Dwarf spruce, varieties and types, names and photos.

Among the huge variety of species and varieties of spruces, dwarf spruces are especially popular - amazing elements landscape design and a wonderful decoration for every garden. Dwarf spruce is durable, unpretentious, easy to care for. These miniature trees amaze with the magnificence of shapes and colors and fit perfectly into rock gardens, rockeries, flower beds, Japanese gardens. Here are some types of dwarf firs:

Dwarf spruce Nidiformis (Nidiformis)- one of the forms of Norway spruce, a dense nest-like shrub with light green needles, grows up to 40 cm in height and no more than 1 m in width.

The result of a mutation of the common spruce variety Acrocona - unusual plant uneven shape, 30-100 cm high and 50 cm in diameter. Small pink cones, formed on shoots of different lengths, look especially picturesque.

Dwarf Blue Spruce Glauka Globoza (Glauca Globosa)- one of the popular types of blue spruce with a dense wide-conical crown and light blue crescent-shaped needles. By the age of 10, the tree grows up to 3 m in height and gradually becomes almost round.

A very decorative conifer with a symmetrical pyramidal crown and two-color needles: the needles are dark green above and light blue below. The tree grows up to 3-3.5 m in height, and the diameter of the crown at the base is 2.5 m.

Prickly spruce dwarf Bialobok (Bialobok) - unique variety spruces of Polish selection with blue, silver and golden shades of needles. The Christmas tree acquires a special decorative effect in spring, when young shoots of a whitish-cream color appear against the background of mature dark green needles. Height dwarf spruce is no more than 2 meters.

Picea abies
Taxon: Pine family ( Pinaceae).
Other names: European spruce
English: Norway Spruce, Christmas Tree

Description

Spruce- an elegant, slender evergreen tree up to 30-50 m high of the pine family. The crown of the tree has the shape of a regular narrow cone and descends almost to the ground. The top of the spruce is always sharp, it never dulls. A tall and slender spruce grows only when the topmost bud of the tree blooms normally every year and gives rise to a new shoot. If the apical bud of a young spruce was damaged or the shoot on which it is located was cut off, the appearance of the tree changes dramatically. The growth of the main trunk stops, coming to the top side branches gradually rise up. As a result, instead of a tall and slender tree, a low and ugly tree is obtained. The trunk of a spruce is covered with flaky brownish-gray bark. The branches are arranged in whorls. The needles are needle-shaped, flattened-tetrahedral, dark green, shiny, 2-3 cm long, kept on branches for 6-12 years. Spruce needles are much shorter than those of pine. The life span of spruce needles is longer than that of pine needles. In spring, spruce, like pine, has male and female cones on its branches. This happens around the time when the bird cherry blossoms. Spruce- the plant is monoecious, male spikelets are located in the lower part of the shoots in the axils of the needles. Female cones are elongated-cylindrical, young ones are bright red, late ones are green, in a mature state they are brown, up to 15 cm long. Pollen resembling a fine yellow powder ripens in male spikelets-knobs. Spruce dusts very plentifully. Pollen is carried by the wind far around, settles on various objects. It is noticeable even on the leaves of forest grasses. Spruce cones, ripening in the first year, are formed by spirally arranged covering scales, in the axils of which there are two ovules, from which seeds develop after fertilization. Seeds are dark brown with wings, similar to pine seeds. Having fallen out of the cone, they circle in the same way in the air like a propeller. Their rotation is very fast, and the fall from this is slow. The seeds picked up by the wind can fly away from the mother tree quite far to the side. Seed dispersal occurs at the end of winter, on dry sunny days.
Unlike pine, spruce is shade-tolerant. Its lower branches do not die off and are preserved, therefore it is dark and damp in spruce forests. In spruce, the root system is much smaller than that of pine, and is located in top layer soil, so the tree is unstable and often strong winds knock him to the ground.
Spruce grows well under the canopy of pine, birch, oak. She, like other shade-tolerant trees, has a dense, dense crown that transmits little light.
One of the features of spruce is its sensitivity to late spring frosts. The return of cold weather in the spring destroys its young, just appeared, not yet strengthened shoots. Young Christmas trees damaged by frost can sometimes be seen at the beginning of summer somewhere in an open place (in a clearing, in a large clearing in the middle of a forest, etc.). Their part of the needles is green, old, and the young shoots are dried, brown, as if set on fire.
In spruce, as in pine, annual rings of wood are clearly distinguished on the transverse section of the trunk. Some annual rings are wider, others are narrower. The width of the growth ring to a large extent depends on the environmental conditions in which the tree grows (temperature, humidity, light, availability nutrients etc.). How better conditions, the wider the ring. In years with especially favorable for the tree weather conditions rings are especially wide. Since spruce creates very strong shading, only fairly shade-tolerant plants can exist under its canopy. There are usually few shrubs in a spruce forest, on the ground there is a solid green carpet of mosses, against which a few taiga grasses and dense thickets of blueberries grow (this type of forest is called blueberry spruce forest). Where the soil is better supplied with nutrients and sufficiently drained, as a rule, a continuous cover of oxalis develops - a small herbaceous plant with trifoliate, like clover, leaves (this type of forest is called the sour spruce forest). On soils, especially poor and very damp ones, under the fir trees there is a continuous rather thick carpet of cuckoo flax moss (the name of such a forest is long-moss spruce forest).
In the spruce forest, as a result of strong shading, shoots of almost all tree species quickly die. However, the undergrowth of spruce itself is preserved for a very long time under these conditions. However, he has a very depressed look. The trees are smaller than a person, similar in shape to an umbrella, their crown seems to be flattened, very loose. Living branches are very thin, with rare short needles, the stem is like a ski pole. If you cut off such a stem in the lower part with a sharp knife, then on the cross section you can see unusually narrow growth rings, almost indistinguishable with the naked eye. They can only be seen with a strong magnifying glass. The reason for this is the fact that in deep shade the tree almost does not produce organic matter and therefore cannot produce much wood.
Sprouts of spruce - almost the same as those of pine. They are quite rare in the forest. This is explained by the fact that a thin, weak root of a germinating seed is often unable to “break through” a powerful layer of dry, fallen needles. On the other hand, there are many shoots where this obstacle is not present - on rotten tree trunks lying on the ground, on rotten stumps, on recently exposed areas of soil, etc.

Spreading

The area of natural distribution of Norway spruce in our country is almost the entire northern half of the European part. In the northernmost regions of this territory, as well as in the Urals and Siberia, a closely related species grows - Siberian spruce (Picca obovata). Spruce occupies 10% of the forest area, forming spruce forests, is part of mixed, one of the most common tree species. In the European part of the country, spruce does not spread far to the south, as it is quite moisture-loving. East of the Urals, it is replaced by a close species - Siberian spruce, in the Caucasus - eastern spruce.

cultivation

Spruce is propagated by seeds. This tree cannot grow in too dry climates. Does not tolerate spruce and dry soil. In this respect, it is much more whimsical than pine, which grows well on very dry sands. Spruce is more demanding than pine in terms of soil fertility. It does not grow in extremely nutrient-poor upland (sphagnum) bogs.

Collection and preparation

Needles, immature cones, young tops of spruce branches are used as medicinal raw materials. Cones are harvested in the summer before the seeds ripen, dried on racks under a canopy.

Chemical composition

Essential oils, resins, tannins, phytoncides, and minerals were found in the cones. Spruce needles contain ascorbic acid (200-400 mg /%) and the same substances as cones.

The use of spruce in medicine

A decoction and infusion of cones are used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract and bronchial asthma, needles as an antiscurvy agent, especially in winter time. The needles also have a diuretic, antimicrobial effect. It is recommended for diseases of the kidneys and bladder. AT traditional medicine a decoction of kidneys and young cones is used in the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis, scurvy, dropsy, inflammatory diseases respiratory organs.

Medications

Infusion of spruce needles: 20-25 g of crushed needles are brewed with boiling water (1:5), boiled for 10 minutes, then infused for 10 minutes, this dose is taken during the day. This infusion is drunk against scurvy and respiratory diseases.
A decoction of spruce cones. The cones are crushed, poured with water (1: 5), boiled for half an hour, the resulting broth is gargled, dripped into the nose. Bath infusion. Paws are boiled with salt, the resulting broth is added to baths for pain in the joints of various origins.
The spruce forest is clean, but it has a depressing effect on a person who communicates little with it, although spruce is a donor tree, not a vampire, but when there are many donors nearby, they act badly on each other.

Household use

Spruce is widely used in national economy. Her wood is large quantities goes, for example, to the manufacture of paper. Pulp, artificial silk and much more are produced from spruce wood; it is widely used in construction. Spruce wood is an indispensable material for the manufacture of some musical instruments (for example, the upper soundboards of violins are made from it, etc.).
Spruce is also an important supplier of tannins, which are essential for leather dressing. These substances in our country are obtained mainly from spruce bark. Our other plants are much less important as sources of tannins (the bark of oak, willow, larch, the rhizome of the herbaceous bergenia plant, etc. are used).

A bit of history

El is not only Christmas tree. It is constantly used when escorting a person to last way. Spruce branches are placed under the coffin, wreaths are made from spruce branches. This tree is both festive and mournful. Pine needle phytoncides disinfect the room, expel " evil spirit". It is believed that when the body is taken out with the help of spruce branches, all the bad things that sent a person on his last journey are removed from the house, spruce alleviates the suffering of his soul, which has not yet had time to completely part with the body - this will take 40 days. Spruce branches lying on the grave contribute to the relief of the soul of the deceased.
Sometimes healers and witches, reading conspiracies, as if to strengthen, enhance the action, burn a small sprig of spruce in an iron bowl and see how the ashes are located, in what form - budding or not.

Photos and illustrations

Most owners of their own plots would be happy to plant a spruce on it. This tree is not only evergreen, but is also considered very characteristic of the Russian landscape and for decorating a piece of land in landscape style fits just perfect. But not every site area allows you to do this.

What tree to plant in the country

Spruce belongs to the pine family - a large tree, a narrow crown, a straight trunk. Breeders have bred many varieties from different color needles, different shapes and heights, so that when performing landscape composition you can choose from a large number options. How many centimeters a tree grows per year depends both on the conditions of the area and on the variety chosen.

When developing a composition, one must take into account that the planted Christmas tree will not remain as small and beautiful for long. In a few years, it will take up much more space than at first.

If you wish to ennoble the site with an evergreen tree, it should not be dug out in the nearest forest. Firstly, it is illegal, and secondly, a wild-growing tree will lead to the fact that in a few years, not a beautiful furry Christmas tree will grow on your site, but an uncomfortable sprawling monster, in which the lower part of the trunk will be bare.

A great alternative is to choose something from the ennobled varieties that the breeders have worked on. It can be a Canadian tree, prickly spruce, or blue, Serbian spruce. These species are well suited to living in climates middle lane and pretty good looking.

How fast do trees grow

Young spruces grow slowly. At first, they will only be able to stretch a few centimeters a year. Later, when the plant has already taken root well, if the soil is suitable for it and there is enough light, the tree will begin to grow faster - the growth is from 8 to 50 cm per year. Of course, these are average figures. Dwarf varieties, for example, grow more slowly.

In order to gain a length of one meter, the tree will take about seven years. This means that the tree will grow "from scratch". If you do not go to extremes and purchase an ordinary seedling about one and a half meters for planting, an excellent tree with a good height will grow in about 10-12 years.

If the site is small, it is better to choose a dwarf spruce for it. Typically, these types are nice shape crowns and in small areas look very good. They grow about 3-5 cm per year.

In order to gain growth, decorative dwarf spruce will take more time.

During the period when the plant is just taking root on the site, it needs careful care. It is necessary to carry out feeding, watering, especially if climatic conditions different from ideal or there was a dry summer. In the spring, some varieties require protection from the sun.

Planting a Christmas tree near the house is a great idea. An evergreen tree will please the eye all year round. On the new year holidays it can be decorated, led round dances around the spruce. But what to do to make the spruce take root? It is better to plant a Christmas tree in winter.

Instruction

Choose a suitable tree in the forest. It should not be too large, because the young take root better. When it freezes up to 30 cm, carefully dig out the Christmas tree. Must not be damaged. To do this, you must first dig around the groove and select a lump near the roots. The lump should freeze, then it can be cut from below with a steel cable and the spruce can be removed. When you transport the Christmas tree, cover it with burlap.

Prepare a suitable hole for spruce. It should be spacious enough so that the roots of the tree are not cramped. Prepare also thawed for backfilling the pit. To do this, store the earth in a warm room for several days. Immerse the tree in a hole, cover it with earth. Insulate the root neck of the spruce and the space around with peat and snow. The layer should be approximately 10 cm thick.

Wait until spring, when the snow melts, remove the peat from the root neck. Then form a small depression around the Christmas tree for watering and water the tree. Growth stimulants can be added to the water. The spruce trunk can be strengthened with stretch marks. Cover the space around the trunk with mulch so that water evaporates less and weeds do not grow.

Related videos

Helpful advice

Water a Christmas tree planted in winter up to 12 times per season. Watering should be plentiful.

Spruce, pine, fir and other conifers paint any area. You can plant just a whole tree and enjoy the evergreen beauty both in summer and on New Year's holidays, or you can make a natural green fence out of a row of fir trees instead of unattractive fence boards or trellises. However, conifers are not the most unpretentious plants, so you need to know a number of rules when planting them.

Instruction

Spruce, like all conifers, needs to be replanted, keeping a fairly large clod of earth around the roots. Do not allow the roots to become exposed and dry, even for a short time.

If you are buying a spruce, pay attention to root system, the roots should not be cut too short. For example, for a spruce 2 m high, it is necessary to keep the roots about 80 cm long.

If you are already planting large tree, more than two meters, then it with a frozen clod of earth. All spruces are frost-resistant, and spruce in winter allows you to better preserve the root system of the tree during transportation. The air temperature should not be lower than -15 degrees.

When choosing a place to plant, keep in mind that subsequently, next to the spruce, something other than heather is unlikely to grow. Firstly, coniferous plants do not tolerate neighbors, and secondly, the shadow from wide branches will not allow other plantings to develop.

Fill the planting with a mixture of earth and peat, gradually tamping. After that, water very abundantly and for the first two to three weeks, keep the soil constantly moist.

feed the fir trees mineral fertilizers in April-May, before the start of growth.

If you want to grow a Christmas tree from a seed, buy special land for coniferous plants or make your own from a ratio of 2 parts of humus, 1 part of sand. Under the soil there should be a layer of drainage. Plant a seed no deeper than 1 cm, water through the pan.

Sources:

evergreen beauties

Spruces planted along the road or the border of the site look very neat, close the house from prying eyes in winter and summer, significantly improve and ozonize the air. Despite the high prevalence of this tree, it takes root rather poorly during transplantation, therefore, in order to plant a spruce, it is very important to follow some rules.

You will need

- spruce seedling or seeds;
- Earth;
- pot;
- shovel;
- water for irrigation.

Instruction

If you eat, take them out of the cone and soak for a few days in warm water. Then prepare a pot, drainage, fill the soil for conifers. Make the soil yourself (for this, take 2 parts of humus and 1 part of sand) or buy it in a store. Most best option- Dig up land under the trees in the forest. Plant at a depth of about 1 cm, a deeper one will not allow them to hatch. Put in a dark cool place, carefully water through the pan.

Start planting a tree on the second. If you decide to take a spruce from the forest, choose young tree and dig it out with a very large clod of earth. When buying a seedling, pay attention to the size of the root system - the cheerful top with cut roots will almost certainly die. For example, a spruce 2 meters high should have a root ball of at least 80 cm, with the top 20 cm remaining with the grass. In order to plant imported spruce, choose strong seedlings with a packed root system, while considering which country they were brought from. Ate from countries with a mild climate, the first years should be sheltered from frost.

Start planting from the end of April to the beginning of May or in mid-August - mid-September, when the first frosts begin. Dig a hole 20-30 cm deeper and 15-20 cm wider earthy coma. Loosen the bottom to a depth of at least 10 cm; if the place is damp, make drainage with a layer of 5-7 cm of broken bricks.

Lower the root ball into the hole. Please note that for conifers it is very important to preserve the earthy clod around the roots, since symbiote fungi live on the roots, helping to absorb nutrients from the soil. Exposed roots are like an open wound for spruce, and the longer they are open, the less likely the tree will take root.

The most common coniferous tree in Europe is European or common spruce, this species grows almost everywhere, with the exception of the North German Plain and the British Isles.

Description of European spruce

Norway spruce reaches a height of 50 meters with a trunk 1 meter wide. A slender tree with a dense pyramidal crown. It has horizontal or drooping branches that descend low along the trunk. The branches are collected s whorls. If there is enough light around, the lower branches long time are saved. When young, the tree has smooth brown bark.

Over the years, the bark becomes rough, scaly. Acquires gray or Brown color. Shoots are yellow or brown. May be covered with red hairs. The needles of spruce are very hard, green.

The needles usually have a four-sided flattened shape and a length of 1-3 cm. The life cycle of the needles is 7 years.

The yellowish-white spruce wood is characterized as soft, shiny, light. The roots are located horizontally, superficially, so the trees can turn their ground in strong winds.

Norway spruce is the fastest growing among all spruces. Young spruces grow slowly, but the older the tree, the faster growth. A spruce tree can grow up to half a meter in a year. By the 250th anniversary, the spruce begins to dry out, some specimens live up to 500 years.

It is known that since ancient times people have been using various plants in medical purposes, and European spruce cones are no exception, although many have forgotten about them healing properties. For example, the purity of the air directly depends on the number of cones. Some are sure that if you hold a spruce fruit between your palms, you can quickly get rid of the negative energy that accumulates in the body. By applying a bump to the bruised area after the bath, you will accelerate the healing of superficial wounds and reduce pain. In terms of energy, among other things, a fir fence around the site prevents negative charges from entering your zone.

Needles, cones, young spruce shoots contain essential oils, resin, vitamin C, salts of chromium, iron, aluminum, manganese. An interesting fact is that spruce is the record holder among the flora for the content of vitamin C.

In chronic and acute diseases of the respiratory organs, you can use coniferous decoctions, which are also useful for lack of vitamin C in the body. This decoction is prepared in this way: forty grams of needles are taken for one glass of water. The resulting mixture is boiled for 20 minutes and infused. Use this decoction during the day for 2-3 doses. Tincture from fir cones Useful for both adults and children. Inhalations on spruce decoctions are very useful.

Well, jam is considered to be the most delicious use of spruce cones. For him, you need to collect cones in the first decade of July. The recipe is as follows: we need 1 kg of cones, 10 glasses of water, 1 kg of sugar. We sort out the cones, wash them from the needles and branches. We fill cold water and leave for a day. After that, pour sugar into the solution, bring to a boil. We are waiting for all the sugar to dissolve. We put the cones into the hot syrup and continue to cook, stirring. The jam is ready as soon as you see that the cones have opened completely.

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Rice. 5.20. European spruce - Picea abies (L.) Karst.

European spruce cones– strobili piceae abietis
— picea abies(l.) Karst.
Sem. Pine– pinaceae
Other names: Norway spruce

evergreen coniferous tree height 20-50 m, with a pointed crown.
Bark red-brown or gray, peeling off old trees with thin scales;
young branches brown or reddish, glabrous or slightly pubescent, with strongly protruding leaf traces;
buds ovate-conical, pointed, brownish.
Leaves(needles) tetrahedral, pointed, shiny, bright or dark green, 20-25 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm wide, densely cover the branches.
Male cones elongated-cylindrical, 20-25 mm long, surrounded by light green scales at the base.
female cones drooping, first red, then green, mature - brown, 10-16 cm long, 3-4 cm wide.
seed scales woody, rhombic, convex, wavy at the top and gnawed-toothed.
seeds dark brown, with a wing 3 times longer than them (Fig. 5.20).
Pollination occurs in May-June.

Composition of spruce cones

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Chemical composition Spruce cones

Spruce cones contain essential oil, in its composition

bornyl acetate (1.4%), alpha- and beta-pinene, delta 3-karen,
myrcene,
limonene, etc.;
vitamin C,
tannins (6.7%),
resin,
mineral salts,
phytoncides.

Properties and uses of spruce cones

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Pharmacotherapeutic group. Antiseptic.

Pharmacological properties of European spruce

The amount of biologically active substances of spruce cones has

antimicrobial,
local anti-inflammatory action.

Application of European spruce

Spruce cones are used to treat

diseases of the upper respiratory tract in the form of inhalations and rinses.

Pine essential oil spruce is used as part of the drug "Pinabin", used as

antispasmodic,
bacteriostatic agent for urolithiasis, renal colic.

Spreading

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Spreading. Distributed throughout the forest zone of the European part of Russia, forming pure and mixed forests. In the extreme north of the Kola Peninsula, in the northeast of European Russia, in Siberia and Far East a related species grows - Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.). The Finnish spruce (P. ×fennica (Regel) Kom.), which is a hybrid between them and is characterized by transitional features in the structure of the crown and female cones, lives in the zone of contact between the areas of these spruces.

Habitat. Spruces form dense forests on rich soils, often with an admixture of pine and birch.

Procurement and storage of raw materials

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blank. Cones are harvested in the summer, in June - August, before the seeds ripen, immature. Collection of fallen cones is not allowed.

The official species is European spruce, but in fact, cones are collected from two other very close species: Siberian spruce and Finnish spruce.

Drying. On shelves, under awnings.

Standardization. GF XI, no. 2, art. 81.

External signs of raw materials

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Whole Raw Material

cones oval-cylindrical or oblong-elliptical, 3-14 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide; formed by spirally arranged covering scales, in the axils of which there are larger seed scales.
Covering scales 3-4 mm long, 1.2-1.6 mm wide, lanceolate, membranous, with an elongated apex fringed along the edge, red-brown.

Seed scales in young cones oblong-oval, greenish-brown, 8-10 mm long, 5-7 mm wide.
More mature cones have seed scales much larger - 25-27 mm long, 14-15 mm wide (in Picea obovata - up to 15 mm in length and 11 mm in width), rhombic in outline (in Picea obovata - obovate), wavy and gnawed-toothed at the top ( in Picea obovata - with a rounded solid edge); their surface is greenish or light brown, shiny in the upper part, darker, matte at the base. At the base of each seed scale are two seeds covered with a membranous wing.
seedsovoid, brown, up to 5 mm long, up to 3 mm wide; the free end of the wing is up to 11 mm long, up to 6 mm wide. Resinous secretions are often visible between the seed scales.
Smell fragrant. Taste astringent, bitter.

Crushed raw materials

Pieces of raw materials various shapes passing through a 10 mm sieve.
Color brown, light brown, greenish brown.
Smell fragrant.
Taste astringent, bitter.

Microscopy of raw materials

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When considering a cross section of the seed scale in the middle part, epidermal cells are visible, on both sides oval, thick-walled, covered with a thick layer of cuticle.
On the surface of the scale, especially on its inner side, there are often simple unicellular, less often two-celled hairs of a papillary or conical shape.
Under the epidermis on both sides there are 1-4 layers of mechanical cells with strongly thickened and more or less (depending on the stage of development of the cone) lignified walls, pierced by thin pores.
In the middle part of the mesophyll thin-walled chlorophyll-bearing cells are located; in more mature cones, often crumpled and squeezed, collateral vascular bundles and resin ducts.
Cuticle, the contents of the resin passages, as well as oily inclusions in the form of small drops in the cells of the epidermis and mesophyll are stained orange with a solution of Sudan III.

In the preparation of covering scales from the surface, elongated cells of the epidermis with clearly thickened walls are visible, at the top of the scale and along the edge - multicellular simple hairs; at the base of the scale there are 2, rarely 3 resin passages, which reach half the length of the scale.

On a cross section of a seed, in the peel, thick-walled stony cells with dark brown contents are visible.
Seed wing cells elongated, with distinctly thickened walls.

Numerical indicators of raw materials

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Whole Raw Material

Essential oil not less than 0.2%; humidity not more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; cones in which half or more of the seeds spilled out, no more than 20%; other parts of spruce (needles, small twigs, etc.) no more than 5%; organic impurities not more than 1%; mineral impurity not more than 0.5%.

Crushed raw materials

Essential oil not less than 0.2%; humidity not more than 13%; total ash no more than 8%; particles that do not pass through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 7 mm, not more than 3.5%; particles passing through a sieve with holes with a diameter of 0.5 mm, not more than 30%; organic impurities not more than 1%; mineral impurity not more than 0.5%.

Medicines based on spruce cones

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They ate cones, crushed raw materials. Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory agent.
Pinabin, drops for oral administration (50% solution of the heavy fraction of essential oils in peach oil, obtained from pine or spruce needles). Antispasmodic, bacteriostatic agent.

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