Steppe plant feather grass: description, types and properties. Features of all kinds of plants in the steppe

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The steppes are the richest in species communities of drought-resistant plants - xerophytes. They are common where the climate is warm, but there is not enough rainfall for the forest to grow. Steppe is "a type of vegetation represented by a community of drought-resistant perennial herbaceous plants dominated by turf grasses, less often sedges and onions." If we analyze geographic location steppe landscapes on the globe, then he will find -

It is believed that the most typical steppes are formed in the interior regions of the continent. The steppe zones of the temperate zones of the northern and southern hemispheres, characterized by a dry climate, treeless watersheds, the dominance of herbaceous, mainly cereal vegetation on chernozem, dark chestnut and chestnut soils.

The area is dominated by steppes, which are altered by pasture digression and represent low-grass communities of pastures dominated by fescue and wormwood. Haymaking variants of the steppe have been preserved in small fragments, among which there are southern, northern and central variants, which represent the transition between the northern and southern. In the steppes of the central variant, if they are not disturbed by grazing, feathergrass-feathery, Zelessky, narrow-leaved are common. In addition, fescue can be found and herbs are very abundant. The steppe also includes shrubs - caragana, spirea, gorse, broom.

In addition to the mountain steppes, small fragments of the plain have preserved solonetzic steppes, which include Lerha's wormwood, Gmelin's kermek, and pseudo-pyreus. The steppe on gravelly soils is characterized by

the participation of species - petrophytes, i.e., stone lovers - onosma of the simplest, thyme, mine grate, Siberian cornflower and others. Such steppes are especially easily destroyed by pasture digression. Productivity of steppe hayfields - up to 4-5 c / ha

Hay, productivity of steppe pastures as a result of overgrazing is low and does not exceed 15-20 c / ha of green mass

for the entire pasture period. According to the classification, according to the research of Professor B.M. Mirkin , all the steppes of the Republic of Bashkortostan can be divided into two main types - meadow and typical. Meadows are common in the forest-steppe zone, and in the steppe zone they tend to the slopes of the northern exposure.

Typical steppes occupy areas in the steppe zone of the republic.

Ball-headed mordovnik

Biennial or perennial herb from the Asteraceae family. Plant height reaches 1.5 m. The stem is single, straight, branchy at the top. It is covered with glandular hairs. Leaves are double pinnately dissected, large, 10 to 25 cm long and 4 to 10 cm wide. Rosette leaves with petiole, the rest are sessile, stalk-embracing. From above they are green, and from below they are covered with white felt, along the edges there are small thorns. The flowers are collected in globular inflorescences, they are bluish-white in color. The spherical heads have a diameter of 4-5cm. Seed fruits. It grows in river valleys, among bushes, on the edges of island forests, in wastelands.

The plant population on the Roman Gora hill is represented by single plants. Occasionally there are "islands" of 5-10 plants. In general, the plants are in good health condition.

Yarrow

Perennial herb from the Asteraceae family. A plant with an erect stem. In RB conditions, its height ranges from 48 to 72 cm. Several shoots of stems depart from a thin creeping rhizome. Basal leaves are lanceolate, doubly pinnate-dissected into narrow small lobules. Stem leaves are shorter, pinnately dissected.

Stem leaves are shorter, pinnately dissected, divided into a large number of lobules. Inflorescence - corymbose, consisting of many flower baskets. The flowers are small, white, mauve or reddish. Blooms in June-August for a very long time.

It grows on a hill everywhere, where there are areas of meadow steppe. It is especially often found on the southern side of the slope in gentle places, where cattle graze more often and closer to the Asly-Udryak river.

Asparagus medicinal

Perennial herb from the lily family. The stem of asparagus is erect, reaching a height of up to 150 cm, strongly branched. Branches on the stem branch off at an acute angle. The leaves are reduced into scales, modified shoots resembling leaves are formed in the axils of the stem. The underground stem is straight, smooth. It is juicy, etiolated, forming shoots extending from the rhizome. These stems are used as a vegetable plant. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow. Perianth of six petals with 6 stamens. The fruit is a red spherical berry. Blooms in June - July. Asparagus grows in meadows, among thickets of bushes, it is also found in the steppe, on the slopes of the mountains.

It is rather rare in the study area. Found in areas adjacent to the forest belt and located between the rows of trees within the forest belt. The population is represented by single plants.

Spring adonis

Perennial herb from the buttercup family. Adonis has a two-stroke development - at the beginning

Early flowering is distinguished, and then the formation of the stem and leaves. Blossoms in early spring from late April to May. The bush, which contains up to 20-30 pieces of flowers, blooms from 40 to 50 days. The very first flowers, as a rule, are large, but they are pale yellow, golden, apical, solitary, abundantly visited by bees. At the beginning of flowering, Adonis has a bush height of 10 to 15 cm, and in the fruiting phase it reaches 30-70 cm. Each bush has from 2 to 15 generative and from 4 to 23 vegetative shoots.

It is found everywhere in the study area. The population is made up of more than 150 plants in good health condition.

Ivy budra

A perennial, herbaceous plant from the labiate family. Budra has a creeping and branched stem, it takes root, forming new stems. The leaves are petiolate, opposite, crenate-dentate, rounded reniform. They are covered with hairs. Flowers 3-4 pcs. located in the axils of the middle stem leaves, they are small, two-lipped, violet-blue or bluish-purple in color. Pedicels are 4-5 times shorter than the calyx, equipped with subulate bracts. The calyx is covered with hairs; its teeth are triangular, finely pointed. The height of the rising stems ranges from 10 to 40 cm blooms in May-June.

It grows along the ravine and on the southern side of the slope. A large population, studied at the beginning of flowering.

St. John's wort

Perennial herbaceous plant of the St. John's wort family. Stem is straight, from 45 to 80 cm high, glabrous, with two edges. Leaves are oblong-ovate, whole-edged, opposite, sessile. On the leaves are scattered translucent point containers that resemble holes - hence the name - perforated.

The flowers are numerous, golden-yellow in color, collected in a broad-panicle, almost corymbose inflorescence. Sepals are sharp with a solid edge. The petals are twice as long as the sepal, blooms in June-July. The fruit is a three-celled polyspermous basket, opens with 3 valves. The rhizome is thin, several stems depart from it.

Found only in one place on the eastern gently sloping side of the hill. Presented by 8-15 plants.

Veronica Dubravnaya

Perennial herb. Retains green shoots all year round... The leaves are arranged oppositely, in the axils of the raceme of irregular flowers. The flower has 2 stamens and 1 pistil. Veronica's fruit is a flattened box.

Grows in meadow areas of the steppe of the study area. Plants are evenly distributed among other species. Often found on the outskirts of the forest belt.

Awnless bonfire

Belongs to the family of cereals. It has smooth stems, reaching one meter in height. The leaves are flat and wide. Spikelets are collected in an inflorescence - a spreading panicle. The fire is a good forage grass, blooms from the end of May to June. Many tall erect shoots of peduncles depart from the creeping rhizome.

In the plant communities of the hill, it is a species forming the environment, since occurs evenly often almost everywhere.

Knotweed

An annual, herbaceous plant from the buckwheat family. A small plant with a height of 10 to 40 cm. It has straight stems, outstretched, branched. Leaves are elliptical or lanceolate, small, with a short root. The flowers are located in the leaf axils, distributed evenly throughout the plant. The corolla of the flower is pale pink. The fruit is a triangular nut. It blooms from May to October. It grows on roads, on streets, in yards, in pastures. On pastures, where there is a heavy load of livestock, all types of plants suffer, only knotweed remains.

This species is well expressed at the foot of the hill from the side of the river and animal stalls. It is practically not found in the main system.

Common rape

A herbaceous plant from the cruciferous family. The bright green rosettes of the quaint lyre rape. Large numbers of pinnately dissected leaves are seen in the fields plowed last fall. Blooms in May-June. With an abundance of sun and moisture, a flowering shoot with a cluster of yellow flowers quickly stretches out from the melted snow. The fruit is polyspermous, opening with two valves. Good honey plant.

It grows irregularly in the vegetation cover of the hill and occurs in large quantities from the side of the field located closer to the eastern slope.

Goat purple

Achenes at the base with a hollow, swollen stem, 12 mm long, ribbed, light gray. Stems are straight and ascending, grooved, simple and branching. Basal leaves on long petioles, pinnate and dissected, with narrow linear lateral segments. The baskets are cylindrical, the wrapper is weakly arachnoid, then naked, its leaves are lanceolate, sometimes with a horn-shaped appendage. Flowers are yellow, marginal from the outside are reddish.

Grows on a hill on the lawns between the trees of the forest belt. It occurs moderately often, the population consists of single plants, which are located at a relatively small distance from each other - from 40 to 60 cm.

Karagana

Belongs to the legume family. Shrub with gray, straight, thin branches, with four contiguous obovate leaves with a wedge-shaped base and spines at the apex; flowers are golden yellow with a wide obovate sail, blunt boat, 2-3 on single peduncles, which are twice as long as the calyx, beans up to 3 cm long, naked, cylindrical, 1-4 seeds.

It grows mainly on the western slope of the mountain, in a ravine and an adjacent gully on the north side.

Nonya dark

Belongs to the borage family. The whole plant is covered with protruding stiff hairs and sparse glandular hairs. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, the lower ones are narrowed in petioles, the rest are sessile, semi-stalk-embracing. Bracts lanceolate, longer than flowers, dark red-brown in color. The calyx is bell-shaped, incised to one part. The lobes of the calyx are lanceolate. Nuts are reticulate and wrinkled.

It grows everywhere on the hill, has been studied and determined during the beginning of flowering.

Bell

Belongs to the bellflower family. The flowers are numerous, in a large, branched inflorescence. The corolla is funnel-shaped, bell-shaped, blue or white. Stem with dense foliage. Leaves are coarsely serrate, glabrous or pubescent.

It grows in the communities of the studied plants between gramineous plants. It is rare, only about 30 plants are counted in the population.

Veronica long-leaved

Belongs to the Norichnik family. Leaves are unequally serrate to the very top with finely pointed,

Simple or base b.h. double serrated, oblong or linear-lanceolate, acute at the base, cordate or rounded, often whorled. Inflorescence is a terminal dense raceme, extending up to 25 cm, sometimes with several lateral racemes; flowers on pedicels, almost equal to the calyx. Corolla blue, about 6 mm. Long, with a hairy tube inside. The whole plant is glabrous or with short grayish pubescence.

The distribution of this plant in the studied ecosystem is moderately rare. Grows in separate plants or 2-3 individuals.

Violet amazing

Belongs to the violet family. Stem up to 30 cm tall. Petioles of large wide-heart-shaped stem leaves are grooved, pubescent only on convex, downward-facing hairs. Stipules of stem leaves are large, whole-edged, pericly large, rusty-red.

On a hill, it grows in places with low grasses or among low grassy cover, loves stony areas of the surface.

Forest anemone

Family of buttercup-Ranunculaceae. Perennial. Stem leaves are not accrete, similar to basal ones, short-haired. The flowers are yellow-white.

It grows in small "families" between pine rows of trees and separately on open slopes on the eastern and northern sides of the Roman Gora hill.

Field bindweed

Belongs to the bindweed family. Naked or absent-mindedly drooping plant with recumbent, creeping or climbing shoots. Flowers up to 3.5 cm in diameter, usually collected in 2-3 or single. Bracts in the form of a pair of small linear leaves oppositely located in the middle of the peduncle, do not reach the calyx. The corolla is pink, rarely white.

Grows in areas with other meadow plants from the side of the ravine and the river.

Onosma Preduralskaya

Belongs to the borage family. Pedicels are very short, much shorter than bracts. The whole plant is tough and rough. The stem is straight, simple, less often branched, covered with stiff, spaced bristles and dense fluff. The root leaves are numerous, petiolar, linear, sessile stem, linear-lanceolate.

Loves open, sunny places with rocky soil. Grows in crowded bushes. Very interesting during the flowering period. There are not many plants on the Roman-Gora hill on the summit on the south side. Numerical counts showed about 20 plants.

Plain wormwood

Belongs to the Asteraceae family. The root is upright, woody, developing branched flowering shoots and straight, ribbed, reddening branched flowering stems... The leaves of sterile shoots and the lower stems are doubly, three-pinnate, their segments are narrowly linear, 3-10 mm long, barely pointed, the middle and upper stem leaves are sessile, short bracts, narrowly linear. The outer leaves of the envelope are oval, almost round, convex, green along the back, the inner ones are widely scariously bordered along the edge.

Well expressed as a cover plant on the southern slope of the Roman Gora hill. Plants are shorter than normal, indicating oppression by pasture pressure.

The world around us, grade 4

Steppe zone

In the past, there were endless steppes in the steppe zone. Now they are almost everywhere plowed up, their place was taken by fields. The preserved areas of the steppes with their wonderful flora and fauna must be protected.

Using the map in the textbook, paint on the contour map (The world around us, grade 4, p.

Features of all kinds of plants in the steppe

36-37) steppe zone. For color matching, you can use the "key" below.

Which zone, located between the steppes and forest zones, remained unpainted? Paint it at home.

Answer: Forest steppe

Our inquisitive Parrot knows a thing or two about the steppes. Here are some of his statements. Are they correct? Circle "Yes" or "No". If not, correct the mistakes (verbally).

a) The steppe zone is located south of the forest zones. Answer: Yes
b) In the steppe zone, a cold, rainy summer. Answer: No
c) The soils in the steppe zone are very fertile. Answer: Yes
d) Tulips bloom in the steppe in the midst of summer. Answer: No
e) The bustard is found in the steppe - one of the most small birds our country. Answer: No

Seryozha and Nadia's mother asks if you know the steppe plants. Cut out drawings from the Application and place them in the appropriate boxes. Check yourself with the tutorial. After self-test, stickers are drawings.

And this task was prepared for you by the father of Seryozha and Nadia. Recognize the animals of the steppe by fragments. Sign the names of the animals. Ask the student sitting next to you to test you.

Make a diagram of the power circuit typical for the steppe zone. Compare it with the one suggested by the deskmate. Using these diagrams, tell about the ecological ties in the steppe zone.

Feather grass - Filly - Steppe Lark - Steppe Eagle
Fescue - Hamster - Steppe viper

Think about the ecological problems of the steppe zone expressed by these signs. Formulate and write down.

Suggest conservation measures for class discussion that can help solve these problems.

Continue filling the poster "The Red Book of Russia", which was drawn by the father of Seryozha and Nadia. Find the plant and animals of the steppe zone on the poster and sign their names.

Thin-leaved peony, steppe eagle, bustard, steppe rack

8. On the instructions of the textbook (p. 117) draw a steppe.

9. On the instructions of the textbook (p. 117), prepare a report on the plants and animals of the steppe, which you are especially interested in.

Message subject: Bustard

Message plan:

1) Foreword
2) Basic information
3) Conclusion

The bustard is recognized as the heaviest of flying birds; this steppe inhabitant mainly moves on the ground and runs quickly in case of danger. Individuals are considered omnivorous, in their diet plant food (seeds, shoots, wild garlic) and animals (insects, rodents, frogs), during the mating season, males perform a spectacular dance.
Dimensions:
Length: males up to 105 cm, females from 75 to 80 cm
Weight: males up to 16 kg, females up to 8 kg
Life span: 20-25 years
The bustard is predominantly a steppe bird. It lives on open plains without coars, meadows and fields. This is due to the caution of the birds, since the free space there is far visible. During nesting, individuals stop in areas with high vegetation. There are also cases when bustards nest among crops of grain, sunflower and other crops.

Source (s) of information: Internet, encyclopedia

Plants of the steppe zone: photos and names

What plants grow in the steppe?

• Mountain, steppes with lush alpine vegetation and alpine, characterized by sparse and nondescript vegetation, mainly consisting of grains and breaks.
• Meadow. Steppes, characterized by the presence of small forests that form glades and forest edges.
• The real ones. Steppes with feather grass and fescue growing on them in a large predominance. These are the most typical steppe plants.
• Sazovye - steppes, consisting of plants that adapt to arid climate, shrubs.
• Desert steppes on which desert tumbleweeds, wormwood, prutnyak grow
• It is also necessary to say a few words about the forest-steppe, which is characterized by the alternation of deciduous forests and coniferous forests with areas of the steppes, since the plants of the steppe and forest-steppe differ only in subspecies.

The steppe has its embodiment on any continent except Antarctica, and on different continents it has its own name: in North America it is prairie, in South America- pampa (pampas), in South America, Africa and Australia - this is the savannah. In New Zealand, the steppe is called tussoki.

Let's consider in more detail what plants grow in the steppe.

Types of steppe plants

• Krupka. It is an annual cruciferous plant native to the highlands and tundra. There are about 100 varieties of grains that are characteristic of our steppes. It is characterized by a branched stem with oblong leaves, crowned with tassels of yellow flowers. Flowering period April - July. In folk herbal medicine, grits are used as a hemostatic, expectorant and diuretic.
• Breakout. It is also an annual plant, about 25 cm long and has oblong leaves, many flower arrows, each ending in an inflorescence of tiny white flowers. The breaker is used as an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic and hemostatic, as well as an anticonvulsant in epilepsy
• Poppy. Depending on the species, this is an annual or perennial herb with flower buds on long peduncles. It grows on rocky slopes, near mountain streams and rivers, in fields, along roads. And although poppies are poisonous, they are widely used in herbal medicine as a sedative and hypnotic for insomnia, as well as for some diseases of the intestines and bladder.
• Tulips are perennial herbaceous plants steppes of the lily family with large and bright flowers... They mainly grow in semi-desert, desert and mountainous areas.
• Astragalus. This plant has more than 950 species of all kinds of colors and shades, growing in desert and dry steppes, in the forest zone and in alpine meadows. It is widely used for edema, dropsy, gastroenteritis, spleen diseases, as a tonic, as well as for headaches and hypertension.
• Feather grass. It is also a varied herb. There are more than 60 of them, and the most common of them is feather grass. It is a perennial plant of the cereal family. Feather grass grows up to 1 meter tall with smooth stems and spinous leaves. Feather grass is used as a decoction in milk for goiter and paralysis.
• Mullein. It is a large (up to 2 m) plant with hairy leaves and large yellow flowers. Studies of the plant have shown the presence of many beneficial substances in its flowers, such as flavonoids, saponins, coumarin, gum, essential oil, aucubin glycoside, the content of ascorbic acid and carotene. Therefore, the plant is actively used as a food additive in salads and hot dishes, drinks are prepared, and also eaten fresh.
• Melissa officinalis. It is a perennial tall herb with a pronounced lemon scent. The stems of the plant are crowned with bluish-purple flowers, which are collected in false rings. Lemon balm leaves contain essential oil, ascorbic acid, some organic acids.
• Camel thorn is a subshrub, up to 1 meter in height, with a powerful root system, bare stems with long spines and red (pink) flowers. The camel thorn is widespread in the riverside area, it grows along ditches and canals, on wastelands and irrigated lands. The plant contains many vitamins, some organic acids, rubber, resins, tannins, essential oil, as well as carotene and wax. A decoction of the plant is used for colitis, gastritis and stomach ulcers.
• Sagebrush. It is a herbaceous or semi-shrub plant found almost everywhere. The whole plant has a straight stem with thin pinnately-divided leaves and yellowish flowers, collected in inflorescences. Wormwood is used as a spice plant, and essential oil is used in perfumery and cosmetics. Also, wormwood is important as a fodder plant for livestock.
• So, we have considered only some types of steppe plants. And, of course, differences in the landscape leave their mark on the appearance of the grasses growing on it, but, nevertheless, some common properties can be distinguished. So for steppe plants are characteristic:

• Branched root system
• Bulb roots
• Fleshy stems and thin, narrow leaves

Plants of the steppe zone

The VEGETATION of the steppes consists of a variety of grasses capable of withstanding drought. In some plants, the stems and leaves are strongly pubescent or have a developed wax coating; in others, tough stems are covered with narrow leaves that curl up in the dry season (cereals); still others have fleshy and juicy stems and leaves with a reserve of moisture. Some plants are distinguished by their root system deeply going into the ground or form tubers, bulbs, rhizomes.

The steppe zone is one of the main land biomes. The zonal features of biomes were formed under the influence, first of all, of climatic factors. The steppe zone is characterized by a hot and arid climate for most of the year, and in the spring there is enough moisture, therefore, the steppes are characterized by the presence of a large number of ephemerals and ephemeroids among plant species, and many animals are also confined to a seasonal lifestyle, hibernating during the dry and cold season.

Steppe almonds. Photo: Sirpa Tähkämö

It is represented by steppes in Eurasia, prairies in North America, pampas in South America, and tussians in New Zealand. These are areas of the temperate zone, occupied by more or less xerophilous vegetation. From the point of view of the living conditions of the animal population, the steppes are characterized by the following features: a good overview, an abundance of plant food, a relatively dry summer period, the existence of a summer dormant period, or, as it is now called, semi-rest. In this respect, steppe communities differ sharply from forest ones. Among the prevailing life forms of steppe plants, there are grasses, the stems of which are crowded into turf - sod grasses. In the Southern Hemisphere, such tussocks are called tussocks. The tussauds are very tall and their leaves are less rigid than those of the tussocks of steppe grasses of the Northern Hemisphere, since the climate of the communities of the Southern Hemisphere close to the steppes is milder.

Rhizome grasses that do not form turf, with single stems on creeping underground rhizomes, are more widespread in the northern steppes, in contrast to turf grasses, whose role in the Northern Hemisphere increases to the south.
Among the dicotyledonous herbaceous plants, two groups stand out - the northern colorful forbs and the southern colorless. For colorful forbs, a mesophilic appearance and large bright flowers or inflorescences are characteristic, for southern, colorless forbs - a more xerophilic appearance - pubescent stems in leaves, often narrow or finely dissected leaves, flowers are hardly noticeable, dim.
Typical of the steppes are annual ephemera, which die off in spring after flowering, and perennial ephemeroids, in which tubers, bulbs, and underground rhizomes remain after the dying off of the ground parts. Colchicum is peculiar, which develops foliage in the spring, when there is still a lot of moisture in the steppe soils, retains only underground organs for the summer, and in the fall, when the whole steppe looks lifeless, turned yellow, it gives bright lilac flowers (hence its name).

The steppe is characterized by shrubs, often growing in groups, sometimes solitary. These include spiraea, caragana, steppe cherries, steppe almonds, and sometimes some types of juniper. The fruits of many shrubs are eaten by animals.
Xerophilic mosses, bushy and crustose lichens, sometimes blue-green algae from the genus Nostok grow on the soil surface. For the summer dry period, they dry up, after the rains they come to life and assimilate.

In the steppe there are plants that are rather ordinary-looking, perhaps that is why they are unfamiliar to many: grains and breaks. They are among the first to appear on dry ridge, sandy hillocks, hills and mounds.

Cruciferous grains are most commonly found in the highlands and tundra. The total number of its species in our country reaches one hundred. The most common are Siberian crumbs (found in meadows, in dry tundra, on alpine and subalpine lawns practically throughout the country, including the Arctic and mountain systems Central Asia and Siberia), as well as oak groats (widespread, except for the Arctic, in fields, dry meadows and steppes). Outwardly, these crumbs are very similar to each other.

Oak groats are an annual plant with a branched, leafy stem up to 20 centimeters in height, in the lower part of which there is a basal rosette of oblong leaves, and in the upper part there are loose tassels of yellowish flowers. It blooms in April - July. The chemical composition of the grains is poorly studied, it is only known that the aboveground part contains alkaloids. The plant was used in folk herbal medicine as a hemostatic agent along with a shepherd's purse. It is believed that the aerial part, together with the seeds, has an expectorant and antitussive effect, as a result of which it is used for whooping cough and various diseases bronchi, An infusion of herbs is popular as an external remedy for various skin diseases (rashes and others), especially of allergic origin in children (while taking an infusion or decoction of the herb externally and internally as a blood purifier) ​​o In Chinese medicine, plant seeds are popular, which are used as an expectorant and diuretic.

Krupka Siberian is a perennial with dark yellow flowers. Deserves, like oak groats, to study for medical purposes.
Broaches from the family of primroses number 35 species in our country, distributed mainly in the mountains of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia. The most common northern breach is a small, up to 25 centimeters, annual plant with a basal rosette of medium-sized oblong leaves and, as a rule, numerous, up to 20 pieces, flower arrows up to 25 centimeters high, each of which ends in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence, consisting of 10-30 tiny white flowers. The northern breakthrough is found almost throughout the country - in the forest-steppe, steppe, forest and polar-arctic zones: on dry and steppe meadows, rocky slopes, in sparse pine and other forests, and he especially loves and.

The flora of the steppe

willingly occupies plowed glades and fallow lands like a weed.

The plant has long been used for medicinal purposes by the people of our country. Recently, medicine has been studying the possibility of obtaining from it drugs of a contraceptive (contraceptive) action. The studies carried out gave nice results- the centuries-old folk experience of using the break-through has been fully confirmed. It is believed that the breakthrough has anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, its decoction or paste is used for leucorrhoea in women and gonorrhea in men, hernia and goiter, gastralgia, urolithiasis, especially widely - for sore throat (gargle and take orally). The use of a breakthrough is also known as an anticonvulsant in epilepsy and eclampsia (seizures, including in children), as well as a diuretic and hemostatic agent.

Oak groats. Photo: Matt Lavin

The tumbleweed is a peculiar life form of steppe plants. This life form includes plants that break off at the root collar as a result of drying out, less often rotting, and are carried by the wind across the steppe; at the same time, sometimes rising into the air, then hitting the ground, they scatter the seeds. In general, the wind plays an essential role in the transfer of seeds of steppe plants. There are a lot of flying plants here. The role of wind is great not only in pollination of plants, but the number of species in which insects participate in pollination is less here than in forests.

Features of steppe plants:

a) Small leaves... Leaves of steppe grasses are narrow, not wider than 1.5-2 mm. In dry weather, they fold lengthwise, and their evaporating surface becomes even smaller (adaptation to reduce evaporation). In some steppe plants, leaf blades are very small (bedstraws, kachima, thyme, gerbils, hodgepodge), in others they are dissected into thinnest slices and segments (gills, adonis, etc.).
b) Pubescence. A whole group of steppe plants creates a special "microclimate" for themselves due to abundant pubescence. Many species of astragalus, sage and others, with the help of pubescence, protect themselves from the sun's rays and thus fight drought.
c) Wax bloom. Many people use a layer of wax or other waterproof substance secreted from the skin. This is another adaptation of steppe plants to drought. It is possessed by plants with a smooth, shiny surface of leaves: milkweed, gills, Russian cornflower, etc.
d) The special position of the leaves. Avoiding overheating, some steppe grasses (grasshoppers, serpukhs, chondrils) place their leaves with their edges towards the sun. And such a steppe weed, like wild lettuce., Generally orients the leaves in the vertical north-south plane, representing a kind of living compass.
e) Coloring. Among the summer steppe grasses, there are few bright green plants; the leaves and stems of most of them are painted in dull, faded tones. This is another adaptation of steppe plants that helps them protect themselves from excessive lighting and overheating (wormwood).
f) Powerful root system. The root system is 10-20 times the mass of the aboveground organs. There are many so-called sod grasses in the steppe. These are feather grass, fescue, thin-legged, wheat grass. They form dense tussocks with a diameter of 10 cm or more. Turf contains many remnants of old stems and leaves and has a remarkable property to intensively absorb melt and rainwater and retain it for a long time.
g) Ephemera and ephemeroids. These plants develop in spring when the soil is moist enough. Thus, they manage to bloom and bear fruit before the onset of the dry period (tulips, irises, saffron, goose bows, adonis, etc.).

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Steppe plants

Steppe plants are extremely diverse, but many of them can be distinguished and common features... Among them are small, narrow leaves. In some species, they have the ability to curl up during drought to protect against excessive evaporation of moisture. The color of the leaves is often grayish or gray-green: the bright green foliage familiar to the eye can rarely be found here. The steppe plants tolerate heat well and the absence of rain.

According to various reference books, about 220 different plant species can be seen in the steppe. Many steppe plants have branched root system allowing them to extract moisture from the ground. In the floodplains of flowing rivers, you can find willows, and in those places where the groundwater comes close to the surface of the earth - and other trees and shrubs: hawthorn, Tatar maple, wild grapes, thorns, etc. In places with saline soil, they grow special steppe plants: saline wormwood, kermek, sveda, salineros.

Unfriendly most of the year in early spring the steppe is changing. At this time, before the beginning of the dry season, it is covered with a variegated carpet of early flowering plants: tulips, irises, hyacinths, crocuses, and poppies. These steppe plants differ from cultivated varieties, first of all, in smaller sizes. Moreover, their shape can be more bizarre - like, for example, the tulip Schrenk, one of the founders of the cultivated varieties of this flower. Due to the plowing of the steppe, as well as the ruthless collection of flowers, this species is listed in the Red Book of Russia. The dwarf steppe iris, like the Schrenck tulip, can have flowers of various shades, from yellow to purple. This species is also listed as endangered.

Until the heat comes, the bright steppe flowers already have time to give seeds. Their tubers store nutrients that will allow them to bloom next year. It is the turn of the plants habitual to drought: fescue, feather grass, wormwood. Fescue (Valissian fescue) is an erect cereal up to half a meter high. This plant serves as food for horses and small livestock and is one of the main grazing plants in the steppe zone (fescue is not suitable for harvesting for future use). Feather grass, a typical representative of the steppe flora, is a perennial herb with a short rhizome and narrow, long leaves that resemble a wire. In total, there are about 400 species of this genus, some of them are protected. The main enemy of feather grass is uncontrolled grazing, during which this plant is simply trampled down. As for wormwood, in the steppe, along with other plants, there are almost all of its species (there are more than 180 of them). Continuous wormwood thickets usually form low varieties - for example, wilted wormwood, seaside and others.

Individual steppe plants (for example, kermek), after drying, form the so-called tumbleweed. At the end of summer, the dried stalk of the kermek is torn from the roots by a gust of wind and rolls along the ground, scattering seeds along the way. Other stems and twigs can cling to it: the result is a rather impressive dry ball. Kermek vulgaris blooms pink, purple or yellow small flowers... On its basis, many cultivars have now been developed, which are widely used in landscape design... The species of the Sveda genus widespread on saline soils - small-leaved and creeping - are, respectively, a small shrub and an annual plant with reddening stems. They are readily eaten by camels.

What plants are typical for the steppe zone

Likewise, salicornia also serves as livestock feed during the fall-winter season. Soda was previously extracted from its ash.

All steppe plants have their own characteristics that allow them to survive in conditions of heat and lack of moisture. These include powerful roots, early flowering in certain species, narrow leaves, etc.

The steppe zone is characterized by a flat landscape and a complete absence of trees. Therefore, the plant world is represented mainly by herbs. In the temperate zone of Eurasia, herbs grow (varieties of feather grass, bluegrass, wheatgrass, legumes) and bulbous plants... Shrubs are rare. The thick sod layer formed by the interlacing of grass rhizomes, as well as the duration of dry periods and lack of moisture prevent the germination of tree seeds.

A video film about the steppes of Ukraine will help you get a more complete impression of the nature of the Eurasian steppe zone.

In the spring, the steppe of the temperate zone amazes with a riot of colors: plants of the bulbous family bloom beautifully.

Feather grass is the most beautiful - the most common steppe plant of the family of cereals, forming a sod layer. Ripe seeds, thanks to the awn attached to them, covered with a white edge, fly over long distances.

The “gray” fields of flowering feather grass, a typical steppe plant, look very unusual.

Wheatgrass can rightfully be considered the most typical representative of the steppe. This perennial herb has a very dense, tough rhizome that forms numerous shoots and penetrates even over-dried soil. The height of wheatgrass in a favorable period reaches 1 m in height, during the flowering period the plant throws out an ear.

In the east of North America, there are meadow prairies, which are characterized by rich grass stands, strong sodding of the soil and instability of alternation of drought and rainfall. The territory of the Great Plains is similar to the steppes of Eurasia and is rich in tall grasses. Here grow: feather grass, bearded Gerardi, Gram grass, phlox, dicotyledonous, asters. In the west, the prairies are more arid, so the vast majority of plants are low-growing cereals, wormwood, bulbous, and in the southern regions - cacti.

It is a turf grass that grows in the form of a bush, its roots contribute to the formation of turf. Plant height reaches 2.5 m in height, leaf width - up to 1 cm. It is very decorative, colored orange or dark red in autumn.

Pampas in South America, due to the low level of average annual rainfall, have more scarce vegetation. Typical for them are grass-sedge stands, alfalfa, barley, succulents, one of the subspecies of which are cacti.

Plants in the steppe are usually herbaceous. Their flora is distinguished by a luxurious variety of species. The steppe is a plain with herbaceous vegetation, where there are rare bushes. Trees are found only along artificially planted ponds and forest belts.

Plants in the steppe are usually narrow-leaved, with a rich root system that allows them to withstand temperature extremes and extreme weather conditions. Plant communities are formed from several ecologically related, species of life, and the formation of a community is associated with weather conditions and the type of a particular site. The most typical for all is the presence of xerophytic grasses adapted to the arid climate. The northern steppes are characterized by forbs, the southern ones are a community of grasses, and the semi-desert steppes are dominated by shrubs that can overcome strong desert winds.

Traditional steppe vegetation is made up of herbaceous plants, some of them are characteristic only for this area, and some of them can be found in meadows and wooded areas. The peculiarities of the color of the leaves and stem (grayish, or gray-green), is associated with their ability to easily tolerate moisture deficit, dry periods, the ability to roll up in a period when there is no precipitation. In the steppes of the temperate zone, you can find plants that are more characteristic of the meadow zone, which is easily explained by the climate in which the humidity is higher.

In addition to the usual steppe plants in the steppe can be represented by those that are of industrial importance. These include: corn, wheat, beets, barley, rye, forage crops that are used for pastures. The herbs that are used in folk medicine, are harvested for medicinal purposes, are used in pharmaceutical preparations, folk remedies treatment of diseases. More than 45 species of orchids, 50 species of legumes, 20 species of lily and asteraceae, which disappear due to human activity, are included in the Red Book of Russia. Among them are locust lily (royal curls), dolomite bell, yellow iris (water), yellow water lily.

The steppe, depending on the grasses, is divided into 5 main types of vegetation:

• mountain (cryoxerophilic);
• herb (mesoxeroyl);
• feather grass (xerophilic);
• desertified (haloxerophilic);
• desert (super xerophilic).

The main part of the steppes is located between forest-steppe and semi-desert, and the flora of these zones is represented mainly by cereals. Various types of feather grass are most widespread in the steppe.

Flowering steppe plants

Steppe plants with flowers are so good that many of them are cultivated for the garden, used in landscaping, for growing in flower beds. These plants include spring Adonis, Anafalis (three-veined, pearl), Goniolimon (beautiful, Tatar), Kachim (paniculate, Pacific, creeping, holly), Meadowsweet (elm, red, purple, Kamchatka), Hyacinth, Clematis (clematis) , Crocus and Narcissus.

The steppe looks most beautiful in spring. Melting snows fill the soil with water, and the sun is not yet very hot, so that in April and May, the spring steppe is a spectacle of indescribable beauty. In early spring, mustard, rapeseed, feather grass, tulips bloom in the steppe. In the northern steppes, due to certain climatic conditions, flowers characteristic of the meadow grow, such as meadow sage, the flowers of which are collected in paniculate inflorescences, visible from afar, due to the intense violet-blue color. Meadowsweet blooms with a beautiful scattering of white-pink flowers that stand out brightly against the background of green spring foliage, Thin-leaved peony growing in the northern steppes is almost more beautiful than its garden counterparts, in natural conditions it has dark crimson flowers. In the northern steppes, Esparcet grows, in which the inflorescence is pale pink, in shape resembling a brush directed upward. It is used as a valuable forage plant.

The vegetation in the southern steppes is not so rich. The ephemeral plants that bloom in the southern steppe in spring are low. The sickle horned head, Veronica spring, and some others have time not only to bloom in a short period, but also to form seeds before the coming dry summer period. The northern and southern steppes are 2 radically different types of steppe vegetation, and between them there are many different types, combining 2 or more modifications: feather grass steppes with forbs, northern steppes with feather grass, steppes interspersed with woodlands. A growing carpet of grass and cereals greatly changes the appearance of the steppe, depending on the season that has come.

Tiled Skewer and other healers

Tiled skewer or wild gladiolus usually grows in meadows, but it can also be found in forb steppes. A plant of incredible beauty, which creates in nature entire populations, the so-called gladiolus meadows, but, unfortunately, already belongs to rare species. In the Kursk region, the thin skewer blooms with a density of up to 160 plants per 1 m², student expeditions of biologists go to admire its flowering. It is a herbaceous perennial belonging to the corms, with three xiphoid leaves. Spreading bell and grass carnation usually become its companions. Tiled skewer can be found even in the Murmansk region and the Komi Republic, where it survives thanks to its rhizome-tuber with reserves of nutrients for the period of drought and in winter time... It has long been used as a medicinal plant.

Oak Krupka and Siberian Krupka grow in Central Asia, Siberia, and the Caucasus. it tall plant with a rosette of leaves, blooming with yellowish flowers, has invaluable medicinal properties used in the treatment of bronchi, whooping cough, as a hemostatic agent, in the form of a decoction is used to treat various skin diseases and rashes.

The northern breakthrough is common in many climatic zones, including in the steppes. Its decoctions have anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects, and official medicine uses extracts in the composition of contraceptives. Wild Poppy, Tulip, Mullein from the norichnikov family grow in almost all steppes. The composition of biologically active substances contained in its flowers and stems is simply priceless, and, due to the absence of harmful components, is used as a valuable food additive. It is eaten fresh, drinks, salads are prepared from it, the infusion of the flower is useful for diseases of the spleen, liver, intestines, is part of the chest, expectorant preparations. The natural plant wealth of the steppes is very great.

Wormwood herb

Wormwood carries its specific aroma from early spring to late autumn. After feather grass, this is the most characteristic steppe plant, the smell of which many people associate with the steppe. Essential oils, which are the main wealth of wormwood, make up 3% of the plant's weight. Scientific research on the beneficial properties of wormwood began several decades ago, but it has been used from time immemorial as a medicinal plant.

This steppe grass since ancient times it has been eaten as a spice, used as a disinfectant, medicinal, tonic, aromatizing, and even anthelmintic. Wormwood has helped geologists find mineral deposits more than once, because it changes its color and shape of leaves if it grows in places where natural resources are found.

Plants are a storehouse of natural, useful, invaluable properties, a decorative spring carpet that can destroy human activities for their development. Such natural complexes need to be protected.

Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked state in the world located in Central Asia. It is dominated by a large flat steppe (grassy lands), stretching from the Volga in the west to the Altai mountains in the east and from the plains of Western Siberia in the northern part to the deserts and oases of Central Asia in the south. Various climatic and natural areas countries allow a wide range of species and structural diversity of the flora of Kazakhstan.

Characteristic

Kazakhstan has a very clear division into soil and vegetation zones. In the north, beyond 52 ° latitude, the strip of black soils occupies 9% of the country's total land area. This soil is comparatively thin, practically unsuitable for agriculture without irrigation. The same applies to the southern belt of dark chestnut brown soil, on which a virgin land reclamation program was carried out.

In many ways, much of Kazakhstan is poor in fertile soil... The overall picture is dominated by gravel, sands and loams, and deserts, semi-deserts and steppes occupy 84% of the country's territory. However, the vegetation has adapted well to the harsh conditions.

Saksaul ( Haloxylon) is a shrub or woody plant with moisture-absorbing needle-like leaves and long, deep roots that thrive in the desert. It grows slowly and produces extremely hard and resistant wood. If the plant gets too dry, it sheds its leaves. Unfortunately, this wood is systematically plundered to make barbecue, and if the state does not intervene, saxaul will soon be found only in nature reserves.

Karagach (ligature) - quite hardy deciduous tree, with 20 meter pile-like roots and is therefore planted as a windbreak in erosion-sensitive areas.

Tamarisk is a genus of shrubs and woody plants with beautiful colors that are well adapted to life in scarce soils, and their charming flowers and berries adorn the yellow-brown desert landscape.

Bulbous plants wait out the harsh winter of the steppe and come to life in April-May, when melt water penetrates the soil. In this short period, apart from small steppe tulips, one can see wonderful cistanches, feruls, eremurus, graceful lilies, crocuses and anemones; even garlic has attractive flowers. Many cultivated garden plants are descendants of local flora - the steppes and protected mountain valleys of Kazakhstan.

At the end of May, stripes of common poppy cover the vast steppe like a purple carpet. Only a month later, when everything dries up, the time for more modest plants comes. Many unassuming types of drought-resistant and hardy grasses, sedges and shrubs give the steppe its characteristic appearance.

In the foothills, grassy steppes give way to wormwood meadows. The sheep grazing here are known for their exceptionally aromatic flavor, and these herbaceous areas are popular with many other herbivores. On the numerous slopes of the highlands, the elegant spruce of the Tien Shan grows like an arrow, and the valleys are covered with a juniper forest. The wild apple, pear, cherry and apricot trees that grow in the lower mountains are relatives of the usual fruit trees... On mountain meadows under glaciers, marigolds, primrose, edelweiss and gentian grow abundantly. In the alpine zone of the Tien Shan, it contains twice more species plants than in the Alps.

A wide variety of plants thrive in the fertile wetlands of the lower river valleys. Torgai forests border rivers when they flow through semi-deserts and steppes. In some places, primeval millennial forests have been preserved. The most amazing is the forest located downstream of the Charyn River, where mixed willow and ash have been preserved since the last ice age. It is also worth noting the tall pine forests in Ertis.

The vegetation of Kazakhstan has 5,700 plant species, of which 700 are endemic, 2,000 species of seaweed and 485 species of lichens. As an example, below is a list of some native flora species in the country:

Shrub cherry ( Prunus fruticosa)

Shrub cherry, or steppe cherry - kind shrub plants originally from Kazakhstan, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Romania, Western Siberia, Xinjiang, China, Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic. Grows best on loamy soils and requires a lot sunlight... The plant has a dark brown bark, and its leaves change from dark green to yellow during the fall. The flowers are white in May and the red fruits ripen in early August. Steppe cherry grows on the outskirts of the forest, forming thickets. The fruits of the plant are light dark red in color with a sour taste.

Iris Ludwig ( Iris ludwigii)

This plant mainly grows in East Kazakhstan and is easy to spot due to its crowding. Flowers range from purple to blue. Iris Ludwig grows up to 30 centimeters on soils with good drainage and open areas to get sunshine, which abound in places for grazing animals and agricultural activities. In late August - early September, the plant produces seed capsules.

Nedzvetskia Semirechenskaya ( Niedzwedzkia semiretschenskia)

This plant was named after the Russian botanist Vladislav Nedzvetsky. It grows on dry and rocky slopes. At Nedzvetskia purple flowers that appear between late April and August. Found in the Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan, Siberia, Russia and Central Asia. The preferred habitat of the plant is steppes, meadows, gravelly slopes and thickets of feather grass. Nedzvetskia Semirechenskaya is included in the IUCN Red Book as an endangered species. The main threats to the plant are overgrazing and other agricultural activities.

Starfruit chastukh ( Damaceium alisma)

The chasticus starfar is a plant of marshlands that grows in Kazakhstan, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Russia and France. Grows favorably in swamps and ponds, where it grows up to half a meter in height. Flowers appear from June to August. According to the IUCN Red List, the species is classified as Vulnerable. Plant populations are highly fermented and continue to decline due to loss of habitat, decrease in growing area due to pasture and stabilization of water levels. There is no evidence of a reduction in the negative factors causing a decrease in the plant's population, and soon the Aiticus starfruit may become eligible for the endangered category, since 50% of its range and the previous population size have been lost.

Madder bedstraw ( Galium rubioides)

This species is found in Kazakhstan, Central Asia and Europe. The plant prefers moist areas such as swamps and streams. It has green, needle-shaped leaves and flowers can be green, yellow, or white. The madder bedstraw is grown for its pleasant aroma and is widely used in the perfumery and beverage industry. The plant grows up to 100 cm in height with wide leaves, the length of which can reach 15-20 cm. Fruits and roots are reddish.

Late tulip ( Tulipa tarda)

Late tulip is a perennial plant with green leaves and yellow flowers. This species is native to Kazakhstan and other countries of Central Asia and grows in rocky areas. Blooms in April and May. It grows from a bulb and has a leather tunic. The flowers are yellow with white tips, and the stamens and pistils are yellowish.

Kazakhstan is a country with a beautiful environment but most of its native plants are endangered due to risks such as grazing and loss of habitat from human activities. Best method conservation of local flora is the primary protection of plants with a high risk of extinction.

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It is difficult for a modern city dweller to imagine the vast expanses of the steppe, which he saw, perhaps on TV, and read about the vegetation and inhabitants of the steppes only in books or encyclopedias. It is even more difficult for a city dweller to imagine what feather grass looks like and where it lives. Feather grass has a vast geography of its habitat and grows on almost all continents of the planet.

Plant characteristic

Feather plant (Latin Stipa) - perennial herbaceous species having a not very developed root system. Because of this, feather grass in the steppe grows mainly in bunches (small densely populated areas), has tubular, rigid leaves in the form of a wire. The plant propagates by seeds from spikelets and contains only one scaly flower.

Today to a person more than 300 species of this genus are known.

Growing environment

For a long time, decoctions of this herb have been used as alternative methods of healing for the treatment of diseases of the pancreas and thyroid glands, goiter, and pain in the joints.

Unflowered feather grass stems are used as feed for small cattle(goats, sheep). Certain types are raw materials for the production of paper and artificial fabrics.