If you want to create a green corner in your apartment that has a luxurious and slightly mysterious look, you will need indoor plants that grow in water, that are not afraid of excessive moisture, but prefer it. When selecting such species, pay attention to the origin of the plant; if its natural habitat is wetlands, such a flower will be suitable.
The benefits of moisture-loving flowers for humans
Excessive dry air is harmful to our respiratory organs. Everyone feels this for themselves. Normal level The air humidity in the room will be between 40 and 70%. In winter, dryness becomes critical. Trying to correct the situation, we buy expensive air humidifiers that do not decorate our interior at all. But there is a wonderful way to achieve comfortable humidity in a natural and beautiful way - by growing semi-aquatic or aquatic plants.
Houseplants growing in water have a romantic, fantastic appearance and lush greenery. Such an area with lush greenery, and even in combination with well-chosen photo wallpapers, will create a real tropical kingdom in the apartment.
Any indoor flowers cleanse the atmosphere of the apartment and enrich it with oxygen. True, cacti and other succulents do this to a lesser extent. But tropical swamp plants have powerful photosynthetic activity. All physiological processes occur energetically in them, so they can supply us with oxygen and moisture to the maximum.
IN Lately Decorating the bathroom with living plants is becoming popular. Moisture-loving plants are ideal for this purpose. They will grow beautifully here. And while taking a shower or bath, you will feel as if you are on a tropical ocean coast.
Main representatives
This is the most famous and unpretentious of indoor aquatic plants. Its triangular, strong stems, growing in a bunch, end in a lush “fountain” of leaves spreading to the sides. For such a characteristic appearance Cyperus is often called “palm tree”. In fact, he belongs to the Osokov family. Its homeland is the wetlands of the tropics of Africa. Its closest relative is papyrus. And our pet is often called double name: cyperus-papyrus. This plant can be grown simply in a container of water. There is never too much water for him. The more it is, the more magnificent it grows. It is usually grown in flowerpots that stand in deep trays that are constantly filled with water.
Calla, or calla lily
Second most popular indoor plant, preferring to grow almost submerged in water. This marsh plant came to us from subtropical regions South America. Its charming snow-white blanket surrounding the bright yellow ear of the upward-pointing inflorescence looks solemn and elegant. Pots with calla lilies, like cyperus, feel best when placed in trays filled with water. The popularity of the flower is associated not only with its magical beauty, but also with the significant plasticity of the plant. Calla lilies can also grow in conditions of relative lack of moisture. True, in this case you can’t count on lush flowering.
It is also called water hyacinth. She is also surprisingly unpretentious. The main condition for it is water. In nature, Eichornia grows in the tropical part of South America. However, thanks to its vitality, it now grows successfully in many warm climates around the world, earning it the nickname “water plague.” Eichornia is often used by aquarists, growing it on the surface of the water. It also enjoys well-deserved attention from flower growers. This indoor aquatic plant prefers to grow in wide, but not small, containers of water, which are placed in a warm place with sufficient lighting. Drafts are extremely undesirable. In the summer, when conditions are most favorable for it, eichornia will delight you with graceful lilac flowers, indeed, reminiscent of hyacinths.
This plant is not distinguished by lush flowering, but its delicate thin thread-like leaves give it a peculiar charm. It is no coincidence that flower growers, touched by its airy appearance, gave it a number of affectionate names: “cuckoo tears”, “graceful isolepis”, “hair grass”. The young leaves of this reed first grow vertically. Gradually, becoming longer, they begin to bend, forming a lush bunch of thin green tubes with silvery lights of small rounded inflorescences at the tips. This allowed flower growers to humorously call this reed “fiber-optic grass.” It is for this reason that the flower looks most impressive in tall flowerpots standing in filled trays.
Many varieties of bamboo, especially low-growing varieties, are excellent for growing in water. But it does relatively well with less moisture. Maybe he can put up with some lack of light. Bamboo is very plastic both in terms of growing conditions and the ability to give it different shapes. It grows quickly, creating fancy bushes. There are a lot of varieties of bamboo; you can choose both low-growing and powerful plants.
This type completely undemanding to growing conditions. The only thing he needs in large quantities is water. The modest appearance of the plant is not a reason to refuse to grow it in our homes. It perfectly complements compositions with calla lilies or bamboo. It is good to use for decorating a loggia or veranda. And in the summer, pots with calamus can be placed in a decorative pond at the dacha or in the garden. In any place, this plant will delight not only with its bright greenery, but also with a pleasant aroma reminiscent of tangerine.
This is a very showy plant with shiny leaves and flowers in lilac, blue or white. Her homeland is South, Central and North America, from tropical to warm temperate parts. The flower grows in shallow areas of rivers and lakes. Therefore, when cultivating pontederia, it must be planted in water to a depth of about 8 cm. The height of its bushes reaches half a meter. In summer, purple spike-shaped inflorescences appear among the bright heart-shaped leaves. Flowering continues all summer until almost half of autumn. Then the pontederia begins a period of rest, but its luxurious bushes do not lose their attractiveness.
Based on these moisture-loving plants, you can create various compositions that will decorate your home, make it cozier and more comfortable. There is no need to try to buy all of them; just choose three or four types you like. They will delight you all year round. Just don't forget to add water.
Aquatic plants - perennial (less often annual) plants, necessary condition whose lives consist of staying in fresh (mostly), salt or brackish water.
Some of them are the most numerous group, consisting mainly of monocots immersed in water completely or for the most part (hydatophytes), this includes all forms that die out of water and are incapable of land life; they stay at shallow depths of fresh and salty waters or float on the surface. Others are immersed in water only with the lower part (hydrophytes), experience temporary drought or require only their roots to be abundantly moistened; these are shallow, coastal and marsh forms.
There is no sharp boundary between hydatophytes and hydrophytes.
Algae, a large group of organisms that were previously classified as plants, can also be classified as aquatic plants.
Living in an aquatic environment has determined the special features of the organization of aquatic plants: a significant increase in the surface of the body in comparison with its mass, which facilitates the absorption of the necessary quantities of oxygen and other gases, which are contained in less water than in the air. An increase in the surface of the plant is achieved by the development of large thin leaves (pondweed), the division of the leaf blade into thin thread-like sections (urut, hornworts, water buttercups), the strong development of air cavities and large intercellular spaces.
The root system of aquatic plants is poorly developed, there are no root hairs: water with minerals dissolved in it can penetrate directly into the leaves. The high density of the aquatic environment causes poor development of mechanical elements in the leaves and stems of aquatic plants; the few mechanical elements present in the stems are located closer to the center, which gives them greater flexibility; The roots are feathery: the plants do not require support in water.
Aquatic plants have highly developed diversity of leaves (heterophylly): underwater, floating and above-water leaves on the same plant differ significantly both in internal and external external structure. Thus, underwater leaves do not have stomata; in leaves floating on the surface of the water, stomata are located only on the upper (adaxial) side, in leaves above water (aerial) the stomata are on both sides.
Since the light intensity in water decreases sharply, many aquatic plants have chlorophyll grains in their epidermal cells.
In aquatic plants, vessels in vascular bundles are poorly developed or even absent.
Almost all aquatic plants reproduce vegetatively. Some aquatic plants (Naiad, Hornwort) are pollinated underwater; in others, the flowers rise above the water, where pollination occurs. Seeds and fruits are distributed by birds or water currents.
Some aquatic plants have adapted to periodic drying out of water bodies (for example, Chastukha, Arrowhead, Zherukha).
In the flora of Russia and neighboring countries there were about 260 species of flowering aquatic plants, mainly monocots.
Six hundred. As Faina Ranevskaya said: “It’s a pity the kingdom is not enough, I have nowhere to roam!” But even in a small area you can treat yourself to a miniature pond and plant aquatic plants around it.
The surface of the water always fascinates, calms, and creates a romantic mood. Our industry produces ready-made plastic forms, thanks to which you can independently build a pond on your site.
It is necessary to provide a place for planting plants around the pond. These places can be filled with fertile soil.
Aquatic plants: Loosestrife
Ideal for decorating a pond loosestrife. People call it weeping grass. This plant loves wet soil and sunny places. Feels great in places where water is stagnant. IN wildlife This beautiful plant found in damp places. It can be found near forest streams, in wet ravines, in a swamp among hummocks.
The plant is unpretentious, frost-resistant, a decorative decoration for a pond. It easily tolerates transplantation, takes root well, and will grow in one place for many years.
To provide moisture to the loosestrife, the soil must be mulched. Peat or sawdust is suitable for this. The height of the loosestrife is about one meter. Forms purple inflorescences that look like candles. The flowers have a pleasant smell. Honey plant. It attracts bees and butterflies to the garden, which simultaneously pollinate fruit and berry trees. This plant looks best in the background of a pond.
Swamp iris
Looks good next to the merlin marsh iris or yellow iris. For a long time, only this kind of iris decorated gardens. Today, thanks to the painstaking work of scientists, many varieties with different flower colors have appeared. But the yellow iris is the most unpretentious and hardy. For small ponds this is the most suitable plant.
It can be planted in a container and lowered into a pond. The plant will not grow quickly, and living in water will prolong its flowering in the hot summer. The long leaves of the iris, like arrows, look into the sky. The yellow flowers have an unusual shape. Sometimes they resemble an orchid flower. In autumn, large fruit boxes develop in their place. They give the plant a special charm.
Cereals
It is difficult to imagine a body of water on the banks of which cereal plants would not grow. They will look decent at a garden mini-pond. One such cereal is zipper.
You can recognize him by characteristic features. The leaves are long, thin, narrow, gracefully bent in an arc, hanging over the surface of the water. The inflorescences are long spikelets swaying in the wind. The bush has a compact and dense shape. Many people love molina not only for its appearance. The plant does not require a lot of attention. It is not a sissy plant: it is resistant to unfavorable conditions, tolerates temperature changes, and is tolerant of soil and other plants.
Like the spray of a fountain, blue leaves scatter in different directions. gray fescue. It grows slowly, but forms clumps that look good at any time of the year.
In the foreground you can plant maned barley. This is a low grass that produces beautiful purple inflorescences. Planted in a group, it forms an attractive picture. Gives rich self-seeding. There is a danger that this grass will scatter with the help of the wind and barbarously seize new territories.
Grows well near a pond haretail, feather grass, reed, cattail.
Aquatic plants: Euphorbia and hostas
Euphorbia looks harmonious with many plants. There are many in this family different varieties. But the favorite of gardeners - Euphorbia multicolor. From early spring to late autumn it does not lose its attractiveness: it glows in the garden with bright sunshine. The bush looks like a ball. The straight stems are covered with a large number of flowers. It grows in one place for many years.
Short and dwarf hosts also very suitable for a pond. They are very decorative and durable. Many of them have leaves with different patterns, dark and light tones, smooth and wrinkled. The bluish hostas are especially beautiful.
Any schoolchild knows that plants grow not only on the earth's surface of our planet, but also under water. In rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps they successfully grow, develop and reproduce a large number of representatives of the flora. Plants in a pond can be completely submerged in water, or they can also easily grow on its surface.
A reservoir in the form of a pond is excellent for the development and existence of not only animals, but also many plants. They easily mastered fresh waters and feel comfortable and calm in them. Moreover, each plant in a pond represents an entire ecosystem. The most common are:
Fresh water bodies are part of globe. They can be created naturally, and maybe with the help of people. They are mainly divided into two types:
- Reservoirs in which only fresh water predominates.
- Reservoirs in which salt water predominates.
Fresh water bodies are also formed when many plants in the area become overgrown, thereby turning them into swampy places. It is also full of many plants. Every plant that grows in a fresh body of water is part of an ecosystem, without which nature is unable to exist.
Thanks to such representatives of the flora, the inhabitants of the reservoir (frogs, herons and small fish) always have something to eat. Many plants serve as a home and shelter for small fish. As well as their place for reproduction and nesting.
Water lily is an aquatic plant, which grows exclusively in fresh water bodies. This plant is known to everyone; moreover, those who saw the water lily admired its beauty. It has rounded leaves, as well as flowers that can reach a huge size, float on the surface of the water and not sink at all.
Underwater there is a rhizome, which is very rich in starch and tannins. Over time, people learned to make flour and coffee substitute from them. An unprepared person should not swim up to the water lily. Underwater, the stems can entangle a person’s legs, and he can easily drown, since getting out of such a network is very problematic.
Reed is a perennial plant that is widespread throughout the territory Russian Federation. It has a long, creeping rhizome. The stem system is hollow, strong and thick. Capable of reaching six meters in length. The leaves are formed in the form of plates, with a flat surface.
Visually, the inflorescences can evoke an association with a wide and dense panicle. Reed is an excellent food for both wild and domestic animals. But people were able to further spread the usefulness of this species. It began to be used often:
- For construction purposes.
- Often the walls of the barns themselves are woven.
- As a means for thermal insulation of walls.
- It is one of the components in the creation of paper raw materials.
- Suitable for making musical instruments.
- Used to strengthen soil density in sandy areas.
Reed is a very common plant throughout Russia. There is an entire cane plantation in China. They specially grow it, after which they build their homes.
Chastukha plantain- perennial, which has more than 10 various types. Some of them are excellently used for gardening purposes, to improve the land.
The name dates back to ancient Greek times. Since chastukha resembles a plantain in shape, this quality has given it a second name - pond plantain. But medicinal properties, like plantain does not. Practically not used in medicine. Many people mistakenly think it medicinal plant. In fact, it does not have any medicinal properties.
It has a short, thick rhizome, leaves are presented in the form of cuttings, has different shapes sheet plates. The flowers are capable of having a double pericarp, as well as about three green sepals and three petals.
The flowers are bisexual and have stamens and carpels. The fruits are very small in size, greenish in color and contain no more than one seed. Chastuha is capable of forming one adult plant when planted. Mainly serves as food for wild aquatic animals.
Broadleaf cattail is a plant that is easily recognized by its brownish-brown ears or inflorescences. Is also a perennial plant. Has a full mixed inflorescence. It grows mainly in wetlands. At the moment when ripening begins, it is able to spray its seeds throughout the area.
In water, young plants are firmly attached. Their root system is often visible. The stem can reach three meters in length. The rhizome has a dense, thick structure and is capable of growing over quite a long distance. The leaves are gray with a green tint. The flowers are unisexual, have a spadix that consists of 2-3 parts. Their length can reach 13-14 centimeters, and their width is 3 centimeters. In August it fully ripens and spreads its seeds.
Small duckweed and edible arrowhead
Duckweed is a monoecious plant, very small in size, floats on the surface in huge clusters. It has no divisions into stems and leaves. The body is completely covered with a plate-like shape and is green in color. There is one dense root and shoot of the same shape as the flower itself. It has one or five veins with air cavities, some are capable of having pigment cells.
They almost never bloom. Contains various small inflorescences. There are two stamens and one pistil. This suggests that the flower mainly consists of male inflorescences. The inflorescence itself is represented by a leaf appendage. The fruit looks like a sac that has outgrowths and a keel. It allows the plant to float calmly on the surface of the water. Duckweed is excellent food for turtles and geese, as well as small fish.
Arrowhead is a perennial plant that has more than 40 species. Grows entirely in water. Consists of a short stem 20−120 centimeters in size. Has air-bearing tissue. Leaves various shapes, basically resemble arrows. The flowers are collected with a brush and have a diameter of one meter. There is also a green calyx and a white base. From May to August is the flowering period. The fruit is an achene with a nose. The seeds themselves spread using currents. The tubers are used as food. They are eaten by both people and animals.
Sedge grass and telores
Sedge is a perennial herb characterized by a three-row arrangement of leaves in a flat shape. Sedge takes part in the proper formation of earthen soil. It is often transplanted from ponds to gardens and orchards. Thus, it enriches and makes the soil more fertile, promoting favorable growth useful crops. This is mainly done in the fall, when the plants have already been collected. The main quality for which sedge is valued by people is peat formation.
Sedge is useful plant , which is used for weaving various bags. Capable of forming dense fiber. It makes excellent quality rope. It is also worth noting that it is used to decorate ponds and when creating various bouquet arrangements.
Telorez is a plant that has numerous broad-linear leaves. The flowers are dioecious and have petal-shaped leaves. The cutter rises to the surface of the water only when it begins to bloom. Capable of accumulating large amounts of starch substances.
Quantity carbon dioxide capable of increasing in the leaves themselves only in the winter season. When the starch content reaches high level in the leaves, the plant begins to overwinter.
Watercolor and hornwort
Vodokras has shoots with short leaves, shoots of a braided shape, and there are adventitious roots in addition to the main ones. Capable of dual reproduction. Flowers are dioecious. It has so-called overwintering buds, in which a huge amount of nutrients accumulates. Without such buds, the plant will simply die; thanks to them, it actively feeds and reproduces.
They are constantly at the bottom of the reservoir and only rise to the surface of the water in the spring. The root system is completely covered with hairs. Protoplasm constantly rotates, providing good resistance to cold.
Hornwort has thin branches. The most great depth, at which he is able to actively exist, ranges from 5 meters to 10 meters. This is due to the fact that he loves the shadow very much. The sun's rays will simply burn the plant. Capable of strong growth at the bottom. Those plants that are in the neighborhood are capable of strong displacement from hornwort. The root system is completely absent. The stem is rigid in shape, well enriched with rhizomes.
Rarely rises to the surface of the water, mainly only in the evening, when the sun has completely set. Early in the morning it hides under water again. It rises above the surface of the water in order to collect more nutrients and beneficial microelements that are included in this plant.
The leaves are divided into several lobes and have a rigid composition. The plant is completely covered with cuticle. The flowers are very small in size, without petals.
Bathwort is a perennial plant. The leaves are broad in shape. They have a small rosette that connects all the sheet plates into one. One shoot, the lower leaves are much larger in size than the upper ones. The flowers are spherical in shape. The petals are represented by nectarines. They have a pleasant and long-lasting smell.
The pollen of such plants is perfectly protected from rain and wind by extra leaves. It has oval-shaped seeds and a shiny coating. At the end of summer, the seeds are fully ripe for dispersal. After this, they begin to be sprayed onto the ground.
Iris has simple shaped stems, always single. The leaf system is always flat in shape. The roots are located in the groin area of the plant. The flowers are solitary. They have a simple perianth. Similar in appearance to orchids. Very resistant to any frost.
They grow in one place for up to five years, after which their seeds are scattered by the wind over vast distances. After the plant has lived for five years, the area becomes unsuitable for existence. Therefore, it begins to gradually dry out.
Swamp myrtle - evergreen shrub, which can grow up to 109 centimeters. The root system consists of adventitious rhizomes. The stem is branched, the leaves have scales. Flowers are collected in brushes. The calyxes have corollas. Loves warmth and a lot of moisture. The slightest cold can destroy this plant. The leaves are green with a black tint. Sometimes you might think that the leaves are stained with dirt.
The leaves themselves are oval or oblong, mostly always curled at the end. They have scales on them. The fruit has a spherical, slightly flattened capsule in which pollen is stored. It is very popular with bees and some species of birds.
The pond is full of various plants. Many are capable of bewitching with their beauty, and therefore people began to distribute them in their gardens. Others are full of nutrients and minerals and are great for eating. Some species are used to create many useful things for people. Despite the fact that reservoirs have fresh water, many plants are able to live completely under water. This creates a complete ecosystem of nature.
Purpose of the work: to study the species composition, biomorphological features of aquatic and coastal plants and the nature of their distribution in the reservoir, features of the habitat.
Tasks:
1.Study groups of aquatic and coastal plants.
2.Describe 10 plant species typical for this reservoir
3. Present the herbarium in a floristic notebook of the described plant species.
Reference material for completing assignments
(theoretical material)
Plants that live permanently in water are called aquatic plants. The flora of higher plants in Russia includes more than 200 species.
The adaptation of aquatic plants to their habitat is expressed in the following:
Aquatic plants are distinguished by a large development of body surface in relation to their mass (leaves cut into narrow small lobes, thin branched stems, etc.)
The roots, stems and leaves of aquatic plants are characterized by various modifications (for example, roots - anchors, floating stems, trapping bubbles - leaves).
The internal structure of the organs of higher aquatic plants is characterized by the presence of air-bearing tissue - aerenchyma, and underdevelopment of conductive and mechanical (supporting) tissues.
The vast majority of aquatic plant species are herbaceous perennials.
In aquatic plants, vegetative reproduction predominates (by body parts or specialized wintering buds - turions).
At the First All-Union Conference on Higher Aquatic Plants (1977), a classification was proposed, including three main groups:
1st group - submerged plants, the entire life cycle of which takes place under water (non-rooting species - bladderwrack, hornworts; rooting in the soil of a reservoir - elodea, pondweed, urut);
2nd group - plants with floating leaves or shoots (non-rooting species - water lily, salvinia, duckweed, polyroot; rooting in the soil of a reservoir - water lily, egg capsule, floating pondweed);
3rd group - aerial-aquatic plants with shoots, some of which are in the water, and some are above the surface of the water (arrowhead, parasol, cattails, lake reed, common reed, etc.).
LOWER PLANTS
The most ancient and relatively simply organized group of aquatic plants is seaweed. Algae belong to lower plants, their vegetative body is not divided into roots, stems and leaves. These are typical autotrophic organisms: due to the presence of chlorophyll, they are able to absorb carbon dioxide in the light and synthesize organic substances from inorganic ones.
Depending on the environmental conditions, algae in a reservoir form separate groups, or cenoses. Distinguish planktonic algae(phytoplankton) inhabiting the water column. These are microscopic forms, passively suspended in water and unable to resist currents. Adaptations for living in water, in addition to their small size, are flagella, a reserve product in the form of drops of fat in cells, and gas vacuoles. Planktonic algae cause water “blooming” in shallow, well-warmed water bodies.
Fig.11 Algae
A – chlamydomonas; B-chlorella; B – gonium; G – pandorina; D – volvox; E – spirogyra; F – zygnema; Z – hara; And – water mesh (inside the mother cell).
The phytoplankton of a reservoir can consist of green, blue-green, and diatom algae.
Ponds, ditches and pits are characterized by the massive development of green filamentous algae from the class of concatenated algae (spirogyra, zygnema, etc.). In the field of view of a microscope, the cells of these algae are amazingly beautiful, since the chromatophores in them have a regular geometric shape and a bright green color.
In forms lacking active movement, an increase in buoyancy is achieved by the appropriate body shape and the presence of various processes. It may be a flat body shape, or ribbon-shaped colonies, or long spines. In colonial forms, the cells can be folded in the shape of a parachute. Gas vacuoles and fat droplets also significantly reduce the weight of algae cells from the planktonic group.
You need to study planktonic algae using a strong magnifying glass or microscope. “Blooming” of water is a temporary phenomenon in the life of a reservoir. Water temperature is of primary importance, and the main adaptation to its changes in most planktonic algae are special resting cells. These cells are covered with a thick membrane and have a large supply of nutrients.
Benthic algae(phytobenthos) are associated with the bottom of the reservoir. They attach to stones or other hard objects at the bottom, or to the stems of higher plants. Large charophyte algae and cladophora, which is hard to the touch, often form dense thickets at the bottom. Some algae (for example, spirogyra) lie freely on the bottom of the reservoir at night, and during the day, carried away by bubbles of oxygen released in the light during photosynthesis in algae cells, they rise in large masses to the surface of the reservoir - this is the so-called mud.
Light is a powerful factor in the distribution of benthic algae. In lakes with clear water (for example, Lake Baikal), benthic algae can be found at a depth of up to 70 m.
PLANTS ON THE SHORE OF A RESERVOIR
You can always see willows on the banks of the reservoir. White willow(willow) and brittle willow(broom) - trees up to 25 m. The white willow leaf has silvery pubescence on the underside, while the broom does not have it. Brittle willow is distinguished by the location of its young shoots (at right angles to the old axis), which easily break off. Three-stamen and basket willow are found in the form of shrubs along the banks. Willow tristamen distinguished by two clearly visible “glands” on the leaf petiole (in the form of black dots), basket willow- narrow and long leaves with edges turned down, densely pubescent silvery hairs below.
Most willow species are easily propagated from stem cuttings. Willow branches torn off by wind or ice drift quickly become stronger in the coastal soil. Willow leaves have a sharp tip pointing downwards. Here in the leaf tissue there are special water glands, which in hot weather release droplet-liquid water, which protects the willow leaf from overheating (hence “willow cries”, “weeping willow”).
Sometimes respiratory roots form at the base of willow trunks immersed in shallow coastal waters. They are crimson-red in color, grow in bunches, absorb oxygen from the water and supply it to the parts of the tree that are flooded with water. These roots can be taken in order to look at their structure (the presence of air cavities in the root bark) in a thin cross section under a magnifying glass.
Fig. 12 Leaves of various types of willow:
1 – white willow; 2 – brittle willow; 3 – three-stamen willow; 4 – basket willow
Herbaceous coastal plants umbrella umbrella, marsh marigold, reed, cattail, reed are easy to distinguish during flowering by the appearance and structure of the inflorescence.
Susak umbrella- a perennial plant that grows on muddy (sometimes sandy) soil in the coastal zone of water bodies. The horizontally growing rhizomes of susak form a large number of vegetative and generative shoots. The leaves are simple, linear-xiphoid, collected in a basal rosette. The flowering stem is leafless. The inflorescence is umbellate, with membranous bracts. The flowers are large, regular, the calyx is dark crimson; corolla of white and pink petals. Blooms from June to August. The leaves are used to weave baskets and matting. Very decorative. The plant is subject to protection.
Marsh marigold- a perennial plant that grows along the banks of rivers, ponds, and lakes. The root system is fibrous. The generative shoot is branched, ascending, rather juicy, without pubescence, 10-40 cm high. The leaves are simple, basal - long-petioled, on an elongated stem - with shorter petioles. The plate of the former is large, rounded-reniform, while the latter is rounded-heart-shaped. The leaves are thick, dark green, with crenate or serrate edges. The flowers are large and regular; perianth simple, of 5 free bright yellow leaves; There are many stamens and pistils. The pistils ripen earlier than the stamens, which eliminates self-pollination. The fruit is multi-leafed. Marigold is a poisonous plant.
Common reed- the largest herbaceous perennial plant among our cereals with a long rhizome. Aboveground shoots reach up to 4 m. They almost always form clean thickets along the banks of stagnant bodies of water, which leads to swamping of coastal shallows.
Bulrush also has a long, creeping, branched rhizome, spreading along the muddy substrate of the reservoir. Unlike the two previous species, the leaves of its above-water shoots are poorly developed and are represented by sheaths at the base of the stem. The stems reach a height of 3 m, cylindrical, with a well-developed air cavity inside. Sometimes it is half submerged in water. The flowers are collected in large paniculate inflorescences. The plant is wind-pollinated. Vegetative propagation is carried out through rhizomes.
The stems of lake reed are used as material for weaving mats, mats, baskets, etc.
Fig.13 Inflorescences: 1- common reed; 2 – broadleaf cattail – (a pistillate part of the inflorescence, b – staminate part of the inflorescence); 3 – lake reed
Broadleaf cattail- a perennial with a thick branched rhizome, rich in starch. Aboveground shoots 1 - 2 m high end in an inflorescence (cob), consisting of two parts: the lower one, formed by female (pistillate) flowers, and the upper one, consisting of male (staminate) flowers. The plant is wind pollinated. After flowering, the top of the inflorescence dries up and falls off. The spadix with pistillate flowers is initially green, after flowering as the fruits ripen it becomes dark brown and velvety. In pistillate flowers, fruits are formed - nuts surrounded by darkly colored hairs. Cattail has a wide range of uses: perianth hairs are used as packaging material, and mixed with wool they are used to make felt for hats; the leaves are used to weave baskets and mats, and the rhizomes are used to feed domestic animals.
Cattails are often incorrectly called rushes or reeds, but the latter have a very different appearance and belong to different families.
Fig. 14 Broadleaf cattail
Among coastal plants, many species can be classified as so-called amphibious plants. They successfully grow and develop both in water and on the shore. But at the same time, their appearance changes significantly, which can be seen in the example of plantain and common arrowhead.Chastukha plantain- has a thick tuberous rhizome, an erect stem, abundantly branched in the inflorescence area. The leaves are shaped like a large plantain leaf.
Chastukha can be seen in shallow water and far from the water's edge, in a damp meadow. Comparing chastuha specimens from different habitats, it is easy to detect differences in plant size and leaf shape (terrestrial specimens have petiolate leaves, aquatic specimens have ribbon-shaped, sessile leaves).
Common arrowhead- a perennial plant with a short rhizome. The aquatic form of arrowhead has three types of leaves: underwater (sessile, linear, up to 80 cm long), floating (long-petiolate, ribbon-shaped), aerial (petiolate, with an arrow-shaped base, oblong-sharp). The ground form of arrowhead is smaller and has only one type of leaves - aerial. In the arrowhead inflorescence, the flowers are unisexual: the lower flowers are pistillate, the upper ones are staminate. Arrowhead blooms from June to September. Its fruits have air-bearing tissue, as a result of which they easily float on water and are carried by currents and wind over long distances.
At the end of summer, the arrowhead forms side shoots that grow horizontally in the water for some time and then burrow into the silt. At the top of each shoot a turion is formed - a tuberous thickening rich in starch reserves with an overwintering bud. Turions overwinter, and in the spring they form new plants. This is an example of vegetative propagation of aquatic plants using turions.
Along the banks at the water's edge there is a poisonous plant - hemlock, or Veh poisonous. By digging its rhizome out of the soil and cutting it lengthwise, you can see large air chambers - a sure distinguishing feature for identifying hemlock. The plant contains a poison that has a nerve-paralytic effect. It is not recommended to work with it, but everyone who organizes excursions, especially with children, needs to know it.
Fig. 15 Hemlock, or poisonous wech:
1 – upper part of the shoot with inflorescences; 2 – longitudinal section of the rhizome.
PLANTS ROOT IN THE GROUND OF A RESERVOIR WITH LEAVES FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE WATER
This is a small group, but it includes protected aquatic plants - water lily pure white And yellow egg capsule, therefore, it is necessary to examine in great detail, without disturbing the plants, the features of these species during the excursion.
Water lily pure white found only in the European part of Russia. The size of the plant depends on the growing conditions: in shallow reservoirs the water lily is smaller. When a body of water periodically dries out, it can form a land form. At the same time, the petioles of the leaves become thicker, and the skin cells on the leaves also thicken.
The water lily has a powerful rhizome located at the bottom, from which thick, adventitious roots extend. The rhizome is weakly branched, but gradually grows in length, so that the plant moves very slowly along the soil of the reservoir. The level of the reservoir may change during the summer, however, the leaves and flowers of the water lily remain on the surface of the water, which is achieved either by bending the petioles and peduncles, or by their increased growth.
Like many aquatic plants, the water lily is characterized by variety of leaves (heterophylly). In spring, the first leaves are formed by an underwater formation: they have short petioles, soft leaf blades, in the pulp of which there is no differentiation into columnar and spongy tissue.
The water lily leaves floating on the surface of the water have long petioles, the diameter of the leaf blade is up to 20 cm, and it is heart-shaped-oval in shape with unequal blades. The leaves are dark green above, reddish-purple below. In floating leaves, the pulp is strictly differentiated into columnar and spongy tissue. They have as many air cavities as in the plate of an underwater leaf. Numerous stomata (up to 500 pieces per mm2) are located in the upper skin of the floating leaf and provide gas exchange with the air. The surface of the leaf is covered with a layer of fat-like substance - cuticle, which makes it glossy and poorly wetted with water (water droplets roll off the surface of the leaf without getting into the stomata).
The flower is 10–15 cm in diameter, with a double perianth.
White petals in large numbers form a gradual transition to numerous stamens. The ovary is semi-inferior, ripens into a fleshy multi-seeded fruit already under water, since after flowering (each flower lasts 2-3 days), the peduncle spirals and the fruit is immersed in water. After the seeds ripen, the pericarp rots. Each water lily seed has an air gap in the seed coat, and therefore it floats well on water. Water lily seeds are spread by streams of water, as well as by waterfowl.
None of the plants growing in our reservoirs decorates them more than the white water lily. All water lilies reproduce only by seeds, so we must remember that every flower picked by a person brings the time closer when this beautiful and rare plant may disappear forever from our rivers and lakes.
Requires local security measures!- a perennial plant with a powerful rhizome, leaves underwater (wrinkled, light green) and floating (deep heart-shaped, dense, with stomata in the upper epidermis). The yellow petals of the flower are somewhat shorter than the sepals; each petal has a nectary at the base. The flowers of this plant are insect-pollinated.
In places with fast currents, the egg pod produces only underwater leaves. In drying areas of the reservoir, a terrestrial form can develop - smaller in size and non-flowering.
This group of plants also includes floating pondweed, which has two types of leaves. Underwater leaves, which die off before the plant blooms, are lanceolate in shape, up to 50 cm long. Floating leaves are leathery, glossy, with a brown tint. A cross-section of such a leaf reveals numerous large air cavities. Floating pondweed blooms in June – July. The flowers are collected in an inflorescence - a spike, without a perianth. During flowering, flowers protrude above the surface of the water, pollination occurs with the help of wind. Seeds from the juicy fruits are dispersed by waterfowl. Due to the good ability of pondweed to form adventitious roots, it can reproduce vegetatively by parts of shoots that overwinter at the bottom of reservoirs and give rise to new specimens in the spring.