Spring flowers of the mountain Crimea. What spring looks like in Crimea Flowering bushes of Crimea

20.06.2020

The flora of Crimea is very unusual and diverse. There are 2,500 varieties of wild plants on the peninsula. This is an impressive number. It is necessary to note the uniqueness of the flora. There are 250 endemics here, that is, plants that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. In addition, the Crimea is rich in relics - plants that have been preserved without any changes for millions of years.

Historical digression

The plants of the Crimea have been thoroughly studied. But, nevertheless, discoveries of new species are regularly made. And the reason for this is the uniqueness of the peninsula. As we have already noticed, the plants of the Crimea are very diverse. An interesting fact is that plants of very different origins coexist everywhere on the peninsula. Among them there are relics and endemics. In addition, there are a lot of related plants from completely different Black Sea regions: the Caucasus, the Balkans, Asia Minor. A similar phenomenon is associated with the history of the Crimea.

After all, initially it was a mountainous secluded peninsula, which over the course of thousands of years was joined and then separated by land isthmuses from the mainland (with the lands of the Caucasus, Asia Minor, the Balkans, the East European Plain). Therefore, the plants of the Crimea also changed. We should also not forget that more than a thousand species of exotic specimens have been brought by man over the thousands of years of the history of this land. So it turned out that the flora of the peninsula acquired such a colorful and diverse look.

Change of belts of vegetation

Another feature of the Crimea is a very clear change of vegetation from north to south.

The northern part of the peninsula is hilly steppes. At present, most of them have long been plowed up, and therefore these lands have lost their natural appearance. The original appearance was preserved only by those areas that are unsuitable for agriculture. These are solonchaks, beams, ravines, rocky plains.

In the area of the foothills, the steppes change into forest-steppes. Here, in addition to steppe plants, such species as juniper, fluffy oak, shaggy pear, wild rose, hornbeam, etc. grow.

With height, oak forests are replaced by beech ones. 200-250-year-old trees amaze with their power and primordial gloomy beauty. It is always very gloomy here, there is not even undergrowth and grass cover, there is only a thick layer of fallen leaves. At an altitude of about a thousand meters, huge mighty beech trees give way to gnarled, undersized trees.

At the very top, the forests give way to flat peaks, which are separated from each other by very deep passes. Outwardly, the yayla look like steppes. It is here that a quarter of all endemics of the peninsula are located.

Further, closer to the sea, there is a belt of beech-pine and pine forests, which consists of Crimean pine and Scotch pine. There are also oaks, beeches, hornbeams here. Natural pine forests are more pronounced on the South Shore, which cannot be said about the southeastern part.

South coast

Even further south, the shilyak belt begins, consisting of hornbeam, downy oak, juniper, small-fruited strawberry, pistachio and many others. In the southeast, the climate is very dry, so shilyaks are very rare.

But on the South Coast they are quite thick. In general, the vegetation of the South Coast is close to the Mediterranean, but very much changed by man. Most of the territory is occupied by health resorts, gardens, vineyards, roads. And also by human hands, extensive parks have been created here, in which species brought to the peninsula grow. Imagine that many plants have been living here for about 200 years. Currently, all parks have become an integral part, and among them are the famous Alupka, Foros, Livadia, Massandrovsky.

I must say that the parks themselves have long merged with evergreen natural thickets and form a single whole.

Reserves of Crimea

Crimean plants are protected by laws. Four completely new nature reserves and sixteen sanctuaries have been created on the peninsula. Natural monuments, reserved tracts, protected parks are also under protection.

Near the Nikitsky Botanical Garden is the Cape Martyan nature reserve. Also on the peninsula is Yalta, which collected rare plants of the Crimea. This is only a small part of the reserved places of this region. All of them are unique and interesting in their own way, each has its own task of preserving relic and endemic plants. In our article we want to give a description of some of them.

Beech

Beech is a genus of the Beech family. Two species grow in Crimea: ordinary and eastern. Both of them have a regal appearance and play a great soil and water protection role. The tree lives from 250 to 350 years. It blooms for the first time at the age of 30, and maybe even at 60 or 80 years. It blooms in April with the simultaneous opening of the leaves. Nuts appear on the tree in autumn. They feed on squirrels, roe deer, wild boars, deer. Beech oil is very valuable, its properties are not inferior to olive oil.

Well, there is no need to talk about wood. Due to its special property, it is used for the manufacture of barrels for expensive wines, parquet, musical instruments, yachts. In the distant past, trees in the Crimea were mercilessly cut down. And now they are under protection. The grove on Ai-Petri is generally a protected area.

Oak

Oak belongs to the Beech family. In total, there are approximately 450 varieties of this plant in the world. The bark and wood of the tree are highly valued. In Crimea, there is a rather rare fluffy oak that has been living for more than a thousand years. Such a thousand-year-old plant is located near Foros. Its girth is five and a half meters. And in the Bakhchisarai region, a tree with a girth of eight meters was found. Back in 1820, a cork grove was laid in the Nikitsky Garden, which still feels great to this day. Scientists of the garden were settled throughout the South Coast. Now it is a plant of the Southern Crimea.

Strawberry small-fruited

Plants and animals of the Crimea are so diverse that they never cease to amaze. And the South Coast is a unique place, a piece of the subtropics, where very special plants grow, which, in principle, could not take root in these parts, but thanks to the unique microclimate created by the mountains, they feel great here.

One of these plants is the small-fruited strawberry. It is an evergreen tree with more than twenty species growing in North America and the Mediterranean. In Crimea, the plant is found only on the southern coast. It has been preserved in these places since the Tertiary period, and is currently listed in the Red Book. The tree reaches a height of six meters. It is characterized by a bizarrely curved trunk and winding tips of branches. On the tree, fruits are formed that are very similar to strawberries. They are quite edible. Since the plants have a decorative appearance, they are cultivated in the parks of the peninsula. And in the vicinity of Gaspra there are several trees, whose age, according to scientists, is approaching a thousand years.

figs

Figs are also called differently. His homeland is the Mediterranean. I must say that this is an evergreen plant, there are more than 800 of its species. For a person, fruits are of particular value. They are eaten fresh, dried, and jam is made from them. In general, this is a very ancient plant on earth, it has been cultivated since time immemorial. However, it is not known exactly when and by whom this tree was brought in. Currently, there are 300 species of figs in the famous Nikitsky Garden. The tree has a strong root system. There are no flowers familiar to us on the tree. But the fruit looks like a bag with seeds inside.

cypress evergreen

It is a coniferous evergreen tree. It came to the Crimea from Greece. It acclimatized here in antiquity. But it became widespread in the 18th century, when many plants were brought on the orders of Potemkin. The evergreen cypress has a pyramidal shape. Its needles are very soft to the touch. The cones are small and have a round shape, like a soccer ball. Cypress seeds are food for many birds: grosbeaks, woodpeckers, finches, robins. In addition, the tree is known for its medicinal properties.

Even the ancient Greeks noticed the positive effect of cypress on people with diseased lungs. Modern scientists have proven that the essential oils of the tree have the strongest bactericidal effect, which can suppress staphylococcus aureus, Koch's bacillus and other bacteria. For medicinal purposes, tree cones are also used. The wood is particularly durable, resistant to decay and has a wonderful aroma. She has been valued since time immemorial.

Orchid

Orchids are very common in the tropics. This species includes the well-known spice vanilla and a great variety of cultivated species in greenhouses. In the Crimea, there are 39 varieties of this plant, 20 of which can be found in Laspi. According to meteorologists, this is the warmest place in the entire South Coast. It is also jokingly called "Crimean Africa". It is for this reason that many endemic plants are found here.

Red Book of Crimea. Plants included in it

Crimea is a completely unique place that has collected truly innumerable riches in the form of flora and fauna. Any tourist who has visited the peninsula for the first time never ceases to admire its beauties and amazing plants. And there really is something to see, something to admire. What is worth only the richest history of this region.

If we talk about the unique plants of the peninsula, then many of them are under protection and have long been listed in the Red Book. The plants of the Crimea, the description of which we have given in the article, are very interesting and worthy of detailed attention. We would also like to dwell on those species that, for one reason or another, have already been included in the Red Book. There are more than 250 of them in total. We list just a few of them:

River horsetail.
The bone is graceful.
North Kostenets.
Juniper deltoid.
Maple Steven.
Ira is beautiful.
The cuff is oak.
Red onion.
Cuneiform hawthorn.
meadow sage.
Crimean dandelion.
Tulip Bibirshtein.
Forest grapes.
Sea stone.
Cystoseira bearded.

Instead of an afterword

Crimea is a completely unique and amazing place. In addition to extraordinary beauty, it strikes with the riches of the plant world. On the whole planet, perhaps, there are not so many places that can boast of such a species richness of flora brought from other regions and taking root in a new place.

The end of April/May is the best time to visit Crimea. It is still not very hot, the greenery has not burned out, there are no crowds of people, as in summer.
But the main attraction of this time is the flowers.

Below are photographs and descriptions of Crimean flowers taken in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, during the May holidays (end of April/beginning of May). Basically, the Bakhchisarai, Yalta and Sudak regions of Crimea are represented.

DREAM-GRASS, CRIMEAN SHOT (Pulsatilla taurica)

He’s a snowy tulip, he’s a sonchik, he’s a grass-grass, he’s a pine forest, he’s a shooter, he’s a rascal, he’s a beaver.
It grows in the mountains, oak forests, mountain meadows, steppe areas of the foothills and rocky slopes.
The most beautiful spring Crimean flower - you can admire it and photograph it endlessly.
Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine

Sleep Grass. May 2005 Chatyr-Dag

Sleep Grass. May 2005 Chatyr-Dag

Sleep Grass. April 2004 Chatyr-Dag

Sleep Grass. 2.05.03 Yalta Yayla

Sleep Grass. May 2005 Chatyr-Dag

Sleep Grass. 5.05.07 Angar-Burun

FOLDED SNOWDROP (Galanthus plicatus M. Bieb.)

Folded snowdrop (Galanthus plicatus) - a species that differs from other species in folded leaves with a bluish bloom, with folds bent to the underside.
It was previously considered as an endemic Crimean species, but now the habitats of the folded snowdrop have been identified in the Caucasus, Turkey, Romania and Moldova.
Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine

4.05.07 Not far from t/s "Boyko"

Snowdrop. May 2005 Chatyr-Dag

Snowdrop. 1.05.03 Grand Canyon

Scilla bifolia L.

It is also the Crimean Scilla (Scilla taurica (Regel) Fuss), it is also the Snow Scilla (Scilla nivalis Boiss.). Glades overgrown with a blueberry mixed with a snowdrop look very nice.

Scilla. 02.05.03 Ascent to Roman-Kosh

CRIMEAN CROCUS (Crocus tauricus (Trautv.) Puring)

He is Crimean saffron. Endemic Crimean Caucasian species. It grows in the mountains on open stony places, grassy slopes of yail. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Crocus Crimean.4.05.07 Not far from Ai-Petri

Crocus Crimean.1.05.03 Yalta yayla

PRIMROSES (PRIMULOSES) Primula

It grows in the southern regions of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in the Crimea, Southern and Central Europe. The species is similar to the spring primrose, but with an undeveloped flower arrow. Flowering from April. The plant is cold-resistant - blooms on the edge of the snow.
The ancient Greeks believed that the primrose was able to heal from all ailments and called it "the flower of the twelve gods."

In the old German sagas, the primrose is the keys of the spring goddess Freya. With the help of these keys, the beautiful goddess, adorned with a multi-colored rainbow necklace, opens the real warmth after a long winter. Wherever her rainbow falls, golden keys appear there, and spring flowers sprout from them - primroses.

The Danes are sure that the princess of the elves herself has been turned into a primrose. Once the spirits released the girl to the ground, and there she fell in love with the young man, forgetting about her relatives. For this, the spirits turned the princess into a primrose, and her lover into an anemone.

In Russia, the primrose was affectionately called lambs. There was even such a custom: to throw plucked lambs under one's feet and stomp - for longevity.

The British have a primrose - a favorite flower. It is grown in gardens and vegetable gardens, taken with them on trips, given to loved ones. According to English fairy tales, gnomes hide in primroses, and if you go out into the clearing in spring, you can hear a chorus of gentle voices from the flowers.

Common primrose (Рrimula vulgaris) or stemless (Primula acaulis) April 2004. Area of t / s "Boyko"

Road overgrown with primroses.26.04.03 from Eski-Kermen to Shuldan

Primula Sibthorpa (Primula sibthorpii) 04/25/03 Near Eski-Kermen

Common primrose.25.04.03 near the Red Poppy

VIOLETS

There are many different ones in Crimea. Especially beautiful and large ones are found on the yayla. The yellow and blue look very pretty.

Violet dog (Viola canina)25.04.03 near Eski-Kermen

Fragrant violet (Viola odorata)25.04.03 near Eski-Kermen

Mountain Violet (Viola oreades Bieb.) April 2004 Ai-Petri Yayla

Mountain Violet (Viola oreades Bieb.) April 2004 Ai-Petri Yayla

Field of violets. April 2004 Eski-Kermen

Kupena fragrant (Polygonatum odoratum)

She was bought medicinal, bought pharmacy (Polygonatum officinale L.), she is Solomon's seal. It grows on drying, slightly acidic, rich, humus, loose, mostly shallow, sandy, stony and clay soils: in forests, shrubs and slopes. Edge-forest view. The plant is poisonous.

Bought fragrant. April 2004 Eski-Kermen

Dubious poppy (Papaver dubium L.)

Doubtful poppy is an annual herbaceous plant 30-60 cm high. It blooms in April-June. Grows on dry stony, gravel, clay slopes, among shrubs, on sands, in forest-steppe and steppe, in fields, along roads, in mountains up to the mid-mountain belt. Poisonous.

Mac is questionable. April 2004 p. Red poppy

IBERIAN, STENNIK (Iberis)

The name of the plant indicates the area of \u200b\u200bnatural distribution: Iberia, as Spain used to be called. The genus includes about 40 species distributed in the Mediterranean and Central Europe.

Iberian forms dense rounded cushions, which during the flowering period, in April-May, seem to be powdered with snow due to lilac-white flowers. In Crimea, they live on rocky places, in the mountains, on the South Coast.

There are rocky Iberian (Ib.saxatilis), Crimean Iberian (Ib.taurica), very rarely - bitter Iberian (Ib.amara) and pinnate Iberian (Ib.pinnata). These species differ mainly in leaf shape.

Candytuft. 1.05.03 Great Crimean Canyon

FRINGED POULTRY (Ornithogalum fimbriatum Willd)
He is also a fibrous bird-man, he is a ciliated bird-man.
It grows in forests along the edges, in the steppes, on the yayla. From the subgenus Ornithogalum. Plants no more than 12 cm tall. The arrow is covered with hairs. Blooms in mid-spring, up to 15 days.

poultry farmer. April 2003 District of the Pavilion of the Winds

PEONY THIN-LEAVED Paeonia tenuifolia L. (P. lithophila Kotov, P. biebersteiniana Rupr.)

He is a narrow-leaved peony. Herbaceous perennial up to 50 cm tall. It grows on meadow steppes, on leached chernozems, on mountain slopes. Blooms in May. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Peony thin-leaved. April 2004 and 05.05.07 On the ascent to Chatyr-Dag

Peony thin-leaved. April 2004 Chatyr-Dag

Thin-leaved peony thickets 29.04.08 Slopes of Lyalel-Oba

CRIMEAN PEONY (Paeonia daurica)

It is also a Taurian peony (Paeonia taurica auct.), it is also a three-fold peony (Paeonia triternata) Endemic of Crimea. It grows in light forests, typically in the undergrowth of oak forests. It occurs en masse at altitudes from 200 meters up to the upper border of the forest. Blooms in May. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine

Peony Crimean. April 2004 Eski-Kermen

MUSCARI (Muscari neglectum Guss)

He is a viper onion unnoticed, he is also a mouse hyacinth.
Low, up to 15 cm tall, bulbous perennial of the lily family.
It grows in sunny stony glades, on the edges of the forest. Often forms a solid blue carpet. Blooms in April-May.

Muscari. End of April 2004 Chatyr-Dag

Muscari. 25.04.03 Eski-Kermen

Dwarf IRIS (Iris pumila) OR CRIMEAN IRIS (Iris taurica. Iridaceae)

He is a low iris, he is also a dwarf iris.
Herbaceous perennial 10-20 cm tall. Grows in steppes, on grassy slopes, on stony and shallow soils, at altitudes from 300 to 700 m above sea level, rarely descends to 50 m and rises to 900-1000 m.

Violet and yellow irises 29.04.08 Slopes of Lyalel-Oba

Dwarf iris. April 2004 Eski Kermen

Dwarf irises. 04/25/03 near the village. Red poppy

EAST ARONNIK (Arum orientale Bieb., A. maculatum auct.)

Relic species, belongs to one of the oldest genera of tropical origin in Ukraine. Perennial herbaceous plant 20-30 cm high. Grows in shady forests. A very specific smell. Blooms in May. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine

Eastern Aronnik. April 2004 near Shuldan Monastery

TULIP SHRENK (Tulipa schrenkii Regel)

He is Gesner's tulip (Tulipa gesneriana L.). Plants are 10-40 cm tall. stem b. hours naked, sometimes pubescent. Leaves recurved, sickle-shaped, spaced, more or less curly, glabrous or pubescent, not exceeding the flower. Single flower, red or yellow. The tepals are relatively short, wide, obtuse. The spot at their base is black, with a yellow border, yellow or absent. Blooms in April. It grows mainly in the steppe Crimea, as well as in the foothills and on the South Coast.

Tulip Schrenk 29.04.08 Slopes of Lyalel-Oba

LOW ALMOND (Amygdalus nana L.)

He is a beaver, he is a dwarf almond, he is a steppe almond.
It grows in the zone of herb-meadow steppes, in hollows, along ravines, beams.

Thickets of dwarf almonds. 29.04.08 near the t/s "Ai-Serez"

ADONIS SPRING (Adonis vernalis L.)

He is the spring adonis, he is the spring old oak. Blooms in May
in the steppes, along the outskirts of forests, on lighted forest glades, steppe slopes, meadows. Very bright and beautiful flower.

Spring Adonis. 29.04.08 Upper reaches of the Ai-Serez river

ASPHODELINA YELLOW Asphodeline Lutea (L.) Reichend

A rare endangered eastern Mediterranean species. Herbaceous perennial with a thick high, up to 60 cm, stem. The stem from the base to the inflorescence is covered with dagger-shaped, trihedral fleshy leaves. The flower brush is dense, long and consists of large greenish-yellow flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter. The tepals have a characteristic green vein. After flowering, a fruit is formed - a large box. Listed in the Red Book of Ukraine

Asphodelina yellow (Asphodeline lutea) 29.04.08 t/s Maski in Ukraine is found only in the Crimea

ORCHID(Orchidaceae)

Wild-growing orchids are the most wonderful flowers of the spring Crimea.
According to various sources, 20-39 species of orchids grow in Crimea. All are listed in the Red Book. The population of wild orchids is small and continues to decline mainly due to deforestation and the destruction of flowers for bouquets.
Basically, there are orches (purple, monkey), I was lucky to stumble upon the rarest Crimean ofris, of which there are only a few specimens left.

04/27/08 Fox Bay. Orchis painted (dotted) (Orchis picta Loisel.)

Crimean ophrys Ophrys taurica Nevski

Orchis simia Lam.

Purple Orchis Orchis purpurea Huds.

Orchis punctulata

Wolf's orchis Orchis x wulffiana and steveniella satyrioides Steveniella satyrioides Schlechter

Orches April 2004

The following wonderful resources were used in the preparation of the material:
1) http://www.plantarium.ru On-line plant guide
An open illustrated atlas of vascular plants in Russia and neighboring countries.
2) http://family-travel.narod.ru/flora/flora.html Photo herbarium. Wild plants of the Crimea.
3) http://mail.menr.gov.ua/publ/redbook/redbook.php Chervona book of Ukraine.

February 19th, 2017 admin

Spring is the best time to visit Crimea, this is the time when the peninsula is especially pleasing to the eye with bright and fresh greenery of forests, fields, plains, gardens and parks. The flora of Crimea is very unusual and diverse. There are 2,500 varieties of wild plants on the peninsula. There are 250 endemics in Crimea, that is, such unique plants that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Crimea is rich in relics - plants that have been preserved for millions of years and have survived to this day without any changes.

In Crimea, there are a lot of plants related to the neighboring Black Sea regions, since for thousands of years the Crimean peninsula has been disconnected from the mainland many times, then rejoined by land isthmuses from the Caucasus, or the East European Plain. Of course, such geographical changes led to changes in the flora and fauna of the Crimea. It should also not be forgotten that more than a thousand species of exotic plant specimens were brought to the Crimea over the past thousand years of the history of this land. All these factors that influenced the nature of the Crimea created that amazingly diverse and colorful world of vegetation that we see today on the peninsula.

Many unique plants of the Crimea are under state protection, and more than 250 plants of the horsetail, gymnosperms, angiosperms, mosses and algae families have long been listed in the Red Book. We list only a few of them: River horsetail. The bone is graceful. North Kostenets. Juniper deltoid. Maple Steven. Ira is beautiful. The cuff is oak. Red onion. Cuneiform hawthorn. meadow sage. Crimean dandelion. Tulip Bibirshtein. Forest grapes. Sea stone. Cystoseira bearded and many others.

Among the diverse vegetation of the Crimea, there are quite a few plants that are quite attractive in appearance, but very dangerous for humans. As long as these plants and flowers grow in the Crimean forests and fields, they are quite safe. The danger arises when their juice, roots, leaves or other parts come into contact with a person. Not only the inhabitants of the peninsula, but also those who come to visit us should know about dangerous plants. Every traveler unknowingly can pick a poisonous flower or eat a life-threatening berry.

In general, look at them carefully and avoid mindlessly picking these plants.

1. Delphinium or larkspur

Larkspur causes depression of the central nervous system with a simultaneous effect on the gastrointestinal tract and the cardiovascular system. At toxic doses, respiratory paralysis occurs, accompanied by damage to the heart.

2. Cicuta (lat. cicuta)

Perennial herbaceous plant of the umbrella family, with the smell of parsley or celery. This plant looks so innocent: white flowers, collected in idyllic umbrellas. But when drinking the juice of this plant, severe abdominal pain, salivation, vomiting and diarrhea will begin, followed by convulsions, which can lead to respiratory and cardiac arrest.

3. Spotted hemlock (lat. Conīum maculātum)

This is a poisonous plant with an intoxicating smell, it should be collected only with rubber gloves. hemlock has long been used for two opposite purposes: with the help of tincture, death sentences were carried out, or they were prepared from it medicines. Once in the human stomach, the juice (or decoction) of hemlock causes nausea, often vomiting and diarrhea. There is a loss of sensation and a gradual paralysis starting from the legs. It only takes a hemlock two hours to finish off its prey.

Most often, foxglove flashes in the detective stories of Agatha Christie. In her short story "Dead Grass", foxglove caused the death of a young girl and the illness of other characters. The plant was mixed with onions, and the duck was stuffed with the resulting mixture.

The plant, especially the leaves, contains the well-known atropine, as well as asparagine, then lime and other alkaline substances. Belladonna is highly poisonous to humans, although herbivores eat it with impunity.

6. Aconite or wrestler

In the beech forest of Crimea, you can find a very beautiful perennial herbaceous plant from the buttercup family with bright blue or purple flowers. Its most popular names are aconite or wrestler. In ancient Greek mythology, it is said that the wrestler appeared from the poisonous saliva of the formidable guardian of the underworld kingdom of Hades - the three-headed dog Cerberus, who was brought to earth by the great hero Hercules. This suggests that aconite has long been considered one of the most poisonous plants. The ancient Greeks used aconite juice to carry out death sentences. There is a case when the legionnaires of the Roman emperor Mark Antony, having eaten several tubers of aconite, lost their memory and soon died. In many countries, the very possession of aconite root was considered a serious crime and was punishable by death. According to one of the ancient legends, the famous conqueror Tamerlane died, poisoned precisely by the poison of aconite, with which his skullcap was soaked. Aconite juice was used in ancient times to apply it to arrows. The ancient Germans compared aconite flowers with the helmet of the god Thor, they soaked weapons - spears, swords and daggers - in aconite juice before going into battle or hunting. The plant contains a deadly poison - aconitine.

This flower is an ideal candidate for decorating any suburban area. Unfortunately, Colchicum is extremely poisonous. Moreover, all parts of the plant are poisonous, both external and underground. Even picking up a flower should be in mittens, so as not to get burned. Light purple or pink flowers, which bloomed their buds in the fall, on the eve of the winter cold, gave the name to the flower - colchicum. But their innocent defenselessness is very deceiving - the flower is very poisonous. There are over 20 toxins in Colchicum sap, some of which are deadly. Gardeners are advised to work with colchicum with gloves. The literature describes cases of death of people who were treated as prescribed by healers with a decoction of colchicum. Another name for this plant is colchicum. According to ancient Greek myth, this plant sprouted from the drops of blood of Prometheus, who was chained to a rock in the mountains of the Caucasus, and tormented by an eagle. Colchicum, according to legend, adorned the garden of the goddess Artemis in Colchis. On the Crimean peninsula, there are two similar types of colchicum: shady, which blooms in autumn, and winter Ankara. Moreover, the shady colchicum, which blooms only in autumn, is often confused with a harmless plant more common in the Crimea - beautiful crocus, which blooms only in spring.

The plant is dangerous from the roots to the tips of the leaves, but the most dangerous part is the bud. The consequences of ingesting even a piece of this plant into the body will be the same as with the use of potassium cyanide! Suffocation, loss of consciousness, convulsions, rapid pulse, drop in blood pressure and even death - this is the price of careless handling of this cute flower.

Bringing a bouquet of daffodils into the house, know that if you taste it, the consequences can be sad: nausea and vomiting, convulsions and loss of consciousness, with increased sensitivity, paralysis and death are not excluded.

If you taste any part of this plant, the sad consequences will not keep you waiting. The first symptoms will be salivation and tearing, then all this will turn into vomiting, slowing of the pulse and a drop in blood pressure.

Crimea is a completely unique and amazingly beautiful place, striking with the extraordinary richness of the plant world. There are not many places on our planet that could boast of such a species richness of flora brought from other regions and successfully taking root in a new place.

11. Datura common

Those who read Bazhov's fairy tales in childhood can remember the famous stone flower - the ideal bowl that the master Danil created according to the almost unattainable image of the Datura flower. The inhabitants of Crimea have appreciated its beauty for a long time. Datura, which grows everywhere in the Crimea, is often used by local residents as an ornamental plant. Dangerous plant of the Crimea - dope ordinary. Even more often in the Crimean gardens and parks you can find large white Indian Datura gramophones. But this poisonous plant became famous not only for its beauty, but also for its other properties. Only the folk names that indicate them, what they are worth: dope grass, crazy potion, bad drunk, crazy grass ... And all these names are well deserved, since the plant is poisonous and is a strong hallucinogen. Therefore, shamans and priests of some tribes and peoples, knowing safe dosages, took it to enter a trance. In India, there was even a profession - a dope poisoner. The “professional” blew powder from dope seeds into the nose of a sleeping person through a tube, which made him fall asleep even more soundly, and thieves easily, without any obstacles, carried property out of the house.
12. Belena.

The very name of this plant in many causes a vivid association with the poison, which was discussed in the brilliant work of the great English playwright William Shakespeare "Hamlet". After all, it was the poison of henbane that poisoned the king - the father of Prince Hamlet. In Russian folklore, the name of henbane is associated with the expression: “Are you overeating henbane?”, Which is undoubtedly associated with the expressive symptoms of henbane poisoning. The famous doctor and scientist Avicena described the characteristic symptoms of poisoning: "Harbane is a poison that often causes insanity, deprives memory and causes suffocation and demonic possession." A rather bright and noticeable henbane flower is often found in the Crimea, a plant with not very catchy, but very attractive flowers. also A common cause of poisoning is the similarity of henbane seeds, similar to safe poppy seeds. Dr. Mettesi noted: “Children, having eaten henbane, fall into such folly that their relatives, not knowing the reasons, begin to think that these are the machinations of evil spirits.” In pharmacology, henbane is used to prepare some anti-asthma drugs and painkillers.

13. White-winged aronnik

In April-May, an exotic aronnik flower, a bit like kala, appears in the forests of Crimea. Its single petal is compared to a wing, hence the name of the rarest of the three species growing on the peninsula, the white-winged aronnik. Dangerous plant of the Crimea - aronnik Despite the peculiar decorative effect, the Crimean aronnik has not received popularity because of the sharp and very unpleasant smell. However, to flies - their pollinators, the ambergris that comes from these flowers seems to be a very attractive aroma.
Unusual Aronnik orientalis flowers have two flowering phases - male and female. Insects, having visited a plant with a male flowering period, after a while they sit down on a female one and slide inside. At the same time, they are prevented from getting out of the flower by filamentous outgrowths that are directed downwards, and they have no choice but to crawl along the cob located at the base of the flower, pollinating it with pollen brought. After that, the aronnik enters the male phase of flowering, removes all its traps and releases insects to freedom.
All types of Crimean aronnik (Arum italicum) are toxic . In summer, their cobs ripen and are covered with attractive orange berries. If you eat them, at least a few pieces, then severe inflammation of the oral cavity occurs and characteristic signs of poisoning appear. In some places of the Crimea, aronniks are called forest pencils for the ability of the rod located in the center of the inflorescence to color surfaces, for which it is called "forest pencils".

14. Yew berry

In ancient times, entire forests of yew berry grew in the Crimea, but at present there are very few old trees left. The age of the yew berry can be very respectable - some trees have more than a thousand years. The widespread destruction of the yew led to its beautiful, eternally strong wood, painted in different shades of red, which is why it is also called mahogany. In ancient Egypt, the sarcophagi of the Egyptian pharaohs were made from yew. In ancient times, the best bows were made from the unusually strong wood of the yew berry. But craftsmen working with the toxic wood of the yew berry did not live long, and those who trimmed the branches of the yew felt severe headaches. Ancient legends have been preserved that in the old days beautiful cups were created from yew berry, which were then presented as a gift to enemies in the hope of poisoning them. In Europe, yew wood was used to make very expensive furniture. The toxicity of the yew berry was mentioned by Pliny the Elder. Everything is poisonous in a tree: wood, seeds, needles, bark, roots. The exception is juicy shells similar to berries. Sweetish, but not distinguished by exquisite taste - they are completely harmless. The danger lies in the fact that if they are eaten together with the fruit - the bone, then poisoning will inevitably occur.
15. Peonies

Like many medicinal plants of the Crimea, peonies are poisonous. Everything in it is toxic - from the rhizome, petals, seeds. The flora of the peninsula is decorated with two types of peonies, which compete with each other with their magnificence. Peonies are listed in the Red Book, as their number is decreasing throughout the Crimea. Two millennia ago, delicate peony flowers adorned the imperial gardens of China. Peonies were brought to the court of the emperor from the south of the country in specially made bamboo baskets, and to protect against withering, each stem of the flower was covered with wax. In ancient Greece, the peony flower was considered a symbol of longevity. There is an opinion that the Greeks valued the peony not only for its beauty, but also for its amazing healing properties, the flower got its name from the Greek word "paionios", which sounds like healing in translation. Ancient Greek doctors were called peonies. In ancient Greece, there was a myth about a disciple of the god of healing Aesculapius - Peony, who surpassed his mentor in the art of healing. This aroused the wrath of the god Zeus, and he ordered Hades to poison Peony, however, the lord of the underworld took pity on the dying young man and turned him into a peony flower of extraordinary beauty.

15. Heracleum (Heracleum L.), hogweed - a large umbrella plant.

White caps of inflorescences against the background of beautiful carved leaves already clearly distinguish this plant from all others. But even more impressive is its majestic size. Dangerous plant of the Crimea - heracleum Under favorable conditions, some types of hogweed grow up to 4 meters with a leaf area of up to 1 square meter. In this case, the diameter of the inflorescence often reaches 60 centimeters. For such a powerful and very high growth rate - 10-12 centimeters per day, he received his Latin name - Heracleum. Surprised by his extraordinary appearance, the inhabitants of central Russia brought his seeds from the Caucasus, the Urals and other regions. Having settled in a new place as an ornamental plant, the cow parsnip soon got out of obedience and, conquering the surroundings of the peninsula, began to displace many local species, becoming a malicious weed. It soon became clear that the handsome Heracleum not only prolific, but also very poisonous. Even touching this plant can cause a serious chemical burn, so remember it well and try to admire its beauty from afar during the flowering period.
16. Ranunculus oxyspermus.

The affectionate-sounding name of the plant "buttercup" actually comes from a formidable, even ferocious epithet - fierce. Bright yellow buttercup flowers, as if varnished, received another popular name - night blindness . This happened, apparently, due to the irritating effect of the juice on the mucous membranes, including the eyes. Of the beautifully flowering toxic plants of the Crimean peninsula in terms of the number of species - buttercup is a true champion - of the 23 species of this plant, all buttercup flowers are poisonous. Contact of the plant with the skin can cause severe dermatitis, and the likely outcome of its ingestion will be fatal. In antiquity, the buttercup was a symbol of malevolent banter and served as the emblem of the formidable god of war Ares, and in In ancient Russia, buttercup was considered a flower Thunderer Perun . And according to one of the Christian legends, fleeing from the Archangel Michael, Satan was hiding among the buttercup thickets, which is why the flower became so evil. In the Ottoman Empire, buttercup leaves were widely used in greenhouses and became a symbol of the greatness of the sultans.

17. Lily of the valley

This plant from the lily family, despite its modest appearance, has won the hearts of all many peoples. Medicinal properties of lily of the valley have been widely known since ancient times. In medieval Europe, it became a symbol of medicine. However, lily of the valley is completely poisonous. Few people know that this plant ripens bright red, appetizing-looking fruits in the fall, which, if eaten, can seriously poison you. There are even cases with a fatal outcome, when water was accidentally drunk, in which there was a bouquet of lilies of the valley.

Medium-sized snow-white, graceful lily-of-the-valley flowers, like magic bells, exude a delicate, refined aroma that leaves no one indifferent. By the number of legends and myths, he is unlikely to have competitors. In a Christian legend, lilies of the valley grew on the tears of Mary that fell to the ground, mourning her crucified son. In Russian legends and epics, the lily of the valley is associated with the appearance of the sea princess Mermaid. The fairy-tale hero Sadko rejected the love of the sea maiden for the sake of the earthly love of Lyubava. The bitter tears of the sea princess sprouted into tender and a little sad flowers - lilies of the valley, intoxicating with their smell. Little Russian legends say that. that lily of the valley flowers appeared from the happy laugh of Mavka in love, and scattered like white pearls throughout the forest. In Western Europe, it was believed that lily of the valley flowers serve as lanterns for gnomes, and miniature elves hide under lily of the valley flowers from the rain. Lily of the valley flowers are still loved today. In France, on the first Sunday of May, the lily of the valley is celebrated, and the Finns even consider it their national flower.

Unlike most Russian regions, April in Crimea is the height of spring - everything blooms! Gardens, cities, steppes, mountains, every slope, front garden, gorge, everywhere some kind of flowering bush or flower is crouched. Only May can compete in the number of flowering plants with it, and even then, thanks to the ubiquitous poppies and lilacs.

What blooms in April on the Crimean peninsula

First of all, white and pink clouds of flowering fruit trees and shrubs of the Rosaceae family are striking.

They are diluted, blooming yellow, dogwood, barberry and jasmine (holiflorous or shrubby), as well as curtains of pale blue rosemary and bright red quince bushes:

What trees bloom in April in Crimea

Along the roads, under the white foam of flowers, gnarled trunks of almonds hide. It blooms the first of the Crimean trees, back in February.

In March and April, it is joined by quince, cherry plum, plum, apple, pear and their numerous wild and feral relatives. Rowan, viburnum, hawthorn do not lag behind them. The private sector of the Crimean cities is getting incredibly prettier and literally buzzing from bees diligently flying around numerous flowers.

Not all trees bloom brightly, many, like the pistachio pistachio, are very modest.

But their earrings, inflorescences, cones are also actively involved in creating that gentle charm that pervades the Crimean forests in the middle of spring, when deciduous trees stand in a transparent greenish haze, and coniferous trees “dust” with their pollen at the slightest breath of wind.

Flowering begins in April. It is completely hidden under purple flowers that even cover trunks and large branches.

At the same time, sakura blossoms (yes, you don’t have to go to Japan, it’s enough to get to or).

There, on the South Shore, magnolia opens its huge flowers.

All this, at the same time, can be seen in the magnificent collection of the famous. There is always something in bloom, but the middle of spring is one of the best periods to visit it.

What blooms in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in April

The main event of April at the Nikitsky Botanical Museum is. Even those who visit this exhibition every year are in for a lot of surprises every time. It seems impossible to come up with new shapes and shades, but breeders manage to surprise us again and again.

At the same time, many other plants bloom in the botanical garden. Heathers bask on the alpine hills:

Hellebore thrive in the shade under the spring sun

and periwinkle:

Bushes of forsythia, quince, lilac, mountain ash, cotoneaster, honeysuckle alternate along the alleys.

At this time, muscari and pansies are in full bloom, daffodils begin to bloom, the collection of which also includes many varieties and forms.

What blooms in the cities of Crimea

In recent years, the streets of Crimean cities have been decorated with more and more tulips. Flowerbeds appear where they have not been for decades.

Old-timers are touched - just like in Soviet times.

Lacquer-yellow chistyak, pale blue periwinkle and pinkish-white daisies hide under trees in parks:

There are also a lot of fruit trees on the streets, and if in summer tourists are surprised at plums and plums falling under their feet, then in spring it all looks like this:

And this is Bakhchisaray - the garden city lives up to its name:

The front gardens of local residents also show off one before another collections of flowers:

The variety of tulips and daffodils in them is reminiscent of a botanical garden collection.

Including because many Crimeans, having been in, are trying to buy an onion or two for their plot.

In addition to tulips and daffodils, there will almost certainly be primroses in the flower beds. Moreover, both typically wild - white, yellow and pink, and garden forms - dark and multi-colored.

and the royal crown are also typical inhabitants of household plots:

wild plants blooming in april

Crimea, these are several zones that differ markedly in climate and plant composition. Therefore, when magnolias bloom magnificently on the southern coast and lilacs begin to bloom, snow still lies in the mountains, and Crimean snowdrops raise their heads in the thawed patches - coltsfoot, galanthus, blueberries, crocuses, primroses, goose onions. A little lower on the yayles - the flat tops of the low Crimean mountains, sleep-grass is already blooming with might and main:

In mountain forests, kupena, chickweed, corydalis, geranium, strawberry, veronica reign:

This photo was taken in the vicinity of Sevastopol, and at the Yalta waterfall Uchan-Su you can find much rarer white teeth.
In the same place, another Crimean miracle blooms in April - sublingual needle. Its inconspicuous flowers bloom right on the leaves.

This is the neighborhood of Bakhchisaray - the dogwood is blooming:

In the second half of April, orchids open in the forests. Yes, orchids grow not only in the tropics. We also have a lot of them - orchis, lyubka, slipper, limodorum, stevenyella, pollenhead. All of them are quite rare, because each lives in symbiosis with a certain type of mushroom. Almost all are listed in the Red Book and still they are often cut off for bouquets by illiterate and ruthless "nature lovers".

Almost simultaneously with the first orchids, another red book blooms - the Crimean peony:

The steppe Crimea is a completely different flora, but it also has its own peonies - fine-leaved peony:

We photographed these beauties in the Red Beam under the White Rock. Adonis (spring adonis) can also be found there:

In general, in the steppe in April, birders, cinquefoil, forget-me-nots, breakwater, goat, muscari - mouse hyacinth reign:

And the iris is low - large flowers on low legs.

They come in a variety of colors - all shades of yellow, blue and burgundy.

The most surprising thing is that bushes of such radically different shades almost always grow mixed. Between the irises, stoneflies, saplings, forget-me-nots and miniature, with the nail of the little finger, wild relatives of pansies look through:

In general, there are a lot of violets in Crimea - blue rocky, blue pleasant, purple fragrant, white. And they all bloom in spring.

At the same time, feather grass blooms, covering the hills with silvery waves. Also in the steppe at this time you can find white poppies (doubtful poppy), and in the East of Crimea, the Schrenk tulip blooms - the ancestor of all cultivated varieties of tulips. Several more types of tulips grow in Crimea (Bieberstein, mountain, two-flowered), they also bloom at this time and are extremely rare. Therefore, they also need strict protection.

In April-May, the Crimea is unusually beautiful, and although it’s too early for the swimming season, it’s a wonderful time for traveling, and if your vacation falls in the spring, come to Crimea, you won’t regret it!

It seems that this has already become a good tradition... Once a dream, to see endless poppy fields, came true, and now for the third year in a row I am going to return to the Crimea at the end of May to meet the beginning of summer as colorfully as possible. Friends, I invite everyone to join me in a series of small weekend tours "Poppies in the Crimea", in which in a short time you will see so much beauty and experience as many emotions as would fit in a week trip! :)

The preparation of each photo tour begins with excitement: "Have the fields blossomed and where are they?" After all, every year the fields of poppies change their location, some due to natural circumstances, and some simply mow, for reasons that are inexplicable to the end. And even if you manage to find a scarlet clearing, this is not enough. Ideally, my goal is to find a large field with a scenic view of the mountains. Searches take a whole day, or even longer ... All this is necessary work so that the participants of the photo tour will not be disappointed. Last year, I searched 100 kilometers in a day before I decided on the candidates for the photo shoot.

Here is just an example, when in the place where last year there was a scarlet poppy field, now there is only green grass.

Even though it's very pretty!

But after some time, here and there, more and more scarlet flashes begin to come across. There are already plenty to choose from, and I'm happy to go to bed, waiting for the arrival of a group of bloggers and photographers the next day.

But in the morning news comes from friends that there was an explosion at a poppy factory near Evpatoria, as a result of which a huge field was filled with such a shameless riot of colors that I have never seen in my life.

Don't believe this happens? Very in vain. It happens in blooming Crimea! Fatty juicy poppies! I have never seen such before.

Literally a day later, a tractor began to mow all this beauty. Why, why - at that moment there were a lot of versions. From the fight against drug addiction to the procurement of livestock feed. I still don't know which answer is correct. Who will tell?

It was a pity to watch the mowed field, because it gave so much joy to those who appreciate beauty. Here are some of the participants of my last year's tour.

Thanks to the unique landscape of the Crimea, you can find landscapes with poppies for every taste. Despite the more modest colors, such paintings with mountains on the horizon are more to my liking.

Sometimes there comes a time when you think that you have already seen everything, and Crimea has nothing more to surprise you with. At such moments, you relax and get a powerful color hit right in the solar plexus! "On, get it!!" I could not believe my eyes that there are such combinations of colors. What is this miracle? Delphinium, if I'm not mistaken?

And again, the beautiful and happy faces of the participants of my flower photo tour. This is a necessary reward for me. :)

After such a color overdose, it is very useful to spend the night in the mountains or on the seashore in a tent, which I definitely include in my program. The most persistent rise before dawn to watch from the top of Ai-Petri how the sun rises directly from the sea. On that trip, one of the groups with hobopeeba , brought a dress with her, especially for a photo shoot at dawn. Photos with this dress became the most popular on my instagram, gaining 2500 likes. :) No wonder we got up so early!

Crimea in May-June strikes with a variety of colors. I love this time of year. For the artist, this is expanse. If you're lucky, in addition to red poppies, you can see pink!

And if you want to see roses, that's not a problem either. Near the village of Turgenevka there are open-air rose plantations!

The feeling that wherever you go, beauty will overtake you everywhere. Moving around the Crimea in my free time, in the absence of other models, I made a whole flower photo portfolio with my Polite Vitara.

No decent artist would have thought of mixing such combinations of colors on one canvas. But nature is much more resourceful than any of us.

However, somewhere beyond Yevpatoriya real impressionism happened in the field...

In general, Crimea at the end of May is an explosion of color and your happy emotions. :)

If you want to go - leave applications there. Well, or, so be it, write here in the comments or by mail [email protected]:)

I propose to recall my previous meetings with the Crimea.