How To Grow White Acacia Near St. Petersburg

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Fragrant bunches of white acacia …

It used to be thought that the white acacia grows somewhere in the south, in warm regions. However, now it is gradually beginning to develop the territories of the North-West. This culture was introduced to our region from the southern regions of Russia.

And, despite our not very comfortable climate for her, she perfectly adapted to the conditions of the North-West, mastering more and more territories, and most importantly, she is a wonderful decoration of the garden in early June, when the garlands of her flowers bloom. And its delicate leaves look very attractive.

The botanically erroneous name "white acacia" is widespread. In fact, the correct scientific name for white acacia is Robinia pseudoacacia or common robinia. The Russian names "white acacia" and "yellow acacia" have nothing to do with the genus Acacia. The name of the genus acacia comes from the Greek akis - point. This is the only similarity between robinia and acacia: it has many thorns, both on the trunk and on the branches, and even at the base of the leaves.

Robinia belongs to the legume family. This means that nitrogen-fixing bacteria (in the form of nodules) are located on its roots, which assimilate atmospheric nitrogen and provide the plant for them in an accessible form.

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Robinia is native to the eastern part of North America, where there are about 20 species of it, growing in the wild. It was brought to Europe (France) from the USA by the court gardener of King Louis XIII Vespasian Robin at the beginning of the 17th century. In honor of this gardener, Karl Linnaeus named the genus Robinia. Robinia seeds were planted in 1635 when the pharmacy site was laid. Later, this pharmaceutical site turned into the Botanical Garden of Paris, and the planted tree, grown from seeds by Vespasian Robin, still grows there.

From the royal garden, the "white acacia" gradually stepped into the streets and squares of Paris, and then into the gardens of the townspeople. So it gradually spread throughout France and moved to other European states. In 1813, the seeds of white acacia were sown in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in Crimea. At first, it was grown in the southern cities of Russia, and then it slowly began to move northward.

Robinia grows in the temperate zone of Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia and New Zealand. In Europe and Russia, only 7 species of it are known in culture. In Belarus, it is used as green space, planting along railways and highways.

Robinia is considered a southern non-resistant plant, but many years ago she broke this stereotype and took root perfectly in the Leningrad region, turning out to be a completely plastic tree.

It is grown in our region as an ornamental flowering tree, but few people think that all parts of this tree are medicinal, but at the same time, poisonous. They contain alkaloids, so you can not feed robinia leaves to animals, horses are especially sensitive to them. For medicinal purposes, the entire aboveground part of the plant is used, except for wood. The bark and leaves are harvested from spring to late August, and the flowers are harvested during flowering.

Robinia flowers contain vitamins, minerals and other useful substances, but due to the toxicity of all parts of the plant, self-medication is unacceptable! The plant contains the alkaloid robinin, which is very toxic and can cause poisoning in case of an overdose. Therefore, you should be careful when working with it. After caring for a tree, be sure to wash your hands with soap or work with gloves.

Robinia wood is very dense, hard, and little amenable to rotting and abrasion, therefore it is often used in the southern regions of Russia in the production of sleepers, piles, furniture, poles, and crafts. White acacia parquet lasts longer than oak parquet. In terms of resistance to decay, it belongs to the group of particularly resistant species - together with larch. Dead trees do not rot for a long time, but stick out of the ground. Tinder fungi that decompose wood also bypass it.

Wood is not only durable, but also beautiful, it is an excellent ornamental material. High-strength wood is also indispensable for making hand tools, for example, there is no better material for the handle of a shovel. Tannins obtained from the bark are used in the leather industry.

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In our country, robinia is mainly valued for its stunningly beautiful white flowers, which are collected in heavy drooping clusters up to 30 cm long. During the flowering of the tree, there are so many of them that the greenery is almost invisible. No wonder this plant is sung in poetry and romances!

The flowers are similar to pea flowers, only larger, they are very fragrant - they smell like bird cherry, only many times stronger and sharper. I do not advise you to bring flowering branches of white acacia and put them in a vase - you are guaranteed a headache! Flowering lasts from two (in warm weather) to three (in cool weather) weeks. Robinia flowers are a wonderful honey plant. Passing a flowering tree, you can hear a continuous hum. Therefore, before sniffing flower clusters, you must first examine them, whether there are bees or bumblebees on the flowers.

Acacia honey is considered very useful - it is light, transparent, does not crystallize for a long time. Liqueurs and tinctures are made from flowers. In the southern regions of Russia, a delicacy is prepared from flowers: blooming brushes are dipped in batter and fried in oil like donuts. In Germany, wine with a very delicate taste is made, and in Moldova - sherbet, marmalade and fragrant water.

After flowering, in place of the flowers, long curved or twisted into a spiral pods with seeds, up to 20 cm long, are formed. One pod contains up to 15 seeds. By the end of September, in the conditions of the Leningrad region, they have time to ripen, maintaining germination for three years. Thanks to its large pods, robinia also becomes an ornamental tree in the second half of summer. It also looks beautiful in winter: against the background of white snow, tree branches are decorated with burgundy-brown pods, like Christmas decorations.

Robinia is used in food, paint and varnish industries and perfumery. Flowers and seeds (beans) contain essential oils. Such oil is expensive due to the complexity of its production process. It is used in the production of elite French perfumes, as well as for medicinal purposes.