Now on the territory of our homeland it is difficult to find pristine places untouched by man. Most of the plains suitable for agriculture are plowed up, forests are cut down, water bodies are polluted and blocked by dams and other structures. Pure nature is now a rarity. The same can be said about the real Russian steppe, which has remained untouched only in some places in Siberia and the European zone of Russia. But such areas are of great interest to botanists and amateurs, because they vegetable world capable of capturing the imagination. What plants grow in the steppes?

Forbs

The most diverse and, undoubtedly, the most beautiful is the mixed-grass steppe. She can surprise with her appearance literally from the very beginning of spring, when the snow has just melted. At this time, this area is brown in color due to the remnants of last year's grasses. But after just a couple of days, you can see large lumbago bells on the ground; they look pubescent and have a purple color. This culture is still familiar to many as dream grass. Also in early spring, small green seedlings of cereals and sedges appear in the steppe.

After another couple of weeks, beautiful golden Adonis flowers appear among the greenery, which are visible like stars or lights in the still sparse grass. Hyacinth flowers are also opening; they are pale blue in color.

Over time, the green grasses rise higher and higher, in such greenery one can only occasionally see small whitish anemone stars, as well as nomadic brushes. In mid-summer, the steppe turns purple—sage blooms en masse. It is being replaced by White color- flowers of chamomile, mountain clover and fluffy cream meadowsweet.

The mixed-grass steppe can amaze the imagination at any time. In some areas, rarer and more interesting plants appear, for example, crocuses, snowdrops, hyacinths and tulips. But you won’t be able to admire their blossoms for long. By the way, such crops are interesting in that all the nutrients stored in the fall are stored in their bulbs, which allows the flowers to delight us with their beauty almost immediately after the snow has parted.

Feather grass steppe

Such steppes are occasionally found in the south of Russia, but feather grass used to be the main plant of our steppes. This crop is usually adjacent to cereals: fescue, keleria, wheatgrass, etc. Such plants have an abundant fibrous root system that penetrates very deep underground, trying to get water. Also in the feather grass steppe, quite large dicotyledonous crops are often found - purple mullein, kermek, and yellow pyrethrum. Such individuals have even longer roots, which allows them to reach even groundwater.

Very interesting are the small plants that live in the most upper layers soil. They are called ephemerals, and their root system often does not reach even ten centimeters. Such plants do not live long while there is still moisture in the soil from melting snow. Ephemera have a very short life cycle and a long period of rest.

The feather grass itself is a very interesting crop. This is a drought-resistant grass that has a bunch of cord-like roots. Such a root system spreads widely and deeply throughout the soil, sucking out all possible moisture. During flowering, the feather grass forms a special feather, which is fluffy and light. Its awn is attached to a tiny caryopsis. After the seeds ripen, the grain is carried by such a feather along with the wind over very long distances. Afterwards, it carefully lowers behind the ground and with its sharp end easily penetrates the ground. Changes in air humidity in the morning and evening lead to the fact that the feathery awn on the grain slowly rotates, as if burying planting material into the ground. If the grains get on the animal’s fur, they will behave the same way - penetrating the skin and muscles, which is fraught with illness and even death.

Towards the end of summer, as well as in autumn, in the feather grass steppe during the winds you can see very interesting phenomenon. A light and almost transparent ball bounces over the brown and yellowed grass. It can land, push off from the ground and fly again with the wind over very long distances. This phenomenon is called tumbleweed; the ball consists of several plants (for example, cachima, kermek, zopnik, etc.), interlocked with dried stems and leaves. Thanks to this property, these steppe crops reproduce, because as the ball moves, seeds fall from it, which next year will become new plants.

The southern steppes are located over large areas in Western Siberia. Here the grass stand mostly consists of grasses: feather grass, wheatgrass, sheep and fescue. However, other feather grass species are found in this region. In addition, in such a steppe you can find astragalus, china, and crescent alfalfa. Many dicotyledonous plants can grow in the Siberian steppes, but they are not capable of producing such a bright change of colors as in European forbs.

So, we can conclude that not all plants are found in the steppes. Most of the plant crops in the steppe are highly resistant to drought. They can easily withstand difficult weather conditions and are characterized by in interesting ways reproduction. And in warm time year the steppe is an incredibly beautiful sight.

Geobotany

Topic 4

Lecture 2

Lecture Questions

Steppe zone

Desert zone

Steppe zone.

The steppe zone stretches in a continuous strip across the European part of the country and Western Siberia from the south of Ukraine to the Ob River. IN Eastern Siberia steppes are found only in the form of separate islands among the taiga (Krasnoyarsk Territory, Transbaikalia).

The steppe zone is defined as an area where zonal vegetation consists of communities of herbaceous xerophytes. It is xerophilic grasses that tolerate drought well that form the basis of steppe phytocenoses. Currently, within the steppe zone one can find only relatively small areas of steppes (for example, in nature reserves). Huge areas are plowed and the natural vegetation cover has not been preserved here.

Natural conditions. The climate of the steppe zone is continental. Summers are hot and dry, winters are cold, more or less frosty, with stable snow cover. Precipitation is 300-500 mm/year, sometimes less. A characteristic feature of the steppe climate is that the amount of precipitation is significantly less than evaporation. During the warm season, plants almost constantly experience a lack of moisture. The bulk of precipitation falls in mid-summer, during the hot period, and in the form of short-term heavy downpours. This makes it difficult for plants to use moisture, since water quickly flows over the surface of the soil, and some of it evaporates before it has time to penetrate the soil layer. In the open spaces of the steppes, winds blow almost constantly, which increase the evaporation of water from the above-ground organs of plants. At times there are hot winds - hot, drying winds that are especially dangerous.

Soils of the steppe zone - different varieties chernozems (typical, podzolized, leached, ordinary, southern, etc.). In the south of the zone, chestnut soils are common.

Steppe plants. The steppes are dominated by herbaceous xerophytes. Particularly characteristic of the steppes are turfgrass (dense bush) grasses with very narrow leaf blades. Among them it is necessary to mention first of all different kinds feather grass ( Stipa). Feather grasses grow in fairly large, dense “bushes” (slide 6). Their leaves are almost always folded lengthwise. The stomata through which water evaporates are located on inner surface leaf, which reduces moisture loss (this is important in arid climates). The lower flower scales of feather grasses are equipped with a very long awn, which is geniculate and covered with hairs in many species (pinnate feather grasses).

Narrow-leaved turf grasses also include fescue ( Festuca valesiaca) (slide 7) and Thin-legged slender ( Koeleria cristata) (slide 8).

Some legumes are also found in the steppes, for example Sandy sainfoin ( Onobrychis arenaria) (slide 9), various types of clover ( Trifolium) (slide 10), astragalus ( Astragalus) (slide 11), etc. All of them are quite drought-resistant and tolerate a lack of moisture well.

Forbs - representatives of various families of dicotyledonous plants (except legumes) - play a significant role in steppe phytocenoses. As an example, we can name the types of zopnik ( Phlomis), sage ( Salvia), bruise ( Echium) and others (slides 12-14).

A special group consists of steppe ephemeroids - perennial herbaceous plants that develop only in the spring, when there is enough moisture in the soil. By summer, their aboveground part dries out completely. An example of plants of this type would be Poa bulbosa ( Poa bulbosa) (slide 15), various types of tulip ( Tulipa) (slide 16).

Ephemera are also characteristic of the steppe - annual plants that complete their entire life cycle within a few weeks. They emerge from seeds in early spring, develop quickly, begin flowering and manage to form new seeds before the onset of summer drought. The plants themselves die off completely. Among the steppe ephemerals one can name Horny crescent ( Ceratocephala falcata), Bed bug ( Lepidium perfoliatum), some types of semolina ( Draba) etc. (slides 17-19) These small plants are most abundant in the southern steppes, where summer drought is especially severe.

Besides herbaceous plants Some shrubs are also found in the steppes. They often form small thickets against the background of steppe vegetation. At the contact between the steppe and the forest, a shrub edge almost always develops. Steppe shrubs include, for example, blackthorn or wild plum ( Prunus spinosa), bean, or wild almond ( Amygdalus nana), various types of spirea ( Spiraea), caraganas ( Caragana) (slides 20-23).

Subzones. Let's consider the subzones in the steppes of the European part of Russia and neighboring states, where they are well expressed. Here, the northern part of the steppe zone, adjacent to the deciduous forests, is the most humid, while to the south the climate becomes increasingly arid. As a result, the vegetation cover also changes in the direction from north to south. The steppe zone in this region is usually divided into three subzones.

The first of them, the northernmost, is meadow subzone, or northern steppes. It is characterized by the fact that in watershed areas there are both sections of steppe and sections of oak forests, and steppe vegetation resembles meadows in appearance. Sometimes this strip is also called forest-steppe.

The second, more southern, subzone - forb-turf-grasssteppes. Here, only steppe vegetation absolutely dominates the watersheds, and the drier version of the steppes is common. Forest areas found only along beams and depressions, where they are created Better conditions hydration. The situation is similar in the third, southernmost, subzonetussock-grass steppes. However, here the watersheds are dominated by an even drier version of the steppes.

Options in the steppes starting with the most humid.

Meadow, or northern, steppes have a fairly high (up to 80-100 cm) and dense grass cover, in which forbs predominate, and feather grasses play a subordinate role.

During the flowering period of plants, the meadow steppe is very similar in appearance to a colorful meadow. Here you can find many types of herbs with bright, beautiful flowers. Such, for example, are six-petalled meadowsweet ( Filipendula vulgaris), Red bruise ( Echium rubrum), meadow sage ( Salvia pratensis), Kozelets purple ( Scorzonera purpurea) and many others (slides 24-27). In addition to forbs, there are also grasses, but mainly broad-leaved ones - Coastal brome ( Bromopsis riparia), sheep pubescent ( Helictotrichon pubescens), wheatgrass medium ( Agropyron intermedium) and others (slides 28-30). On the contrary, there are quite a few typically steppe narrow-leaved grasses. This is mainly Welsh fescue, or fescue. (Festuca valesiaca) and feather feather grass ( Stipa pennata) - one of the most moisture-loving feather grasses (slides 31-32).

A remarkable feature of meadow steppes is their very high species richness. Thus, in the meadow steppe in the Central Black Earth Reserve near Kursk, up to 80-90 plant species can be counted per 1 m. In this respect, the meadow steppe is unique.

The meadow steppe is characterized by a change in the external appearance of the vegetation cover during the warm season, the so-called change of aspects. This happens because first one or another plant blooms in the mass, giving the steppe one or another color (yellow, white, blue, indigo, etc.).

A more southern version of the steppe - forb-fescue-feather grass. It is distinguished by a noticeably sparser and lower grass cover. Here the role of narrow-leaved turf grasses sharply increases. Fescue and various feather grasses dominate, and not the same species as in the meadow steppe, but others, more drought-resistant. At the same time, the role of forbs is quite large. But among this group of plants, more drought-resistant species are also common - drooping sage ( Salvia nutans), Zopnik prickly ( Phlomis pungens) and some others (slides 33-34). The species richness is less than in the meadow steppe.

The southernmost, fescue-feather grass steppes differ even more from meadow steppes. The grass cover here is especially sparse and low (up to 30-40 cm). Narrow-leaved turf grasses absolutely dominate. In addition to fescue, there are the most drought-resistant types of feather grass, for example Lessing's feather grass, or feather grass ( Stipa lessingiana) (slide 35). There are very few forbs. Between the tufts of fescue and feather grass, various annual ephemeral plants appear in the spring: Stinkhorn, crescent-leaved hornwort, etc. There are also ephemeral perennials - Poa bulbous, various types of tulip, etc.

In terms of species richness, the southern steppes are significantly inferior to other steppe variants. Here, at 1 m you can find no more than 10-15 species.

For southern steppe characteristic plants are called “tumbleweeds”. They belong to different families of flowering plants, but have a fairly similar appearance. Their aerial part is a loose tangle of branches, more or less spherical in shape. In autumn, this ball easily comes off the soil and rolls with the wind across the expanses of the steppe. An example of such plants is Kachim paniculata ( Gypsophila paniculata), Eryngium plain ( Eryngium campestre), Goniolimon Tatarian ( Goniolimon tataricum) and others (slides 33-34).

CTepi, located in the Asian part of Russia and neighboring countries.

The steppes of the south of Western Siberia (Barabinskaya steppe) in appearance are somewhat reminiscent of the meadow steppes of the European part of the territory under consideration, but differ from them in noticeable swampiness and soil salinity. As a result, the species composition of plants here is quite specific (many halophytes, etc.). In terms of plant composition, the steppes of Kazakhstan have much in common with the steppes of the south of the European part of Russia and neighboring countries. Here, as in the European part of the country, they distinguish subzones of forb-turf-grass and turf-grass steppes.

In Eastern Siberia, only isolated steppe islands are common, most often located among the taiga. Their vegetation is very peculiar.

The flora of the steppes of Eastern Siberia is very different from the flora of the steppes of the European part of the country. Special Mongolian elements, for example, are widespread here. However, there is also common plants, especially some cereals: Welsh fescue, or fescue (Festuca valesiaca) and thin-legged slender ( Koeleria cristata), Feather grass, etc. (slide 39-41).

It is noteworthy that in the East Siberian steppes, even the southernmost ones, there are no or very few ephemeral perennials (such as tulips, poultry plants, crocuses, etc.). Ephemeral annuals, so common in the southern Russian steppes, are extremely rare. The basis of the grass stand is made up of perennial grasses and forbs.

Desert zone

The desert zone is located south of the steppe zone. It extends in the form of a continuous strip from the extreme southeast of the European part of the country (the lower reaches of the Terek, Volga and Ural) to the eastern limits of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. There is also a small area of ​​deserts in Transbaikalia, on the border with Mongolia and China.

The zonal vegetation of deserts is unique. The most drought-resistant xerophytes, most often subshrubs, dominate, and the plant cover is more or less sparse and open. Sparse vegetation cover is one of the most characteristic features of deserts.

Natural conditions. The climate of the deserts is sharply continental, even hotter and drier than in the steppes. Temperature fluctuations throughout the year are very large. Long hot summers give way to frosty winters with snow cover. The average temperature in July reaches 25 °C. In winter, the thermometer can drop significantly below zero. Temperature fluctuations are very large and throughout the day in summer time. An unbearably hot day gives way to a rather cold night. All this is typical for a sharply continental climate.

In deserts in summer the soil surface heats up to 60-70 °C. Only the most heat-resistant plants can tolerate such temperatures. High temperatures are dangerous for plants not only in themselves, but also because they sharply increase transpiration. Strong winds, common in the desert, also contribute to moisture loss.

Deserts are characterized by extremely dry climates. The annual amount of precipitation does not exceed 200-300 mm, and evaporation is several times greater. In the summer, with intense heat, plants receive almost no moisture and experience acute water starvation.

Desert soils usually more or less saline, which is unfavorable for the existence of many plants. Deserts are characterized by gray soils and gray-brown desert soils.

With regard to the nature of the substrate, deserts are distinguished between sandy, clayey, saline and rocky (gravelly). Each of these edaphic types of deserts has a special, unique vegetation cover. Sandy deserts are the most common in Russia and neighboring countries; clay deserts are quite large. Other types are less common.

There are two climate type deserts: deserts where precipitation falls little by little more or less evenly throughout the seasons, and deserts where the bulk of precipitation falls in the spring. These types of deserts differ sharply in vegetation cover.

Desert Plants. In deserts there are various life forms of plants: subshrubs, shrubs, perennial and annual grasses and even trees. Subshrubs are especially characteristic. The lower part of these plants is lignified, perennial, and the shoots of the current year die off almost along their entire length by winter. Subshrubs are represented in the deserts of the territory we are considering by various types of wormwood and plants from the Chenopodiaceae family. True shrubs are found mainly in sandy deserts. Herbaceous plants include primarily ephemeral perennials (for example, some grasses and sedges) and ephemeral annuals. Of the trees in deserts, only some types of saxaul are common (slide 42).

Many of the most common desert plants belong to the Chenopoaceae family. This characteristic feature desert flora of Russia and neighboring countries. Species of this family do not play a major role in the vegetation cover of all other natural zones of our country.

Almost all desert plants are able to tolerate prolonged and severe drought. Ways of adaptation to drought different plants are different.

One of these adaptations is leaflessness (aphylly). In this case, the leaves either do not develop at all or have the appearance of barely noticeable scales. The functions of photosynthesis are performed by thin green stems of the current year (for example, in saxaul). The absence of true wide leaves greatly reduces the total evaporating surface of the plant, thereby reducing moisture loss.

Another adaptation to withstanding drought is shedding the current year's shoots and leaves with the onset of summer heat (this phenomenon is observed, for example, in some wormwoods). This also greatly reduces evaporation.

Succulents adapt to drought in a unique way: they accumulate water reserves in their above-ground parts (a special water-bearing tissue is used for this).

A special way of adaptation is observed in ephemerals and ephemeroids. By developing in the spring, they seem to “escape” the summer drought. These plants tolerate unfavorable dry seasons in the form of seeds or dormant underground organs located in the soil (rhizomes, bulbs, etc.). By their nature, both ephemerals and ephemeroids are mesophytes.

Specific group desert plants are phreatophytes (pump plants). They develop normally only if their roots reach the groundwater level. Freatophytes do not suffer at all from summer drought, as they are always provided with moisture. They turn green and bloom in the height of summer. An example of plants of this type would be the camel thorn subshrub ( Alhagi pseudalhagi), the roots of which are capable of penetrating into the soil to a depth of 10-15 m (slide 43).

It is characteristic of desert plants that their above-ground part is many times smaller in mass than the underground part. Desert plants are mostly submerged in the soil.

Among the plants found in deserts, there are quite a few more or less salt-tolerant plants that can grow on saline soils. There are also true halophytes that can tolerate severe salinity.

Subzones. Within the desert zone, three subzones are distinguished: semi-deserts, northern clayey deserts, southern clayey deserts.

Semi-desert subzone- the most northern. It represents a transitional zone between the steppe and the desert. Phytocenoses are formed by both steppe narrow-leaved turf grasses (for example, feather grass) and desert subshrubs (species of wormwood, etc.). Both grow together.

However, the vegetation cover on positive and negative forms of microrelief varies greatly. On microelevations, where the soils are drier, subshrubs predominate and phytocenoses characteristic of the desert are formed. In microdepressions, where the soils are moister, turf grasses dominate and steppe phytocenoses develop. With a well-defined microrelief, the vegetation cover has a spotted character. Patches of semi-desert, desert and steppe vegetation alternate with each other, forming a motley mosaic.

Northern clayey subzonedeserts characterized by the fact that precipitation falls here little by little and more or less evenly throughout the year. The vegetation cover is sparse; the soil surface not covered with plants is visible everywhere. Subshrubs dominate, growing in the form of low, squat, round-shaped cushions. This group of plants is represented by various wormwoods and species of the goosefoot family (they are called “solyankas”). Of the wormwoods, the most common is White Earth Wormwood ( Artemisia terrae- albae), growing in the form of pillows of a dull grayish-greenish color (slide 44).

In the group of hodgepodges one can name gray-haired Quinoa, or kok-pek ( Atriplex cana), Anabasis solonchak, or biyurgun ( Anabasis salsa), Anabasis leafless, or itsegek ( Anabasis aphylla) (slides 45-47). These plants also grow as cushions. In some of them, the leaves look like small scales or are not developed at all, and the functions of photosynthesis are performed by young green stems. Solyankas are good forage plants; they are readily eaten by livestock (sheep and camels). Due to the characteristics of the vegetation cover, northern clayey deserts are called wormwood-salt deserts. Deserts of this type are widespread in southern Kazakhstan.

Southern clay desert subzone characterized by the fact that the bulk of precipitation falls here in the spring, while in the summer it does not occur at all for 3-4 months. Winter in this subzone is relatively warm, sunny, and usually snowless. The vegetation cover is dominated by ephemeroids - some perennial grasses and sedges. They develop only in spring, when the soil is sufficiently moist. At this time, the desert resembles a green lawn. Plants form a continuous, but rather low cover. This is an excellent pasture for livestock. With the onset of summer drought, the aboveground part of the plants dies and the soil is exposed. In summer, no plants are visible here. In this type of desert, the grasses Poa bulbulosa and Short-columnar sedge are especially common. (Carex pachystylis) (slides 48-49) . Both plants are quite small and low. During the summer drought, only underground organs located shallow in the soil remain alive. Southern clayey deserts are called ephemeral. They are distributed only in the extreme south of Central Asia, and in a relatively small area.

They are a very special, unique type. sandy deserts. They occupy a very large area (Karakum, Kyzylkum, etc.) and are located in those areas where the bulk of precipitation falls in the spring. The sandy desert consists of many large dunes covered with bushes. The bushes are relatively dense and often reach the height of a man. Sands in desert conditions contain more moisture than loamy and clay soils, as a result of which the flora here is especially rich.

Among the bushes sandy desert we should name first of all the representatives of the Juzgun clan ( Calligonum). All of them have extremely poorly developed leaves, resembling very small scales, and the original fruits are loose reddish balls (slide 50).

In addition to juzgun, various other shrubs and small trees are also found in the sandy desert, such as sand acacia (Ammodendron conollyi), chingil (Hcdimodendron halodendron) , eremosparton (Eremosparton flaccidum) etc. (slides 51-53)

A real tree grows in the sandy desert - white saxaul (Haloxylon persicum). The appearance of saxaul is very unique (slide 54). Its trunk is twisted, knotty, the crown is very loose and consists mainly of thin green branches hanging freely down like lashes (therefore the tree provides almost no shade).

In spring, in the sandy desert, a continuous green cover of grass develops on the soil. Swollen sedge is especially abundant here , or ilak (Carex physodes), - a relatively small plant. A distinctive feature of this sedge is large reddish-brown oval sacs located in a small group at the end of the stem (slide 55). Sedge inflated is one of the ephemeroids. It turns green only in spring, and by summer its above-ground part dries out. This plant has important nutritional value.

In the sandy desert there are also annual ephemerals, for example, the grass Mortuk Bonaparte ( Eremopyrum bonaepartis), Malcolmia grandiflora ( Malcolmia grandiflora), Cornea crescent ( Ceratocephala falcata), Veronica bowlegged ( Veronica campylopoda) (slides 56-59). All these plants dry up with the onset of summer, completing their life cycle and dispersing their seeds.

Such is the general outline flora of the sandy desert. It should be emphasized that we were talking only about stationary, fixed sands, where the vegetation cover is in its own natural state. When overgrazed by livestock, the plant cover is destroyed and the sand begins to move. The final stage of this process is exposed shifting sand blown by the wind. Over time, some specific pioneer plants settle on such mobile dunes, which help to fix the sand, for example, Celine grass ( Aristida karelinii) (slide 60). However, restoration of vegetation occurs very slowly and with great difficulty.

Also common in our country saline or succulent salt marsh deserts, which do not occupy large areas. They develop on highly saline, moist soils in depressions, drainless basins, etc. Succulent halophytes from the goosefoot family predominate here: Sarsazan ( Halocnemum strobilaceum), Soleros ( Salicornia europaea), potashnik ( Kalidium caspicum), some types of Sweda (Suaeda), etc. (slides 61-64). These plants are called succulent solyankas. The vegetation cover of a saline desert is usually quite dense and continuous. However, it is formed by only a very few species (usually two or three, and sometimes even one). Plants here are constantly provided with moisture and grow from spring to late autumn. They die off only with the onset of frost.

Questions from the seminar session

Vegetation cover of Russia and neighboring countries

I.1. Steppe zone:

1.1. Zonal vegetation;

1.2. Natural conditions;

1.3. Soils of the steppe zone;

1.4. Steppe plants.

1.5. Subzones:

1.5.1. Meadow, or northern, steppes (forest-steppe);

1.5. 2. Forb-turf-grass steppes;

1.5. 3. Turf-grass steppes.

I.6. Features of the steppes of the Asian part of Russia and neighboring countries

II.1.Desert zone:

1.1. Natural conditions;

1.2. Desert soils;

1.3. Climatic types of deserts.

A large variety of plants grow in the steppes, such as:

• Prairie sage;
• Datura;
• Red clover;
• Common Dubrovnik;
• Common toadflax;
• Prairie sage;
• Zopnik tuberiferous;
• Spiny curly, etc.

• I live in a steppe area.

  I really like the flowering feather grass. It grows on the Arabat Spit of the Azov Sea.

  At the end of April - beginning of May, blooming tulips are beautiful.

  

  How useful is sage! And how wonderful he looks!

  

  And look at the red clover! I was once visiting beekeepers, and we went to clover fields. The sight of the clover and the mass of bees above them was breathtaking.

  

  Or you may also encounter dope.

  

  And how touching is the vitality of the knotweed grass.

  

  Steppe refers to flat areas with predominant grassy vegetation (almost complete absence of trees and shrubs, with the exception of artificial plantings). The steppe zone is located in the temperate and subtropical zones.

  The steppes are dominated by cereal plants (feather grass, fescue, bluegrass, tonkonog, and sheep).

  Also in the steppes, the following plants are often found: immortelle, astragalus, bean grass, speedwell, kermek, wormwood, plantain, sage, yarrow, eryngium, tsmin, bruise, thyme.

  The steppe has a fairly wide variety of plants. Mostly herbaceous plants grow there: clover, sweet clover, wheatgrass, sage, tulips, poppy, feather grass, angelica, thyme, wormwood, bellflower, yarrow, mullein, semolina, thyme and much more.

  They grow: sage, tulip, astragalus, cutter. These are the plants, I answered 5 myself!

  Plants growing in the steppes are very diverse, but they have general signs- they are dry-resistant, can tolerate heat, and have relatively small leaves. The flora of the steppes is mainly represented by herbaceous plants. Among them there are food plants:

  Honey-bearing herbs, such as budra, speedwell, heather, knotweed and so on.

  Many medicinal plants.

  Trees do not grow in the steppe and even shrubs cannot survive there. It's all about the winds, and because of them, moisture from the ground evaporates very quickly, without reaching the deep layers of the soil, so there is only enough water for herbs.

  The growth of steppe grasses can reach a height of more than 1 meter.

  These plants are: dream grass, poppy, crocuses, feather grass, blackthorn, etc.

  

  In the steppe grow those plants that can live for a long time without moisture, they are afraid of the scorching sun, drought, and strong winds. These include: self-seeded poppy, handsome tulip, feather grass, angelica, thyme, yarrow, wormwood, fluffy cream meadowsweet, bellflower, prickly grasshopper, mountain clover, adonis.

  

  Many different plants grow in the steppe, here are some of them.

  Common mullein with large yellow flowers, can reach 2 meters in height. IN folk medicine flowers are used for coughs.

  

  Wormwood is a perennial herb that has a thick woody root.

  

  And also white clover, breaker, poppy, semolina, tulips, astragalus, fescue, thyme and many others.

  In the steppe grows a huge species diversity plants. The landscape of the steppes, of course, affects the appearance of plants. For steppe plants, the following similar characteristics can be distinguished:

  1) branched root system;

  2) roots in the form of bulbs;

  3) narrow leaves;

  4) mostly fleshy stems.

  So, the following plants grow in the steppe:

  • Krupka. An annual plant with a branched stem and oblong leaves with yellow flowers. Blooms in April-July;
  • Breaker. An annual plant with oblong leaves and many flower shoots ending in inflorescences with small white flowers;
  • Poppy. It can be annual or perennial on long stalks with flower buds.
  • Tulips. Perennial plants with large flowers and fleshy stems;
  • Astragalus. Grows even in the driest steppes, its flowers can have more than 950 types of shades.
  • Feather grass. A perennial plant with a smooth stem (up to 1 meter tall) and spinous leaves.

  Also known to everyone, lemon balm, camel thorn and wormwood grow in the steppe.

  I have provided only a short list of steppe plants.

  The steppe is an almost endless expanse where tall and not so tall grasses grow and it is very rare to find thickets of bushes or a lonely group of trees. There are steppes on all continents and therefore steppe plants can vary greatly, but let's focus on the plants growing in our steppes. First of all, the most common steppe plant can be called Feather grass, which in some places is called Tyrsa.

The climate of the zone is dry, continental with hot, dry summers, cold winter n low thickness of snow cover. In summer, 2-4 times more moisture evaporates from the soil surface than falls. In the northern part of the zone, where dark chestnut soils are formed, 300-400 mm of precipitation falls per year, in the central part - 300-350 mm and in the southern part with light chestnut soils - 250-350 mm. The amount of precipitation from west to east decreases to 200-250 mm. The average annual temperature in the European part of the zone is + 3 ° C, and in the Asian part + 2-3 ° C. The frost-free period is 180-190 days in the European and 110-120 days in the Asian parts of the zone. Dry winds are frequent here, causing dust storms and plant death.

The relief of the zone is predominantly flat or flat-slightly undulating with a clearly defined microrelief. There are depressions and estuaries.

Dry steppes are transitional between steppes and deserts. Unlike real grasses, the dominance of turf grasses is less pronounced in the herbage of dry steppes. At the same time, the role of various types of wormwood increases. The grass stand has a relatively low density. Species richness is 30-40 species per 100 m2. Productivity varies greatly in years of different rainfall and in different months of the grazing season. The yield of grass stands is 10-30 c/ha (in wet weight), however, dry steppes almost completely burn out by the beginning of summer. In dry steppe zones, chestnut soils predominate. Also in these zones there is a significant amount of intrazonal soils - solonetzes, solonchaks and solods.

The vegetation of the zone is relatively poor in composition, especially in the southern part. Among the herbaceous plants, feather grass, fescue, wormwood, tonkonogo, various ephemerals,

forming wormwood-fescue steppes. Meadow vegetation penetrates into the zone of dry steppes along valleys and floodplains. Woody plants in this zone are confined to low areas, most often to the slopes and bottoms of ravines, ravines, and river floodplains. Oak, Tatarian maple, aspen, pine, elm, and white acacia grow here. Forest plantations develop on dark chestnut and chestnut soils. However, forests in this zone have a limited distribution; the predominant type of vegetation is steppe.

1. Characteristics of dry steppe vegetation

a) Forage plants

Feather grass of Sarepta– perennial dense turf grass 40-80 cm high. appearance very close to feather grass, but differs from it in shorter and narrower leaves. The awn is 10-16 cm long, sometimes up to 21 cm, twice geniculate, hairy, rough. Blooms from May to June. As a rule, it does not form the basis of the grass stand. Tolerates high soil salinity and blooms 15-20 days earlier than feather grass. Contains a significant amount of protein – 12.2%.

Feather grass of Lessing– a perennial dense bush grass 30-70 cm high with a fibrous root system. The awn is pinnate, doubly geniculate, twisted below the second genu, glabrous, the caryopsis is small, 9-11 mm long, hairy. Blooms in late April early May. In terms of feed it is best plant of all feather grasses. The yield of green mass is 10-15 c/ha (hay 5-8 c/ha). It is primarily a pasture plant, but can also be used for haymaking. Hay harvested before flowering is good food for all types of livestock. In early spring eats well, but by the beginning of heading the eatability decreases sharply; Since the beginning of flowering, the plant is almost not eaten. By autumn, palatability improves, young crops are eaten well.

Ukrainian feather grass– perennial height from 30 to 60 cm. Leaves are rough, up to 0.6 mm in diameter, densely hairy inside. The spike is single-flowered, the inflorescence is a sparse panicle. Flowering period - May, pollinated by wind. The fruit is narrow with hairs that anchor it in the soil and bears fruit abundantly. Used as livestock feed, the species is also often used for decorative purposes for making bouquets.

Fescue- the most widely represented pasture turf plant in steppe grass stands, 10-20 cm high. Typically, fescue refers to different types of steppe fescue (false fescue, Valis fescue, Becker fescue, etc.), but they are very similar in structure and feeding qualities. Fescue is well eaten by livestock, especially sheep and horses, is resistant to grazing, drought-resistant, and grows back quickly after being grazed. Thanks to the last three qualities, it plays a dominant role on moderately and heavily knocked down steppe grass stands. Protein content in the tillering phase is 16%. A significant portion of fescue leaves overwinter under the snow in a green state, which increases the importance of this cereal in winter and early spring pastures.

Figure 4 - Fescue	Figure 5 – Thin-legged crested	Figure 6 – Branched hair plant

Thin-legged crested- a perennial herbaceous dense turf plant of the Poa family with numerous shoots 10–90 cm high. The leaves are harsh, bluish-green in color. The panicles are dense, cylindrical, gradually narrowing towards the apex and base. Spikelets of 2-3 flowers, glumes short pointed, glabrous. Forage plant. Contains 1.8% protein, 3.0% fat, 33.5% fiber in the flowering phase. Produces up to 5-7 c/ha of high-quality hay. On pastures in spring and summer it is eaten by all types of domestic animals, being a good fattening and milk-producing food. When drought occurs, it quickly loses its feeding properties. In the autumn-winter period it serves as food for sheep.

Volosnets branched- a perennial grass 30-50 cm high, with a creeping rhizome. The stem at the very base is branched, bare, smooth. The leaves are curled and rough. The spike is linear, sparse, 4-8 cm long, 6-8 mm wide, its spine along the ribs is rigidly ciliated, the spikelets are bluish-green, sometimes with a purple tint or an abrasive bluish coating. It tolerates alkaline soil better than other cereals, is significantly drought-resistant and even more salt-tolerant. Good forage grass. In the pasture and in the hay it is eaten by all types of animals. After mowing and grazing, the regrowth grows back quite satisfactorily. Hay yield is 4-6 c/ha or 12-20 c/ha of green grass. Seed productivity is low and decreases with age, especially on fallow lands. Due to the deep location of the rhizomes, control is more difficult than with creeping wheatgrass, as with a weed. However, the plant is promising and is recommended for creating sustainable pastures in saline meadows.

Poa bulbous- a perennial ephemeral turf plant with thin, shallow roots, up to 30 cm high. The stems in the lower part are bulbous, glabrous. The leaves are narrowly linear, more or less curled, glabrous, rough along the edges. The inflorescence is a panicle, oblong, dense, less often spreading, 6-8 cm in length. Blooms from late April to May. Distributed on clayey and sandy-clayey soils of plains and foothills. Drought-resistant, tolerates alkaline and gravelly soils, frost-resistant. It begins to grow in early spring and develops within 30-35 days. It reproduces in nature by brood buds-bulbs, which remain viable for 8-12 years. Tolerates trampling well. Valuable pasture plant. Readily eaten by all types of livestock. It is considered a fattening plant for sheep. The yield of pasture forage is up to 4 quintals of dry weight per 1 ha. An early spring pasture grass, in favorable wet years it produces dense grass and forms the basis of spring hayfields.

Figure 2.7 –

Poa bulbous

b) Leguminous plants

Alfalfa Romanian– perennial plant up to 80 cm in height. The stems are numerous, straight, well-leaved, protruding, shaggy, and hairy. Leaves are linear, entire or finely toothed. Flower clusters are dense, the corolla is yellow, often light yellow. The pods are straight or slightly sickle-shaped, grayish with dense pubescence, or slightly pubescent, sticking up on straight stalks. Blooms from June to July. Refers to high quality feed. Due to the high self-consemination on pastures, with a single sowing, it remains in the grass stand for a long time. More drought-resistant and salt-tolerant, better deciduous.

Peas– a perennial plant up to 150 cm tall, with a thin rhizome. Stems are ribbed, pubescent, erect or ascending. The brush is long, thin, the corolla is bright blue-violet. Beans on a long stalk, oblong-lanceolate or linear-oblong, glabrous. The seeds are spherical, with a scar covering a quarter of the achene. Blooms in May-July. The plant, fresh and dry, is well eaten by cattle, sheep, and horses. Has high nutritional value.

Figure 8 – Romanian alfalfa	Figure 9 – Peas	Figure 10 – Sandy sainfoin

Sandy sainfoin- a perennial, reaching a height of 80 cm. Its root system is quite powerful, the root grows deep, reaching 2.7 meters. The stems are thick and erect; there are cases when the stem becomes very coarse at the base. The leaves are odd-pinnate, compound, they consist of 6–10 pairs of oblong-lanceolate leaflets. The inflorescence is a multi-flowered raceme, the length of which can reach 20 cm. The flowers are large, moth-type, delicate pink, sometimes white, collected in dense racemes. The fruit of the plant is an egg-shaped bean. Its length is from 5 to 7 mm, thickness - about 4 mm, color brownish-brown. The seeds are brown, kidney-shaped. This variety of sainfoin blooms in May-July. Sainfoin is a valuable plant that provides nutritious food with high content protein (up to 23%). The leaves contain up to 230 mg of ascorbic acid. It has long been introduced into cultivation and is widely cultivated in field and fodder crop rotations in the southern regions of our country. The highest yields of above-ground mass are obtained in the 2nd-3rd year - over 70 c/ha.

c) Forbs

Rogac– annual, 5-30 cm high, forked-branched pubescent herbs, usually forming spherical bushes (tumbleweeds). The leaves are linear or linear-lanceolate, with a strong spiny point. The flowers are unisexual (monoecious plants), mostly solitary, axillary. In semi-deserts and deserts they are well eaten by large and small cattle and horses.

alpine aster- a perennial rhizomatous herbaceous or subshrub plant with a horizontally branched rhizome. Stems are 25-30 cm tall, strong, slightly pubescent. The basal leaves are oblong, spatulate, pubescent; stem - small, linear, sessile. They do not die off during the winter and go into winter green. The size of the bush is up to 50 cm. Inflorescences are single baskets 4-5 cm in diameter. Reed flowers are marginal, arranged in 1 row, white, lilac, purple; tubular - in the center, yellow. Blooms in late May to mid-June. The fruit is an achene with a hairy tuft. The seeds ripen in late July-August and retain the hereditary qualities of the clones. It is well eaten by sheep and horses, especially before flowering, worse by cattle.

Figure 11 - Rogach	Figure 12 – Alpine aster	Figure 13 – Knotweed (knotweed)

Knotweed (knotweed)– an annual herbaceous plant with a thin tap root. The stems are round, thin, prostrate, knotty, usually branching from the very base, 10-60 cm long. The leaves are alternate, elliptic or lanceolate with a blunt apex. The bells are whitish, filmy. The flowers are small, five-membered, greenish-white, not isolated in inflorescences, collected in bunches of 2-5 in the leaf axils. The fruit is a small nut.

It blooms and bears fruit from July until late autumn. The plant is readily eaten by all types of livestock and contains a lot of digestible protein. Knotweed grows abundantly in places where there is heavy trampling, on cattle runs, around camps, etc. The plant is resistant to grazing, grows well after grazing and remains juicy throughout the summer.

Cold wormwood– a perennial plant up to 40 cm in height, with a woody multi-headed root. The stems are densely leafy, thin, pubescent. The leaves are short-petiolate, grayish with dense pubescence.

The panicle is racemose, with short or elongated lateral branches. The baskets are almost spherical, on short legs, collected in heads. The achenes are oblong-ovate. It blooms in July-August and bears fruit in September. If used incorrectly or with increased load on feather grass-forbs, fescue-feather grass, fescue pastures, the role of cold wormwood increases and often in these cases it is the predominant plant.

Cold wormwood begins to grow early in spring. The leaves often go into winter in a green state and remain in a semi-dried state under the snow. The nutritional value of cold wormwood is no lower than that of good cereal hay. It is eaten well by sheep, worse by horses, camels and cattle. In terms of fattening (summer-autumn) properties, it ranks first among wormwood. In hay it is eaten satisfactorily by all types of livestock.

d) Medicinal plants

Licorice naked– a perennial root shoot plant up to 1 m in height, with a powerful root system. Stems are straight, well leafy. The leaves are covered with sticky glandular hairs. Fruity, brown bean. The seeds are round or irregular in shape, slightly compressed on the sides, smooth, dull or slightly shiny, greenish-brown or brown. Blooms from May to June.

Licorice develops well in the presence of shallow groundwater. It grows in May. It is satisfactorily eaten on pasture by sheep before fruiting; cattle and horses eat little. Licorice is much more valuable as a hay and silage plant. Hay is quite satisfactorily eaten by all types of animals. The nutritional value of licorice hay collected in the fruiting phase is close to the nutritional value of cereal hay good quality. The roots are used for medicinal purposes. Used in the food industry.

Sweet clover- biennial up to 200 cm tall. The root is tap root, powerful, going 200 cm or more deep into the soil. The stem is straight, glabrous, often hairy in the upper part. The beans are ovoid, glabrous, transversely wrinkled, single-seeded. The seeds are greenish-yellow, smooth. Blooms from May to July. It is characterized by high drought resistance and unpretentiousness to soils. Very salt-tolerant and high-yielding (up to 60 c and even 140 c/ha of dry matter). Seed yield is 6-15 c/ha. Resistant to grazing. Contains coumarin up to 1.5%, as a result of which it has a specific smell, bitter taste and therefore is poorly grazed in the first days of grazing, then the cattle begin to eat quite willingly. The toxic effect of sweet clover is associated with the transition of coumarin into dicoumarin during molding. Feeding animals with spoiled sweet clover is extremely dangerous. Tolerates trampling and soil compaction well. The yield of natural thickets ranges from 10 to 35 c/ha of hay. One of the best pasture plants. The value of silage lies in the fact that it contains an increased amount of digestible protein. Recommended for improving the physical and chemical properties of solonetz soils. When using sweet clover for silage, you should not be late in harvesting. The best time to harvest for silage is the beginning of flowering. For silage, it is better to mix with any grains in an amount of 15-20%.

It grows early in the spring and produces two cuttings. A wonderful honey plant. Used for green manure. Considering that sweet clover provides a large mass of green fodder during a period when the growth of many pasture plants stops, it is a good phytomeliorant on solonetz and saline soils. In cultivation, it produces yields depending on the soil up to 60 c/ha of dry matter, in favorable conditions it reaches 140 c/ha.

Mouse peas– a perennial plant up to 150 cm tall, with a long rhizome. Stems are branched, lanceolate, ribbed, glabrous. Leaves linear-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate. The corolla is blue-violet, rarely white. The pods are oblong-rhombic, glabrous, greenish-gray or brownish-brown; seeds from four to eight pieces, they are black or spotted; weight of 1000 seeds is 8-10 g. One plant produces up to 600 seeds. Blooms from May to July. It is drought-resistant, tolerates flooding for up to 50 days, and is not afraid of cold winters with little snow. One of the best forage grasses. In spring and summer it is eaten by all types of animals, but disappears from the grass stand when grazing. According to literature data in experimental work grass mixtures with mouse peas give a yield of 67 to 113 c/ha in two cuttings. It persists in grass stands for over ten years. In cultivation it grows slowly, both after overwintering in the spring and after the first cutting. By the time of flowering it lies down. The seeds ripen unevenly and the beans crack. It is difficult to choose the optimal harvesting time for seeds; half of the ripe beans in the lower tier cause the upper half of the plant to be covered with green beans, some of which are still in the process of growing. In the year of sowing it develops slowly and grows from the fourth year, remaining in the grass stands for a long time (more than 10 years). Seeds are severely damaged by the five-spotted bean borer. When cultivating for seeds, it should be sown in a mixture with some kind of cereal so that the tender stems of the peas have support. Sowing is carried out in a wide-row manner. The seeding rate is 4 kg/ha. Seed germination is usually 10-13%, after scarification it increases to 80%. Promising for introduction into culture.

e) Honey plants

Common chicory- a perennial plant 40-120 cm high, with a multi-headed taproot. The stem is erect, usually branched. The baskets are numerous, less often solitary, the corollas are blue, less often whitish. Achenes are 2-3 mm long, veiny-finely tuberculate, truncated at the apex, with a pappus. Blooms from June to October. The growing season begins early and continues until autumn. Does not dry out during summer drought. Overwinters in the form of rosettes of leaves. Tolerates moderate grazing well. On pastures in the form of green feeding it is satisfactorily consumed by all types of farm animals. It is valuable that it provides food on steppe pastures at a time when other plants dry out. Common chicory helps increase milk yield and improves the quality of milk. As a hay plant, it is of no value: it dries poorly and often grows moldy. In cultivation, common chicory is a biennial plant. A good honey plant, coffee surrogate is extracted from the roots, alcohol is obtained.

Figure 18 – Common chicory	Figure 19 – Caragana shrub	Figure 20 – Meadow salsify

Caragana shrub– a slightly spiny shrub 0.5-2 m high. The leaves are bare or appressed-hairy with a thin spine. The corolla is bright yellow, the flag is rounded-ovoid, 3.5 times longer than the wedge-shaped marigold, the boat is tight. Bob is cylindrical. It blooms from May to July, bears fruit from July to September. During flowering it is a good honey plant. Young shoots and leaves are eaten by sheep and cattle. Ornamental shrub, suitable for landscaping, securing slopes and ravines.

Meadow salsify – biennial plant 25-140 cm high, with a vertical cylindrical root. The leaves are long, linear, semi-stem-encompassing at the base. Baskets are single, on the legs of stems and branches. The flowers are light yellow. The achenes are curved, grooved, and turn into a long, thin nose. Blossoms and bears fruit in May-September. In the spring, all types of animals are eaten willingly, in the summer, satisfactorily, in the fall and winter, poorly. It is considered a milk feed for dairy cows. Sheep eat well the entire plant except the seeds. A good honey plant. Young leaves, stems and roots are eaten. Stems and roots contain up to 1% rubber.

The VEGETATION of the steppes consists of various grasses that can tolerate drought. In some plants, the stems and leaves are heavily pubescent or have a developed waxy coating; others have tough stems covered with narrow leaves that roll up in the dry season (cereals); still others have fleshy and juicy stems and leaves with a reserve of moisture. Some plants have a root system that goes deep into the ground or forms tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes.

The steppe zone is one of the main land biomes. Under the influence, first of all, of climatic factors, the zonal features of biomes developed. The steppe zone is characterized by a hot and dry climate for most of the year, and in the spring there is a sufficient amount of moisture, so 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 in dry conditions. and cold season.

Steppe almond. Photo: Sirpa Tähkämo

3 steppes are represented in Eurasia by steppes, in North America- prairies, in South America - the pampas, in New Zealand - Tussoq communities. These are temperate zone spaces occupied by more or less xerophilic vegetation. From the point of view of the living conditions of the animal population of the steppe, they are characterized by the following features: good review, abundance of plant food, relatively dry summer period, existence summer period rest or, as it is now called, semi-rest. In this respect, steppe communities differ sharply from forest communities. Among the predominant life forms of steppe plants, grasses are distinguished, the stems of which are crowded into turf - turf grasses. In the Southern Hemisphere, such turfs are called tussocks. Tussoks can be very tall and their leaves are less rigid than those of the tufted steppe grasses of the Northern Hemisphere, since the climate of communities close to the steppes of the Southern Hemisphere 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, the role of which in the Northern Hemisphere increases to the south.
Among dicotyledonous herbaceous plants, two groups are distinguished - northern colorful forbs and southern colorless herbs. Colorful forbs are characterized by a mesophilic appearance and large bright flowers or inflorescences, for southern, colorless herbs - a more xerophilic appearance - pubescent stems into leaves, often the leaves are narrow or finely dissected, the flowers are inconspicuous, dim.
Typical for the steppes are annual ephemerals, which bloom in the spring after flowering and die, and perennial ephemeroids, in which tubers, bulbs, and underground rhizomes remain after the death of the above-ground parts. Colchicum is a peculiar species that 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 entire steppe looks lifeless and yellowed, produces bright lilac flowers(hence its name).

The steppe is characterized by shrubs, often growing in groups, sometimes solitary. These include spirea, caragana, steppe cherries, steppe almonds, and sometimes some types of juniper. The fruits of many shrubs are eaten by animals.
On the soil surface grow xerophilic mosses, fruticose and crustose lichens, and sometimes blue-green algae of the genus Nostoc. During the dry summer period they dry out, after the rains they come to life and assimilate.

In the steppe there are plants that are quite inconspicuous, which may be why they are unfamiliar to many: grains and breakers. They are one of the first to appear on dry ridges, sandy mounds, hills and mounds.

Beans from the cruciferous family are most often found in the highlands and tundra. Total number its species in our country reaches one hundred. The most common are Siberian grain (found in meadows, dry tundras, alpine and subalpine lawns almost throughout the country, including the Arctic and mountain systems Central Asia and Siberia), as well as oak groats (widely distributed, except in the Arctic, in fields, dry meadows and steppes). Externally, these grains are very similar to each other.

Oak groats - annual plant with a branched, leafy stem up to 20 centimeters high, 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. Chemical composition The grains have been poorly studied; it is only known that the aerial part contains alkaloids. The plant was used in folk herbal medicine as a hemostatic agent along with 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 bronchial diseases. An infusion of the herb is popular as an external remedy for various skin diseases (rashes and others), especially of allergic origin in children (the infusion is taken in this case or a decoction of the herb externally and internally - as a blood purifier) ​​o In Chinese medicine, the seeds of the plant are popular, which are used as an expectorant and diuretic.

Siberian Krupka is a perennial with dark yellow flowers. Like oak groats, it deserves study for medical purposes.
There are 35 species of primroses from the family of primroses in our country, distributed mainly in the mountains of the Caucasus, Central Asia and Siberia. The most common is the northern breaker - 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 shoots up to 25 centimeters high, each of which ends in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence consisting of 10-30 tiny white flowers. It 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 it especially loves. willingly occupies plowed clearings and deposits 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 contraceptive (contraceptive) drugs from it. The studies carried out gave good results - the centuries-old folk experience of using the breaker was completely confirmed. It is believed that prolomnik 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). Prolomnik is known to be used as an anticonvulsant for epilepsy and eclampsia (seizure attacks, including in children), and also as a diuretic and hemostatic agent.

Oak wood grain. Photo: Matt Lavin

Tumbleweeds are a unique 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, either rising into the air or hitting the ground, they scatter the seeds. In general, wind plays a significant role in the transfer of seeds of steppe plants. There are a lot of plants with flowers here. The role of wind is great not only in plant pollination, but the number of species in which insects take part in pollination is smaller here than in forests.

Features of steppe plants:

a) Small leaves. The leaves of steppe grasses are narrow, no wider than 1.5-2 mm. In dry weather, they fold lengthwise, and their evaporating surface becomes even smaller (an adaptation to reduce evaporation). In some steppe plants, the leaf blades are very small (bedstraw, kachim, thyme, chickweed, saltwort), in others they are dissected into the thinnest lobules 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 use pubescence to protect themselves from sunlight and thus fight drought.
c) Waxy coating. Many people use a layer of wax or other waterproof substance secreted by the skin. This is another adaptation of steppe plants to drought. It is possessed by plants with a smooth, shiny surface of the leaves: milkweed, fronds, Russian cornflower, etc.
d) Special position of the leaves. To avoid overheating, some steppe grasses (naeovolata, serpuha, chondrillas) place their leaves with their edges facing the sun. And such a steppe weed as wild lettuce generally orients its leaves in a vertical north-south plane, representing a kind of living compass.
d) Coloring. Among the summer steppe grasses there are few bright green plants; the leaves and stems of most of them are colored 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. Root system 10-20 times greater in mass than aboveground organs. There are many so-called turf grasses in the steppe. These are feather grass, fescue, thin-legged grass, and wheatgrass. They form dense turfs 10 cm or more in diameter. The turf contains many remnants of old stems and leaves and has the remarkable property of intensively absorbing melt and rainwater and hold it for a long time.
g) Ephemera and ephemeroids. These plants develop in the spring, when the soil is sufficiently moist. Thus, they have time to bloom and bear fruit before the onset of the dry period (tulips, irises, crocuses, goose onions, adonis, etc.).