Ledum (Ledum) is a unique intoxicating shrub from the Heather family. In the scientific abbreviation, the plant is listed as "ledum" because it resembles incense. Its tough leaves are distinguished by a pronounced woody smell. Translated from Old Russian "wild rosemary" has another definition of "poisonous" or "intoxicating". The popular names for the shrub are oregano, hemlock, goddess. The habitat of the plant is quite extensive and occupies most of the northern regions. Ledum leaves are used as medicinal products. Cultivated shrub species are an excellent ornamental plant for planting on the site.
Description of the plant
Ledum is a perennial. The height of the branches ranges from 50 to 120 cm. The branches extend from the densely branched surface rhizome, which has short branches. Erect or creeping stems are hard to the touch. Their growth characteristics depend on the type of shrub. The color of the newly formed processes is green with an olive tint. The surface of the stems is covered with a rusty fluff. After a while, the pubescence turns into a dark layer of the bark.
The foliage sits on short petiolate nests. The dark green color persists throughout the year. The leaf blades are lanceolate or oblong. A bumpy vein runs in the center. The edges are folded down. In sunlight, the color takes on a brownish tint. The leaves grow in the next order. If you grind even one leaf, it is easy to catch a harsh woody aroma that not everyone likes.
Last year's shoots at the beginning of summer begin to form dense inflorescences in the form of umbrellas. The flowers are located on low pedicels. A bell-shaped cup is formed from snow-white oval petals. A flower is made up of multiples of five elements. The pollination process takes place at the expense of insects. In place of pollinated flowers, capsules appear, divided into sections and filled with small winged seeds.
Be careful! Ledum is very poisonous! Contact with plant parts can be dangerous. If you stay near the rosemary plantings for a long time, your head will spin, and weakness will appear.
The shrub is considered a good honey plant, however, pollen collected by bees from flowers and honey are poisonous and not suitable for food. The product is allowed to be consumed only under condition of special processing and in small doses.
Propagation of wild rosemary
Seed propagation
Shrub propagation is carried out using seeds or vegetatively. Wild rosemary thickets reproduce by self-seeding. The seeds are removed from bolls that are already ripe and cracked. Achenes look like small chandeliers in shape. Seed collection takes place in the fall.Sowing is performed with the arrival of spring.
The containers for wild rosemary seedlings are filled with a fertile, friable acidic substrate with the addition of coarse sand to improve the drainage properties of the soil. The substrate is watered, and the seeds are placed on top, pressing them to a shallow depth. The containers are covered with foil or glass and kept cool. The greenhouse must be regularly ventilated and humidified. After 25 days, with proper care, the first shoots are formed. When the seedlings are old enough, they are planted in different pots with peat or in a common box, but wider for adult seedlings, otherwise the roots will get tangled and the plants will grow poorly.
Reproduction by layering
Cultivated species of wild rosemary reproduce successfully using cuttings. The most pliable branches are chosen, pressed to the ground, fastened in a hole dug to a depth of 20 cm. The top of the shoot should remain intact. When the shoot is firmly rooted, it separates.
Too branched bushes are divided into parts in spring. The plant is carefully dug up, shaken off the ground and the rhizome is cut into divisions. The sections of the cuts are rubbed with charcoal. Do not overdry the roots. Ready-made delenki must be quickly transplanted into a prepared flower bed.
Propagation by cuttings
To propagate wild rosemary bushes by cuttings, they choose semi-lignified shoots harvested in the summer, where there are several healthy leaves. The cut is moistened with a growth stimulant and the cut off shoot is placed in containers with soil mixture. The leaves that are located close to the surface of the soil will have to be completely cut off so that the nutrients go for root growth. The rooting process is time consuming and requires patience. Ledum seedlings will be ready for transplanting in open ground only in spring.
Planting and caring for wild rosemary
Caring for wild rosemary is a little troublesome activity and even novice gardeners can do it. Planting wild rosemary in the open field is best done in the spring. For the surface type of rhizome, a planting hole is prepared with a depth of at least 40 cm.The bottom is covered with sand and small pebbles so that air and water move through the drainage channels. The substrate is selected sour and moist. Saplings adapt well on soils containing an admixture of spruce needles. When planting several bushes at the same time, the distance between them should be from 60 to 70 cm. When planting work is completed, the area is watered abundantly. The trunk circle is covered with mulch in the form of a peat layer. If you follow all the rules for caring for wild rosemary and be careful, the bushes will soon take root in a new place.
In nature, planting wild rosemary prefer areas located near water. For this reason, cultivated species also need constant access to moisture. If it often rains in the uchatsk, where the wild rosemary is grown, additional irrigation is not required. The plant thrives in sunny areas or in the shade of other shrubs. However, if the site is too dark, the bushes will lose their decorative effect, flowering will stop.
Periodically, they are engaged in loosening the soil and weeding. Since the rhizome with shoots is located near the surface, the flower bed is loosened very carefully. Throughout the year, the bushes are fed with mineral compounds. It is better to do this in the summer and spring, and start pruning in the fall. To give a beautiful shape to the crown, the sprouts are shortened. Deformed and dried branches are also pruned.
Ledum is not afraid of frost. It survives successfully even in the most severe winters. If there is little snowfall, young branches may freeze. In the spring, the frozen shoots are pruned to allow new shoots to grow in their place.
The rosemary plant is also resistant to disease. Low-lying areas, where moisture often accumulates, are not dangerous provided they are constantly loosened. If the air does not reach the roots, fungal spores will quickly multiply.It is possible to delay the development of the fungus with the help of insecticidal preparations. Insects are afraid of the persistent smell of leaves.
Ledum in landscape design
Closely intertwined branches covered with narrow green leaves, covered with red felt, will perfectly complement any garden. The wild rosemary is planted on wet substrates, the boundaries of reservoirs, and they fill empty areas in the garden. Planting shrubs in groups look more elegant. The cultivated plantations of the Vereskovs are used as a hedge to highlight a specific area. Heather, cranberry, blueberry or cereal plant species are chosen as neighbors for wild rosemary.
Types and varieties of wild rosemary with a photo
There are about six species of wild rosemary in the genus of the shrub, of which four are found in Russia.
Marsh Ledum (Ledum palustre)
One of the most common species of Heather, growing in temperate climatic latitudes. It is a tall bush with an extensive network of shoots. The branches rise above the ground and are covered with brown pubescence. The leaves are shiny and smell strong. The foliage is dark green. In May, the first umbellate or thyroid white, pink flowers bloom.
Greenlandic rosemary (Ledum groenlandicum)
The stems reach a height of about 90 cm. Their color is presented in light brown tones. The narrow green leaves on the branches are planted close to each other and look like needles. The inner part of the rigid linear leaves has a layer of felt. When the flowering time comes, small white umbrellas with a diameter of no more than 6 cm begin to bloom. The plant is resistant to low temperatures and safely survives any winters.
Large-leaved wild rosemary (Ledum macrophyllum)
It inhabits the territory of the Far East, Japan and Korea and reaches lengths from 40 to 80 cm. In the natural environment it grows on mountain plains or rocky areas. The size of oblong leaves does not exceed 4 cm. Young shoots and processes are pubescent from the inside with a layer of red felt.
Transbaikalian wild rosemary (Rhododendron dauricum)
Not so long ago, wild rosemary is usually referred to as rhododendron. Today, the Transbaikalian bagul is referred to in scientific botanical sources as "Daurian rhododendron". The shrub has a highly branched crown of shoots, the length of which sometimes reaches two meters. The stems grow leathery dark leaves, needles. The color of the buds is bright pink. Often, a representative of this type is used to create bouquet arrangements and stands for a long time in the cut.
Wild rosemary properties: benefits and harms
The leaves and inflorescences of wild rosemary contain many useful substances that are recognized by both traditional healers and official medicine. These include:
- essential oils;
- phenols;
- flavonoids;
- vitamin C;
- polymer components of gum;
- phytoncides.
Medicinal properties of wild rosemary
Our ancestors also learned to use wild rosemary decoction to disinfect wounds and stop inflammation. External use of raw materials consists in the preparation of baths and compresses. Also, the broth is taken orally in the treatment of colds and stomach infections.
Teas made from the leaves have a calming effect and help to cope with insomnia. Ledum is also used in cases when it comes to the following diseases: bronchitis, gastritis, eczema, chickenpox, whooping cough, pneumonia and cholecystitis. Decoctions from parts allow you to strengthen the muscular structure of the body, treat venereal diseases.
Among other things, the pronounced smell of foliage is not tolerated by insects, which cause a lot of inconvenience to a person: mosquitoes, midges, moths.
Contraindications
Ledum is contraindicated in cases where there is a suspicion of individual intolerance to the components. It is dangerous for pregnant women to take drugs from the plant, since the tissues of the foliage contain substances that increase the tone of the uterus. If the dosage is exceeded, serious disorders of the body and deterioration of well-being in general are possible.
Conclusion
There are many legends about wild rosemary. Some people are superstitious about the plant and are afraid to keep it at home. However, the usefulness and medicinal properties of wild rosemary have been proven. The shrub acts as an antiseptic and has a healing effect. It is not recommended to grow more than one plant at home. A strong smell, one way or another, will provoke a headache. A couple of scions are enough to decorate the space.
