Biota orientalis is a medicinal plant. Tui varieties with photos and descriptions, which ones to choose for the garden Growing eastern thuja

Thuja orientalis is the only representative of the genus. In botanical reference books, it is often referred to as biota or flatworm. In its natural habitat, this plant can be found exclusively on hills; in a temperate zone with mild winters, cultivars feel great on flat surfaces. In addition, thuja biota orientalis is not demanding on nutrition and easily tolerates transplantation.

Thuja or flathead ( Platycladus) belongs to the Cypress family (Cupressaceae). It grows in the forests of China, Japan and Korea.

This is a small evergreen, sometimes multi-stemmed tree, 5-10 m high. favorable conditions reaches 15-18 m. The crown is wide-shaped.

Rising branches. When describing eastern thuja especially noteworthy are its wide, flat branches (which gave the plant its name). They are located vertically.

The needles of adult specimens are scaly, light green, tightly pressed to the branches. In autumn, with the first frosts, it acquires a protective brown color.

As you can see in the photo, the cones of the eastern thuja are located on short branches and have an oblong-rounded shape:

Young cones appear to be covered with a bluish-green hoarfrost. Seeds are wingless, ripen in the second year.

The natural form of the eastern flathead is quite frost-resistant and suffers only during extremely cold winters.

Growing thuja orientalis

Flatworm- a light-loving, but at the same time shade-tolerant plant, and in the shade most varieties completely retain their decorative effect.

When grown in the southern regions, it prefers fertile loamy soils, but for successful wintering in northern gardens, it needs well-drained and quickly freezing sandy loam.

The flathead is not picky about nutrition, but if it grows on poor soils, top dressing is necessary. It should be fed in the spring after the snow melts on wet ground with a weakly concentrated complex mineral fertilizer. It is unacceptable to bring in fresh manure and feces. Adult specimens have a powerful, branched root system and, in additional food practically not needed.

Transfers easily. It is advisable to carry it out in the spring or early summer. In the presence of a formed root ball, it can also be transplanted in summer and autumn. When planting an eastern thuja, a slight deepening of the root neck is not only possible, but also desirable, since this provokes the formation of additional roots. Large specimens are recommended to be transplanted only after pre-training root ball, for which the roots are deeply incised, digging the plant around the circumference of the crown.

pruning when caring for eastern biota, they are done repeatedly 6-12 months before transplantation. After transplantation, abundant watering is necessary.

The flathead is drought-resistant, moreover, excessive moisture in the soil in winter is detrimental to it.

Frost resistance of varieties is different. More resistant varieties close to the natural species, less - ericoid (juvenile) forms. With the onset of frost, the branches of plants turn brown, which is their natural protective adaptation. So that the crown does not suffer from heavy wet snow, multi-stemmed varieties should be slightly pulled together with twine. For valuable varietal forms, a light air-dry shelter is necessary for the winter. The best option is a hut device - coniferous spruce branches are laid on a frame made of wire or slats. In spring, for uniform awakening of plants, abundant watering and spraying is recommended. This is especially useful after frosty winters that freeze the soil.

The flathead has many excellent highly ornamental varieties, successfully grown in the gardens of regions with mild, slightly frosty winters. In them, it is widely used to create hedges and for. But cases of successful cultivation of flatweed in the gardens of the northern temperate zone of Russia have not yet been observed.

See how beautiful the oriental flathead is in these photos:

Methods of propagation of eastern thuja

Seeds have a dormant, dormant embryo. To awaken it, cold stratification is necessary for 2-3 months at a temperature of +3 ... +5 ° С. Seedlings always have juvenile needle needles, which can persist for quite a long time. Sometimes plants aged 3-5 years have both types of needles - both needle and scaly.

Thuja in all its varieties is particularly volatile. Thuja orientalis alone is able to clean the room of medium cubic capacity, saturate it in sufficient quantity. "Tree of Life" - this name was earned by thuja because of its unique qualities and healing properties.

plant description

In the northwestern region of China, in the provinces of Gansu, Henan, thuja orientalis was found in a wild form. Its other names are oriental flathead or oriental biota. Rocks and rocky steep slopes of highlands are the natural habitat of the plant. The cultural form of thuja is most common in Japan, China, and Korea. From these eastern countries, biota was brought to the territory of Central Asia and used as a cult plant: it attracted the eye with its crown near sacred purgatories and mosques. In the 18th century, thuja orientalis was brought to European territory, and became one of the best decorative coniferous crops. AT modern world successfully cultivated in Ukraine, Russia, European countries, as well as in the USA.

What attracts the attention of the eastern biota? Its appearance is quite bright: the height of the tree is up to 10 meters, the crown is of a beautiful pyramidal or egg-shaped shape. The branches are raised up, the shoots are flat with scaly foliage. The plant loves a well-lit place, unpretentious in care, easily tolerates heat, dry soil. Especially decorative are the cultural forms of thuja with golden variegated and silvery leaves. Since the plant is slow growing, it is easy to grow at home, indoor conditions.

At the tops of the shoots, bluish-green cones are formed in spring, as they ripen, their shade changes to a brownish-red color. The plant blooms from the beginning of spring for about 2 months. Seeds ovoid, wingless, up to 5 mm long.

Useful properties and application of eastern biota

Thuja orientalis is not only an ornamental, but also a medicinal plant. Its usefulness has long been known. Representatives of American Indian tribes used medicinal drugs from the bark and foliage of thuja to treat various inflammatory processes, an infectious disease, rheumatism, and to prevent the same diseases. It is not for nothing that the biota acquired an eloquent name in those days - the “tree of life”.

In the 19th century, American homeopaths used infusions of Oriental flatworm to treat common ailments. Bleeding (uterine and intestinal), hemoptysis, venereal diseases, bronchial asthma responded well to treatment. Particularly useful is thuja oil, which contains caryophyllene, cedrol, aromadendren, vidlen. The essential oil is found in the leaves and seeds of the plant.

The composition of the thuja also contains tannins, pectin, resins. Quinikithiol is also highly valued for its antifungal activity. The use of kernels of thuja orientalis seeds has a tonic and strengthening effect on the body. Good remedy from thuja also for treatment colds as an expectorant for pneumonia and bronchitis. Lupus, skin rashes are cauterized by biota leaf powder.

Thuja: folk recipes

Thuja orientalis is used in alternative medicine in the form of a powder, water and alcohol infusion for the prevention and treatment of common ailments. The powder is made from well-dried biota leaves. It should be consumed no more than 3 grams at a time.

An alcoholic 10% tincture of leaves and young shoots is also easy to prepare if you take half a liter of vodka and 100 g of chopped leaves. Infuse the contents in a glass container in a dark place for at least a week. Then the infusion can be filtered through cheesecloth. An alcohol drug from biota will be used for skin diseases, with congestion in the bronchi three times a day, 25-30 drops until the condition improves.

If there is no time to wait, you can prepare a decoction of young twigs with thuja leaves. Take 20 g of raw materials, pour 1 liter of boiling water. Infuse for about 5-10 minutes, then strain. Take with the above diseases, as well as with cystitis, prostatitis, rheumatism, uterine, intestinal bleeding, asthma, a glass three times a day. The course of treatment is at least 2 weeks.

Thuja oil is effective in heart failure, cystitis, congestion in the pelvic organs, enuresis, rheumatism, helminthic invasion, in the treatment of warts and papillomas. For problem areas skin apply oil with cotton swabs twice a day.

Baths with the addition of thuja oil help to increase frigidity, the ether is used for massage rubbing.

Before you start self-medicating, be sure to consult your doctor. Also remember that thuja-based healing potion is contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women and those who suffer from epileptic seizures.

Modern homeowners, summer residents and gardeners pay great attention to the aesthetic design of their site. Many of them hire professional landscape designers specifically for this purpose and grow specific plants.

A popular ornamental coniferous and evergreen plant is thuja. Today in our material we will talk about the oriental variety of thuja, learn about the existing varieties of this plant, and also study the rules for selection, planting and care.

general description

Eastern thuja (also called biota, platycladus) is a plant that can grow and develop only in favorable climatic conditions, namely: in areas with warm weather and mild winters.

Thuja of this variety grows not only at home, but also in the wild. So, in nature, a tree can be found in China (in this regard, the eastern thuja is also called Chinese). Under natural conditions, thuja can grow both singly and in small clusters. Moreover, the plant is able to take root even on stony and rocky soils.

The maximum height of the tree is quite impressive and is about 18 meters, however, plants up to 10 meters long are more common. The crown of the tree is quite large in its scope, its diameter can reach 11 meters. Directly the bark of the tree is painted in Brown color, but the branches may have yellow or even red hues.

The shoots of the eastern thuja are quite wide and flat in shape. They include many branches. The branches of the tree are arranged in a circle around the trunk and have a well-defined vertical orientation. The needles of a tree are able to change their color depending on the season: in summer and spring, it has a yellow-green color, and during the cold season, the color becomes brown or reddish.

The color of cones of thuja-biota is blue or green, and in size they can reach 3 centimeters (moreover, the “female” cones are much larger than the “male” ones). The cones contain seeds that are similar in appearance to grains.

Eastern thuja is a long-lived tree. So, in China, scientists have discovered specimens that have been growing for more than 1000 years. However, such an amazing longevity of flatheads is real only in the wild. If you want to grow a tree yourself, then the maximum length of its life at home will be about 200 years.

Kinds

To date, scientists have identified several popular varieties of eastern biota. Among themselves, they can differ not only in external features, but also in some internal characteristics. Today in our material we will consider some of the most popular varieties of platycladus.

"Aurea Nana"

This variety is considered completely decorative. It belongs to the category of slow-growing due to the fact that the maximum growth of a tree per year is no more than 10 centimeters. By itself, "Aureya Nana" is a dwarf variety of eastern thuja, and therefore is often used to decorate private and public areas. The unusual golden color of the crown of the plant attracts gardeners and homeowners.

"Yustinka"

Poland is considered the birthplace of this species of biota. In its form, "Justinka" is columnar. Just like the previous variety of eastern thuja, this variety belongs to the group dwarf plants. It is important to note that Yustinka is more resistant to frost and adverse weather conditions than the previous one.

"Morgan"

Variety "Morgan" is the product of the work of botanists from Australia. The color of the needles of this thuja changes depending on the season: in summer the tree has an emerald green or lemon color, and in winter it changes color and becomes red-orange. The shape of the crown of the Morgan variety resembles the outlines of a pyramid, and in its structure it is quite dense, due to which it practically does not require special molding.

"Pyramidalis"

The adult eastern thuja of the "Pyramidalis" variety has the shape of a column. The maximum height of this shrub is 4 meters, and the maximum crown diameter is about 1.5 meters. This species of biota tolerates shade well, therefore "Pyramidalis" can be planted in the shade of larger trees or at the front of the house. On the contrary, the variety is very sensitive to excessive sunlight, which can cause burns. In connection with this summer, you need to take care of the shelter of the plant.

"Golden Minaret"

The crown of this thuja has a pronounced yellow color. However, in the event that you planted a plant in the shade, its color may become different (most often green). It is important to note that plants that belong to this variety are very sensitive to winds and drafts, so they need to be planted in sheltered, cozy places.

"Book"

This variety has a fairly compact and miniature size, and therefore is very popular among landscape designers. The average height of an adult plant is about 3 meters, while the crown diameter does not exceed 1.5 meters. Often this tree is purchased and planted to decorate a hedge. Thuja variety "Book" looks good against the background of yews, pines and Christmas trees. The combination of such trees creates a unique decorative composition.

How to choose?

Generally speaking, all varieties of eastern thuja (despite slight differences) have a similar structure, appearance and internal properties. Therefore, the choice of a particular variety should not be difficult. In general, it is recommended to consider the following characteristics:

• size: oriental biota can be both giant (up to 10 meters) and miniature, so it is important to correlate the size of the plant with the parameters of your garden plot;
• appearance: if the purpose of growing thuja is decoration suburban area, then first of all pay attention to the shape and color of the crown;
• necessary conditions of detention - different varieties of eastern thuja may need different conditions;
• necessary care measures - some varieties need more thorough care than others.

Landing Rules

The optimal type of soil for planting eastern thuja is neutral or slightly acidic soil. Moreover, the plant will actively grow and develop even in rocky terrain. Biota planting is best done in spring, namely: in late April - early May. If you observe this interval, then your seedling will be able to adapt and take root, which will ensure its survival even in the conditions of winter cold.

The plant should be planted in a pre-prepared soil mixture, which should consist of soddy soil, peat and sand (in proportions 2: 1: 1). The depth of the hole in which you will place the seedling should be about 80 centimeters, and in length and width it should be no less than 60 centimeters.

Directly when planting, it is important to pay attention to the fact that the root neck of the plant is flush with the soil surface.

Care principles

Proper care of the plant includes several mandatory activities. So, first of all, you need to make sure that your plant gets enough moisture. Experienced gardeners note that in the first month after planting, thuja should be watered at least once a week, while about 10 liters of water should be added to the soil. Biota can be irrigated between waterings.

After the implementation of the irrigation procedure, the soil should be loosened. This is necessary so that the earth does not compact. The depth of loosening should be no more than 10 centimeters. To maintain soil moisture, you can apply the mulching procedure using sawdust, peat or crushed bark.

Even from the student bench, having understood the difference between the western thuja and, I easily learned to immediately see and understand who is who. When in the steppe Crimea I first saw the eastern ones (and then they were called that), which grew in ordinary plantings at almost every railway station, they did not impress me, and for a long time I could not understand: what is the difference between these two, on at first glance very similar, plants.

Over the years, getting acquainted with the decorative forms of the western thuja and the eastern biota (as it was later called), I slowly began to distinguish between them. After the inventory of coniferous cultivars carried out in 2014 in the Primorskoye nursery (which is located in the village of Partenit, Crimea), when Alla Nikolaevna Zakharenko repeatedly led us to luxurious conifers and affectionately, lovingly said: “This is a flat plant”, I finally I realized how much it is both similar and different from the western arborvitae.

However, until now, in some garden centers you can see one word on the labels -. A happy occasion can be considered an inscription with the name in the old fashioned way - thuja orientalis or biota orientalis. The importance of the differences and the correct definition of thuja and flathead are understood by many later when they encounter completely different requirements to the conditions.

At present, a huge variety of decorative forms can "drive into a dead end" even a narrow specialist in coniferous plants, and their age-related variability and the presence of juvenile (youthful) forms completely different from adult specimens sometimes add a serious " headache» dendrologists.

Fuel is added to the fire by the giant or folded thuja (Thuja plicata) with its forms, and the Korean thuja (Thuja koraiensis), which we will discuss separately in the next article. In the meantime, let's take a look at the similarities and differences between the eastern flatwort and the western arborvitae, so as not only to easily distinguish them when they meet, but also to avoid mistakes in cultivation.

Similarities

• Both are single coniferous plants from the Cypress family.
• Often in culture they reach 4-8 (10) m in height.
• Both species have a pyramidal crown; in thuja with age, it often takes an ovoid shape. Young spherical western thujas are very similar to flatheads.

• Both a large number of decorative forms, differing in height, appearance(habitus), leaf color.
• Both have great potential for use in dachas in solitary (single), group plantings, containers.

• Both species tolerate both pruning and shearing well, so they are used to make regular hedges. When planting, adhere to the following distance: in hedges - after 40-50 cm; in living walls - after 0.8-1.0 m. As a result of the annual, by the age of 7 you will receive a luxurious, rather dense hedge from the ground itself. The compactness of the crowns of pyramidal columnar forms in both species makes it possible to create green walls with little or no.

• It is striking, but true - the similarity of these two species is manifested in common mushroom. So, in wet areas with spring stagnation of melt water, they begin to dry out from the jamming of the roots and thuja, and flathead. If in spring the leaves turn yellow and are covered with a cobweb mycelium that changes its color from gray to black, then this is a shute. The browned upper part of both plants signals to summer residents - tracheomycosis or fusarium!
• And the eastern flathead (which is medicinal plant traditional Chinese medicine), and thuja occidentalis have a diuretic, antibacterial, sedative, anti-asthma, antipyretic, antitussive, expectorant, laxative, antihelminthic effect.
• Thuja oil eliminates congestion and inflammation in the lungs. It reduces the phenomena of destruction and stagnation in the pelvic organs (ovaries, uterus, prostate). Apply as follows: baths - 3-5 drops, compresses - 3-4 drops, massage - 5 drops per 10 g of transport oil; 3-4 drops in an aroma lamp.
• Contraindicated during pregnancy and epilepsy; before use, you should consult with your doctor.

Differences

Russian and Latin names

• Oriental flathead (Platycladus orientalis)

• Thuja western (Thuja occidentalis)

motherland

• Oriental flatworm - dry regions of Northern China, Iran.
• Thuja western - Eastern part of North America.

shoots

• The eastern flat-branch has branches raised upwards, branching from the base into several trunks, which seem to be parallel to the main one. The shoots are flat, radially located in relation to the trunk, they form a kind of system of plates (hence the modern and most accurate name - flathead).

• Adult western thuja is often single-stemmed. The branches of the western thuja, unlike the flathead, do not form plates; they are short, their horizontal ends are directed upwards and somewhat turned away from the trunk in different directions, which creates a “curly” leafing surface.

Leaves

• The leaves of the oriental flatweed are scaly, rounded, with an oblong groove on the central upper scale (needles); arranged crosswise, 1.5 mm long, dull dark green, turning brown in winter; fit tightly to the shoot and lean on each other; with or without specific aroma. They fall off after 3-5 years, after which the shoots become smooth, light brown.

• The leaves of the western thuja are flat with a round bulge (iron) on the central leaflet (needles), wedge-shaped scales (smaller than those of the platycladus) are glossy, becoming brown-green in winter; on the upper side the needles are green, and on the bottom - evenly lettuce; very fragrant when crushed!

cones

• Platycladus cones are almost spherical, mature - red-brown or dark brown, with curved scales ("royal" cone, "crown", with "horns"), up to 1.5 cm long or more, 1-1.2 cm wide ; are formed annually, but abundant fruiting - after 1-2 years.

• The cones of the western thuja are oblong, light brown or brownish-brown, without "horns" - bent scales, 1-1.3 cm long; abundant fruiting 1 time in 2-3 years.

seeds

• Seeds of orientalis platypus are oblong-ovate, brown, the size of a wheat grain, 0.5-0.8 cm long; ripen in October - early November. Ground germination of well-made seeds is up to 100%! Before sowing, the seeds must be soaked in water for 24-28 hours. Embedding depth 5-6 cm.

• Western thuja seeds are flat, light brown, about 0.6 cm long, with 2 wings. Seeds also have good soil germination - 80-85%! Seeding depth up to 1 cm or superficially, followed by mulching.

decorative forms

• ‘Aurea Nana’ (at the age of 10 years it reaches a height of 0.7 m, the crown is ovoid, the shoots are densely spaced, the leaves are golden yellow; it grows slowly);

• ‘Balaton’ (rare form, up to 3 m high and wide, spreading crown);

• ‘Elegantissima’ (up to 5 m high, wide-conical crown, straight branches, pinnate twigs, golden yellow leaves, greenish-yellow with age, turn brown in winter);

• ‘Semperaurea’ (up to 3 m high, oval crown, golden yellow leaves).

And now consider the best decorative forms thuja western:

• ‘Brabant’ (tree over 3.5 m high, columnar crown, light green leaves);

• ‘Ericoides’ (dwarf form 1-1.5 m high, crown round, wide-conical, multi-apex; numerous shoots thin, flexible, straight and curved; leaves subulate, soft, dull yellow-green, turn brown in winter);

• ‘Little Gem’ (height and width up to 2 m, rounded crown, shoots thin, straight, lateral raised, curved, leaves turn brown in winter);

• ‘Smaragd’ (up to 2 m high, cone-shaped crown, branches weakly; shoots are located in a vertical plane, branches are far apart, leaves are green in winter and summer) and others.

Growing Features

Attitude to soils

• Oriental flatwort is salt tolerant, undemanding to soils, but grows better on loose forest ones. Having secured it mineral fertilizers in the first 5 years after planting (before the shoots begin to grow), then you can generally forget about top dressing.

• Thuja western to the soil is not demanding, it develops better on fertile loamy, sandy and moist sandy soils (does not tolerate drought).

Attitude towards light

• Oriental flathead is photophilous, but at the same time relatively shade-tolerant.

• Thuja western - shade-tolerant. It is the western thuja, all its forms, including golden ones, that can “burn” in the bright spring sun! Therefore, it is important to shade them with protective screens made of burlap.

Relation to soil moisture

• Oriental flathead - drought-resistant, but responsive to watering; Excessive moisture for him in winter is fatal. In the first 3 years after planting, regular watering, then after 4-5 years - after the soil dries up, and from 6 years old - only in hot dry summers.

• Thuja western is less drought-resistant, therefore, in the steppe zone, it is often replaced by a more drought-resistant eastern flatweed.

Pruning, transplanting, gas resistance

• The oriental flatworm tolerates transplanting well in the spring, even with an open root system. The deepening of the root neck is permissible, since this leads to the formation of additional roots, and the plant becomes more wind resistant in the future. Some gardeners use shaping pruning with the gradual cleaning of the trunk from branches to a height of up to 50 cm and the removal of additional top shoots.

• Thuja western grows slowly, with age the bark of its trunk becomes reddish-brown, fissured. Corrective pruning is applied to thuja with shortening of branches that protrude beyond the desired contour, and then only sanitary pruning - with the removal of dry branches inside the crown. It is gas-resistant, not afraid of winds.

The nuances of reproduction

• Oriental flatworm is propagated by seeds (moreover, decorative forms completely transfer their properties to offspring), cuttings *.

• The western thuja is also propagated by seed (high-quality, completed seeds are tied only when watered), but the seed offspring do not retain the decorative properties of the parent plants; decorative forms - only vegetatively, mainly.

Biota eastern from the Cypress family is very similar to its relative thuja western. The needles are scaly, bright green. She has beautiful branches radially diverging from the central trunk and located in a vertical plane. Cones are fleshy with hooked processes. Before ripening, they are bluish-green, with a bluish bloom. Seeds are wingless, with a white spot at the base.

Sometimes biota is called thuja orientalis or flathead. It grows wild in the mountains of North China, in Korea. For landscaping, it is used in Central Asia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and the southeastern part of Ukraine. In Belarus, this plant is quite rare. In the conditions of Brest, where it was brought in 1953 by a resident of the city of Brest, L.M. Drevich from Ukraine, grows successfully, reaching a height of 5 meters, and regularly bears fruit. Fruiting specimens also grow in Grodno. And in the more northern regions, the biota freezes out. In culture, it can reach a height of up to 8 m, often multi-stemmed.

In Belarus, it most often grows as a shrub.

Sometimes the biota is called thuja orientalis or flathead. It grows wild in the mountains of North China, in Korea. For landscaping, it is used in Central Asia, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and the southeastern part of Ukraine.

Forms with silver-variegated and golden-variegated leaves are grown in the rooms.

Biota is photophilous, undemanding to the soil. Can tolerate dryness as well as some soil salinity. It cuts well.

The plant is not only beautiful, but also medicinal. Leaves and wood contain: pinene essential oil (55–60%), sesquiterpenoids (vidlen, caryophyllene, cedrol, aromadendren), pinipicrin, pillene, tannins, resin. In addition, they are found in wood - aromadendrin, toxifollin, and in seeds - fatty and essential oils. One of the components essential oil quinikithiol has an antifungal effect.

Medicinal preparations from biota are officially used in China, some countries of Western Europe and in our homeopathy. The seed kernel is used as a tonic and sedative, as well as for bronchitis and bronchial asthma. Scaly leaves are used as an astringent and hemostatic agent for hemoptysis, intestinal and uterine bleeding, dysentery and bronchial asthma. Tincture (10% of all parts of plants) is used externally for lupus erythematosus. Infusions of young shoots - for diseases of the kidneys, liver, rheumatism, gout, osteochondrosis.

However, it should be remembered that the biota plant is slightly poisonous, and it should be taken with the advice and under the supervision of a doctor. Contraindicated in pregnancy.