Wolf's bast is a wild plant. Wolf's bast: description of the bush, photo. Moving is worse than a flood

Syn.: wolf's bast, common wolf's berry, wolf's berry, deadly wolf's berry, daphne, bog pepper, wolf's pepper, wolf's ivy, kumanitsa, pick herb, forest tobacco, Plokovets, bog ashwood.

Common wolfberry is a low deciduous shrub with pink or reddish flowers and glossy, oval, light red fruits. The plant is deadly poisonous. Ointments, patches, and tinctures of thistle have antibacterial, anticoagulant, antibiotic and phytoncidal properties.

Ask the experts a question

In medicine

In Russian scientific medicine, the common wolfberry is not currently used. Previously, the local irritant effect of preparations from the bark and berries of the plant was used for various skin diseases as an abscess remedy. Ointments, alcohol tincture, and plasters were prepared from wolfberry. However, the dangers of using the drugs negated their benefits. Abroad, doctors use tincture of cleft wolf bark as an antineuralgic agent.

Contraindications and side effects

The entire plant is poisonous. Even the honey obtained from it is poisonous. If you inhale the smallest particles of bark, even a pinch of dust, irritation of the mucous membrane respiratory tract will lead to runny nose, sneezing and coughing. If these particles get into the eyes, conjunctivitis will develop. Symptoms of wolfberry poisoning are a burning sensation in the mouth, pain in the pit of the stomach, drooling, followed by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The patient loses a lot of fluid, feels weak, and dizziness and convulsions are common. Due to the irritating effect of meserine, bleeding ulcers form in the digestive tract. Since other active ingredients of the plant - derivatives of oxycoumarin and the glycoside daphnin - weaken blood clotting, bloody clots appear in vomit and feces, and blood also enters the urine. In case of wolfberry poisoning, urgent medical attention is required; it is impossible to cope with it on your own, since a set of specific measures is required. And even the energetic actions of doctors sometimes cannot prevent fatal outcome, occurring due to a decline in cardiac activity. When using wolfberry preparations, you should especially strictly monitor the dosage. They are contraindicated for children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, the elderly and people whose bodies are weakened by illness. You should not take wolfberry for any bleeding, heart failure, tachycardia and arrhythmia.

In other areas

Wolf bast looks so bright and attractive that, despite the mortal danger, gardeners grow it as an ornamental plant. Do not forget that wolfberry is harmful, so you do not need to plant it in the garden if you have small children.

Classification

Common wolfberry (Daphne mezereum L.) belongs to the extensive genus Daphne, family Wolfweed (Thymelaeaceae). The Latin name of the genus was given by Carl Linnaeus. The great naturalist wanted to emphasize the similarity of the leaves of plants representing the genus with laurel plants. That’s why I chose the name, translated from Latin as Laurel. The most famous representatives of the genus, along with the common wolfberry, are the relict Altai wolfberry (Daphne altaica), the artificially bred wolfberry (Daphne cneorum) and the paper wolfberry (Daphne papyracea), from which not only paper is made in Nepal, but also fabric, ropes, and strong ropes .

Botanical description

Common wolfberry or wolf's bast is a shrub with a height of 30 to 180 cm. It has yellowish-gray wrinkled bark and straight stems. The leaves of the plant are alternate, oblong-lanceolate at the ends of the branches. The flowers are tubular, fragrant, their smell resembles the aroma of hyacinth, the petals are dark pink or red, with a nail-shaped corolla. In spring they bloom on bare stems, as they are located in the axils of last year's leaves. This phenomenon is called cauliflory. The fruits of the wolf's bast are juicy, bright red drupes covering the stem and branches below the leaves.

Spreading

Wolfberry grows throughout Europe, right up to the Mediterranean, but is more common in the north than in the south. In Moldova, the wolf's bast is listed in the Red Book, and in Kazakhstan and Ukraine it is listed as rare. The plant rarely forms thickets; it can be found in coniferous and deciduous forests, along river banks and on mountain slopes.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

The medicinal raw material for wolfberry is mainly the bark. It is collected before the plant blooms, that is, in early spring - in the first half of summer. The bast is cut into thin strips, laid out in one layer in a dry, well-ventilated area and dried. While the bark is wet, it is important to touch it only with gloves, since getting wolf bast juice on the skin can lead to abscesses and ulcerations, and with prolonged contact, to general poisoning of the body. The fruits of the wolf's bast are harvested at the end of summer. They need special, low-temperature drying.

Chemical composition

Most of the properties of wolfberry are explained by the content of the resinous toxic substance meserein and glycoside, which suppresses the effect of vitamin K. They are present throughout the plant. Wolf bark contains resins, wax, fatty oils and gum. The fruits of the plant contain the glycoside coccognin, coumarin, pigments, sugars and essential oils.

Pharmacological properties

Scientists have found that wolfwort preparations have laxative, antibacterial, hypnotic and phytoncidal properties, but treatment with them is associated with great risk. Coumarins dafnin and dafnetin exhibit anticoagulant and antibiotic activity; their sum also showed antitumor properties. Mesereine, according to experimental data, is capable of exhibiting anti-leukemic activity. Currently, research is being conducted to identify the possibility of using wolfberry as a cure for thrombophlebitis and an anticancer agent. Wolfberry is considered a promising plant, whose medicinal properties can still serve scientific medicine.

Use in folk medicine

In folk medicine, wolfberry is still widely used. A decoction and infusion of the fruit is recommended as a laxative and antipyretic. Tincture, extract and ointment from the fruit as well as tincture from the bark are used for ascites and thrombosis, used as a laxative, emetic and anthelmintic, for coughs, for toothache, tumors of the pharynx and esophagus, stomach cancer, dysentery, jaundice, as well as for conjunctivitis and dermatomycosis. Externally, an infusion of wolf bast, according to traditional healers, should help against neuralgia, radiculitis, sciatica, gout, paralysis, polyarthritis and joint pain.

In homeopathy, a remedy made from freshly harvested wolfberry bark is called Mezereum. It is used mainly for various skin diseases - herpes zoster, weeping and scabby rashes, trophic ulcers. This remedy is considered effective for toothache, migraine, diseases of the stomach, eyes and joint pain.

Historical background

Poisonous plants have attracted healers since ancient times. Wolfberry is mentioned in Avicenna’s treatise “The Canon of Medical Science”. The great scientist recommended various preparations from wolfwort for ulcers, lichen, scabs, toothache, and poisonous bites. He believed that they “drive black bile and mucous juices,” which means they can cure various nervous diseases.

In Rus', the wolfberry served not only medicine. Peasant girls smeared the juice of the plant on their cheeks and those, irritated by toxic substances, turned red invitingly, in accordance with the canons of beauty accepted at that time. The powder of crushed wolfberry bark, taken on the night of Ivan Kupala, served as a love potion. Plants were also used to expel cockroaches, flies, and ants from homes.

The famous botanist and naturalist Peter Simon Pallas paid a lot of attention to the wolf's bast. In his book “Travel through Different Provinces” Russian state”, published in 1776, he wrote that the plant is used as an emetic and anthelmintic, against the bites of rabid animals and for various abscesses.

Literature

1. O.V. Klimova “House Doctor. Stories about herbs, herbal treatment", Moscow, RIPOL Classic, 2011 - 108 p.

2. V. Artamonov, “Wolf Bast”, magazine “Science and Life” No. 4, 1989 -158 p.

3. P. S. Zorikov “Poisonous plants of the forest”, Vladivostok, “Dalnauka”, 2005 - 33 p.

4. " Medicinal plants", edited by Grinkevich N.I.., Moscow, Higher School, 1991 - 394 p.

Genus Daphne, or Wolfman, botanists are more often called Daphne, using the Latin name (Daphne), so that there is no confusion with other shrubs that also have poisonous fruits and to which the name “wolf berry” is popularly assigned, such as common honeysuckle, etc.

Volcheyagodniki belong to the Wolf family (Thymelaeaceae). More than 90 representatives of this genus are known, living in Europe, Asia and North Africa. More than 10 species grow in Russia, which are classified as rare endangered plants, many are listed in the Red Book. They are united by similar structural features.

Wolfberry bushes are deciduous and evergreen shrubs. Small flowers, often pink or light cream in color, are practically devoid of pedicels and have a scent. The fruits are bright single-seeded drupes. Usually the shrub blooms on leafless shoots, sometimes again in the fall, but weaker and no longer produces fruit.

A powerful root system goes deep into the soil, keeping plants from gusty winds and also saving them from dehydration. These shrubs are very decorative, but because they are poisonous, plantings are placed away from places where children often visit. They don't like to be transplanted and require little pruning.

The most common is the common wolfberry, deadly wolfberry, or "wolf's bast" (Daphne mezereum). This species grows in the forests of the European part of Russia and Siberia, and rises to the Caucasus mountains. A low shrub about 1 m high with straight gray shoots is covered with lilac in May. pink flowers, having 4 petals and 8 stamens. The flowers sit tightly on the shoots and emit a pleasant aroma reminiscent of vanilla. Bees, bumblebees, butterflies and flies flock to the flowers. When the bush fades, oblong leaves appear, concentrated closer to the tops of the shoots.

In August, scarlet oval drupes ripen. Usually you can see a few, less than 10 bright, shiny fruits on each plant. The clearly visible color of the fruit attracts birds that feed on the fruit and carry the seeds. Interestingly, the highly poisonous fruits do not harm birds. The fruits contain glycosides daphnin and coccognin, poisonous resin meserine, essential oils, etc. Poisoning of the fruits results in vomiting and increased bleeding. Not only the fruits of the wolf's bast are highly poisonous, but also other parts of the plant - the bark and leaves. In folk medicine they are used as an antipyretic, emetic and anthelmintic, and externally for neuralgia, polyarthritis, radiculitis and joint pain.

Wolf's bast is a winter-hardy shrub that can be grown in gardens, following precautions. Interesting varieties are Plena (Plena) with double flowers, Alba (Alba) with creamy white and Grandiflora (Grandiflora) with large flowers. The landing site can be in the sun or in the shade. The bush grows well in humus-rich soils without stagnant moisture. The soil needs to be mulched without allowing it to become too dry. Pruning and replanting are undesirable for it. Propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Altai wolfberry grows in Siberia (Daphne altaica), externally similar to a wolf's bast, with a height of 0.5 to 1 m. The difference is that it has white flowers, collected in groups of 3-5 pieces, and almost black ovoid drupes. The bush blooms in May, at the same time as the leaves appear. The first flowering occurs in the 6th year of life; fruits rarely ripen. It can be propagated by cuttings, root suckers and seeds. Seedlings bloom in the 6th year.

(Daphne alpina) comes from the Alps, where it lives in the alpine belt. A low (about 0.5 m high) deciduous shrub blooms in May. The shoots are pubescent. The flowers are white. Red, oblong-ovoid drupes ripen in late summer. Suitable for rock gardens, but due to poor winter hardiness it requires shelter for the winter. Doesn't take cuttings well.

Wolfberry olive-like (Daphne oleiodes)- a plant of the Mediterranean (Southern Europe and North Africa), Central and Asia Minor. Evergreen, slow-growing shrub with pubescent shoots up to 1 m tall (in middle lane- up to 0.3 m) and medium-sized obovate, shaggy leaves. It blooms from late May to early June with white flowers with narrow pointed lobes, collected in 3-8-flowered capitate inflorescences. Red drupes ripen from mid-July. Due to its low growth, it is winter-hardy in the middle zone. It propagates poorly by cuttings.

The evergreen wolfberry or Julia's wolfberry is very elegant (Daphne cneorum), living in the mountains of Central and Southern Europe. It is a creeping shrub, about 20 cm high, occupying an area of ​​1.0-1.5 square meters. m. It blooms after the leaves appear (in May) with fragrant pink-raspberry flowers that cover the foliage like a carpet. Leathery fruits - yellow-brown drupes - appear closer to autumn, but in Central Russia the seeds do not ripen. This species grows on well-calmed soils and winters safely in central Russia, remaining under snow cover.

European breeders are proud of the popular varieties Major with purple flowers and Eximia with bright pink flowers. Very unusual and elegant are variegated varieties with white-edged or green-edged milky-green leaves. The species is propagated by cuttings, which take root well.

Burkwood's Wolfberry (Daphne x burkwoodii)- This is a hybrid species obtained from pine wolfberry and Caucasian wolfberry. A small shrub about 1 m high, blooming luxuriantly on the tops of the shoots with pink-purple flowers. Particularly elegant are varieties with lanceolate, semi-evergreen or deciduous leaves.

Varieties Albert Burkwood (Albert Burkwood) is a fast-growing semi-evergreen shrub with pink flowers. The Somerset variety is similar to the previous one, with semi-evergreen leaves and fragrant white-pinkish flowers. The Astrid variety has large bright pink flowers concentrated on the tips of the shoots. The Alba-Variegata variety has pale pink flowers and light cream edges on the leaves. All varieties are capricious, heat-loving and do not like direct sun. Exposure to the scorching rays of the sun can cause the bush to shed all its leaves.

Grows in the undergrowth of the mountain forests of Ciscaucasia Pontic wolfberry (Daphne pontica) – an evergreen shrub about 1 m high with glossy pointed leaves and fragrant creamy-yellow flowers, in which the corolla tube is narrow and elongated. It is relatively stable in central Russia, but grows too slowly in cultivation, does not bloom every year and does not set fruit.

Subspecies Daphne pontica subsp. haematocarpa – according to outdated classification - Albov's wolfberry (Daphne albowiana) found in the subalpine zone of the Western and Central Caucasus mountains and in Asia Minor. This is a low shrub up to 0.5 m high, with shoots creeping along the ground, covered with ash-brown bark. Leaves are lanceolate. The flowers are yellow-green. The fruits are round, bright red drupes, poisonous.

Wolfberry crowded(Daphne glomerata) also comes from the Caucasus. On an evergreen shrub about 50 cm high, the leaves and flowers are crowded closer to the top of the shoots. Fragrant flowers are collected in milky white “bouquets”. The corolla tube varies in color from pure white to pink and scarlet, which looks very elegant. The drupes are bright red. Overwinters under snow, winter hardiness is low.

or Hokkaido (Daphne jezoensis), synonym Kamchatka wolfberry - a rare species that lives in Japan, Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands, grows in dark coniferous and larch forests. A shrub up to 60 cm high with thick light brown-gray shoots, at the tops of which elongated obovate leaves with a wedge-shaped base are crowded. Flowering occurs in the leafy state. Brown-yellow flowers bloom in May. The fruits are dark red spherical drupes, ripen in September, and are poisonous.

The shrub is relatively winter-hardy and can winter in Russia under snow cover.

(Daphne giraldii) lives on forested mountain slopes in China. It is a lush, leafy shrub about 1 m high with turquoise-green lanceolate leaves. Yellow-golden flowers appear from pinkish buds and have a delicate vanilla-lemon aroma. The fruits are red drupes.

This species grows on loamy soil, preferring open sunny areas. Breeders have obtained a hybrid variety In Paradise, translated as “in paradise”, with an unusual aroma. Flavonoids and esters have been isolated from the bark and have various uses.

(Daphne papyracea) found wild in the Himalayas, India and Nepal. Previously it was classified as a member of the Edgeworthia genus (Edgeworthia), because, unlike other wolfberries, it has a dry drupe. It is an evergreen shrub up to 1 m high with brown shoots and lanceolate leaves. White or greenish-white flowers are collected at the tops of shoots in groups of 3-10 pieces and have no aroma. The fruits are red drupes, ovoid-pear-shaped. In its homeland, the shrub blooms from November to January and bears fruit in April-May.

The fruits are poisonous, have a bitter taste, and can be used as a laxative and antipyretic. In Nepal, the bark of the paper wolfberry is used to produce excellent quality paper used for paper banknotes with watermarks. Bast is also used to make fabrics, ropes and strong ropes.

Himalayan wolfberry(Daphne bholua) lives in the Himalayas and southwest China. He looks a bit like paper daphne. The bush has pink and white flowers with a sweet scent and lanceolate leaves that fall off in winter. The species is extremely valuable for gardeners due to its decorative properties and early flowering. Breeders received an early flowering variety Darjeeling (Darjeeling) with pale lilac flowers, Alba (Alba) - with pure white flowers, Jacqueline Postill(Jacqueline Postil) - with pink-purple buds and fragrant white flowers. The species and its varieties are heat-loving, so they are poorly preserved in culture.

Orange wolfberry (Daphne aurantiaca syn. D. calcicola) comes from China. An evergreen shrub less than 1 m high has dark green elongated ovate leaves. The flowers are fragrant, golden yellow. The fruits are orange-red. The shrub lives on gravelly calcareous soil.

Known varieties are Gang-ho-ba (Gan-ho-ba) and Sichuan Gold (Sichuan Gold) with large golden-yellow flowers. The Little Snow Mountain variety has white flowers and a small bush. In Central Russia, the varieties were little tested. Low bushes can overwinter under snow, but are unlikely to be durable.

Also growing in China fragrant wolfberry, or odorous(Daphne odora)- an evergreen shrub 0.8 m high, but in Russia its height is much less - 0.3 m. In early spring, very fragrant flowers appear, having a tubular white corolla with a dark pink tint. The Aureomarginata variety is most often found in cultivation and is distinguished by an uneven golden border along the edge of an elongated leaf.

Planting in rock gardens requires calcareous soil, an open or slightly shaded place, protected from cold winds.

Photo: Alla Kuklina, Vladimir Shatko, Elena Malankina, Rita Brilliantova

Many people like to spend weekends in nature, walking through the forest, picking mushrooms, berries and herbs. However, if we are often warned about mushrooms and informed about dangerous species, then with berries everything is more complicated. At first glance, the beautiful bright fruits seem harmless, and it is very difficult to understand which of them are poisonous. For example, wolfberry is common in our forests, which can cause not only food poisoning, but also be fatal. Therefore, it would be useful to learn more about this forest plant, its positive and negative qualities.

What is wolfberry - why is it called that?

The popular name “wolf berry” combines large number berry bushes and herbaceous plants with fruits of black, white, red, orange. These plants did not get their name because they are food for wolves. It’s just that previously it was believed that the wolf personifies evil, deceit, meanness, death, and wolfberry looks harmless, but in fact has a harmful toxic effect.

Description of poisonous shrubs and plants - fruit color, photo

Throughout the summer, many healthy forest berries ripen: strawberries, currants, blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries, bird cherry. Just don’t forget that poisonous berries grow next to them, causing acute poisoning. Even if there are not so many of them, everyone needs to know what they look like, especially if you are taking children outdoors. The list of poisonous fruits is:

• belladonna;
• lily of the valley;
• wolfberry;
• bittersweet nightshade;
• honeysuckle;
• daphne;
• girl's grapes;
• raven eye;
• calliper;
• buckthorn is brittle;
• snowberry.

Wolf bast or wolfberry - what it looks like

Daphne (wolfberry) is an ornamental evergreen shrub, the maximum height of which reaches 150 centimeters. The stems of the plant are straight, covered with gray bark, and have few branches. The leaves are oblong, alternate, supported on short petioles, and have a smooth and hard surface. In spring, the plant is covered with beautiful tubular, four-petaled flowers. The color of the buds varies from light pink, white to bright pink. By autumn, the flowers ripen into oval, deep red (sometimes yellow) fruits, reminiscent of barberry in appearance.

All parts of the bush (bark, stem, flowers, berries, leaves) have toxic properties. For example, wet plant bark pressed against the skin causes severe irritation and pain. When a few drops of wolfberry juice come into contact, a burn occurs, which is characterized by redness, blisters and ulcers. Berries are considered deadly; 5 fruits are enough to cause severe poisoning.

Signs of poisoning by wolf bast fruits are:

• excessive salivation and problematic swallowing;
• pain in the intestines, accompanied by vomiting with blood;
• a feeling of a burn on the mucous membrane of the oropharynx and mouth;
• diarrhea;
• irritation of the conjunctiva of the eye;
• convulsions, weakness, fainting.

Crow's eye

This is perennial small plant, no more than 40 cm high. Crow's eye or cross grass has a long branched root shoot, a straight and smooth stem, crowned with a rosette of four (less often five) leaves. The shape of the crow's eye leaves is oval or ovoid, pointed at the ends. The arrangement of the leaves is cross-shaped. A greenish-yellow flower blooms in the center of the peduncle in spring. At the end of July - beginning of August, a round blue-black berry is formed from the flower, up to 1 centimeter in diameter, covered with a mucous coating.

The crowberry plant is often found in coniferous and deciduous forests, where there is a shady place and a lot of moisture. The plant and its berries contain a deadly poisonous substance - the saponin paristifin. A dose of 10 berries is fatal. When poisoning with crow's eye fruits, the following symptoms are observed:

• sore throat;
• burning in the mouth;
• nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain;
• dizziness, significant dilation of the pupils;
• severe headache;
• diarrhea;
• interruptions in heart rhythm;
• heart failure;
• convulsions;
• cessation of breathing, paralysis of the respiratory center.

Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is a creeping, erect, climbing shrub that represents the genus Honeysuckle. The plant can have a height of 60 to 120 centimeters, and some varieties grow up to 5 meters. The length of honeysuckle leaves is 2-3 centimeters, located on office petioles, they are oblong, have a bright shade on top, and pale underneath. Honeysuckle flowers, like berries, can be varied - white, yellow, blue, pink. The plant blooms in the second half of May.

In mid-summer, honeysuckle bears fruit. The berries have different shapes, colors and tastes. There are varieties of fruits that are sweet, sour, sweet and sour, with bitterness, pineapple or strawberry aroma. The color of the fruit is dark blue, red, black, orange. The shape of the berry is spherical or oval. The plant is found in forests, it is grown in nurseries, and used in summer cottages and vegetable gardens. Not all varieties of honeysuckle berries can be eaten; some of them are poisonous. A distinctive feature of edible fruits is their color. They eat only oblong blue and black berries.

Dereza vulgare (goji) - Chinese berry for weight loss

Goji is a non-poisonous plant native to China, and its berries have beneficial properties and are widely used in medicine. The fruits of wolfberry are very similar to barberry, have the same shape and color. Contains berries huge amount useful substances such as:

• minerals (21 items);
• amino acids;
• The fruits contain B vitamins and a lot of vitamin C;
• beta-carotene;
• polysaccharides;
• iron;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• monosaccharides;
• selenium.

Chinese doctors recommend using goji berries as a multivitamin supplement to food. It is believed that wolfberry fruits slow down the aging process and can help fight diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and cancer. Chinese nutritionists add goji berries to the diet when losing weight, as they:

• Promote the production of growth hormone, due to which the body burns fat.
• The berry contains a small amount of carbohydrates and has a low calorie content, so it is allowed if you follow the Dukan diet.
• Wolfberry fruits prevent the formation of harmful free radicals, thereby relieving the stress the body endures during dieting.
• Fatty acids in the berry help speed up metabolism and remove toxins.
• Eating wolfberry fruits improves vision.
• Help eliminate dysfunction of the diuretic system.

It is impossible to guarantee 100% weight loss when eating goji berries. The rate of weight loss depends not only on the fruit, but also on the chosen diet, diet, menu, and individual characteristics of the body. On average, when eating berries, you lose 1-2 kilograms per week. During the diet, in addition to berries, you need to eat only healthy foods, reduce or completely abandon flour products. Physical activity and regular long walks in the fresh air affect the rate of weight loss. The fruits of wolfberry are brewed as tea and added to porridge.

Beneficial properties of wolfberry and its use

Wolfberry is actively used in medicine to treat diseases:

• hearts;
• nervous system;
• kidney;
• baked;
• immune system;
• eye;
• joints;
• intestinal tract.

In folk medicine, decoctions and tinctures are prepared from wolfberries, which are then used to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, laryngitis, radiculitis, paralysis, sore throat, tinnitus, and cardiovascular diseases. Medicinal properties, as well as toxic, is the entire plant (fruit, root, juice, leaves, stem), which is collected only in dry weather. Due to their toxicity, wolfberries are not used by official medicine. The fruits are added to homeopathic medicines for the treatment of skin diseases.

• To treat constipation, it is not the berries that are actively used, but the bark of the wolfberry plant. To do this, take dry bark (30 grams) and chop finely. Pour the resulting mixture with 200 grams of 30% alcohol, let it brew for 10 days. Take 1 teaspoon of tincture once a day.
• At increased acidity For gastritis, wolfberry leaves are used. Take 10 grams of dried leaves of oregano, plantain, nettle, wolfberry, add half a glass of water, boil for 10 minutes. Drink the prepared herbal tincture three times a day after meals, 70 ml.

What to do if you have symptoms of poisoning from a poisonous plant

If you do not help a person who has been poisoned by wolfberries in time, death is inevitable. The toxic properties of the plant and its fruits spread throughout the body very quickly. If you have symptoms of poisoning from the berries of any poisonous plant, you should urgently call an ambulance or take the victim to the nearest hospital. While you wait for the doctor, do the following:

• Try to empty your stomach of poisonous berries. Induce vomiting. Do a gastric lavage from the fruits: give the victim a lot of water (1-3 liters) with added activated carbon(4 tablespoons per liter) or potassium permanganate, induce vomiting again so that the remaining fruit comes out. Do this procedure several times.
• If you have medications, give the patient any cardiac or laxative, because the toxic effect of the plant’s fruits causes cardiac arrest, desiccation of the body and shock.
• When a person experiences convulsions after eating the fruits of a poisonous plant, use chloral hydrate or milk, a starch solution.
• After emergency treatment for poisoning from berries or a plant, put the victim in bed, wrap him in a blanket, cover him with warm heating pads and wait for the doctor.

Daphne - popular species, care features

These spectacular plants look great as individual specimens or in groups; they look good against the backdrop of a lawn or shrub plantings. But like most beauties, they are very insidious...

The scientific name is given by the name of the nymph Daphne, the heroine of ancient Greek myth. Apollo was inflamed with passion for the beautiful nymph, but she rushed away in fear. God chased after her, and the fugitive, realizing that she could not escape, prayed to the goddess of the earth Gaia, asking for help. Gaia heeded the request and turned the nymph into a slender laurel tree ( daphne in Greek means "laurel"). The Russian name reflects the poisonous properties of these plants and their danger. The most common species of the genus in Russia is deadly wolfweed (D. mezereum), called wolf's bast.

Spectacular shrubs

All daphnes are deciduous or evergreen shrubs. They are distinguished by their miniature size, not exceeding 1–3 m in height, and some alpine species rise above the ground by only a few centimeters. The leaves of wolfberries are entire, long, narrow or elliptical. Daphnes bloom in late winter - early spring. The flowers are small but numerous, densely covering the shoots of the previous year or collected in dense caps on the tops of the stems. The petals are colored pink, purple, greenish-yellow, and can be white.

Blooming wolfberries are not only pleasing to the eyes, their flowers emit a strong and very pleasant aroma, which varies depending on the different types.

Flowering is quite long, from two to three weeks, and in cold weather – up to a month.

Attractive fruits

In the first half of summer, daphnes are attracted only by foliage that is unusual for our latitudes, evoking thoughts of the flora of a warmer climate. But at the end of July and August, wolfberry plants again attract the eye with fruits of bright red, yellow or black.

Unfortunately, in central Russia, fruit ripening can only be expected from the wolf's bast, but its bushes are also fabulously good in the fall. Long narrow leaves acquire a soft yellow color, and between them on the branches sit numerous large red or yellow (in the white-flowered Alba form) shiny berries. They remain on the branches for a long time after the leaves have fallen; such bushes look great in the autumn garden against the backdrop of dark conifers, fallen leaves, and the first snow.

Different - beautiful

In European ornamental gardening, many species of daphne are used, some of which are too thermophilic for Russian conditions. Nevertheless, such wolfberry hunters as alpine (D. alpina) And branched (D. arbuscula), may well decorate our gardens. Of the species common in Russia and, accordingly, more suitable for cultivation in harsh conditions, we can name wolfberries lethal (D. mezereum), Altai (D. altaica), Caucasian (D. caucasica), Julia (D. julia), Pontian (D. pontica).

Meet the wolf's bast

Has proven himself to be the most unpretentious in culture deadly wolfberry, or wolf's bast (D. mezereum). In nature, this species is found in forest areas in the north and central zone of European Russia, Western Siberia, the Caucasus, and Western Europe. The plant got its name from its strong bark, which is very difficult to tear. If you try to pick a flowering twig, under no circumstances should you put your fingers near your mouth or eyes without first washing them.

Wolf's bast is perfectly adapted to harsh growing conditions, therefore it is unpretentious in cultivation. This type of daphne is frost-resistant, does not require shelter for the winter, and prefers partial shade in the garden. It responds well to the addition of peat to the soil. Flowering occurs very early, before the leaves bloom, usually beginning in early to mid-April. The lilac four-petalled flowers that densely cover last year's shoots are very reminiscent of lilac, but the strong smell has nothing in common with the aroma of the harbinger of summer. Most of all, it is similar to the bright, refined smell of waxy inflorescences of Lyubka bifolia.

Genus Wolfberry, or Wolfberry (Daphne), from the Wolfberry family (Thymelaeaceae) has about 50 species, distributed in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Carl Linnaeus, when giving scientific names to plants, dubbed the wolfberry daphne, perhaps due to the fact that the leaves of some evergreen species of daphne are similar to those of laurel.

Blooming wolfberry is not afraid of spring frosts and snowfalls and is very valuable for its early flowering periods. In central Russia, only the hazel tree can compete with it in this regard.

Miniature tree

In nature, deadly wolfgrass usually looks like small bushes with weak branches. Once transferred to the garden, in a couple of years it turns into a neat miniature tree with a thick stem and a rounded crown. Its height does not exceed a meter or so. After flowering, last year's shoots of wolf's bast are covered with thick, narrow leaves up to 10 cm long. In August, beautiful bright red shiny berries ripen, sitting on branches in the manner of sea buckthorn berries.

Cultural varieties

Currently, in addition to the natural white-flowered form, there are the following cultivated varieties of wolf's bast.Large-flowered form (f. Grandiflora)with larger bright purple flowers than the natural species,terry (f. Plena)with white double flowers,variety "Bowles Variety"– a plant up to 2 m tall with pure white flowers and yellow fruits,variety "Rubra Select"with large reddish flowers,variety "Variegata"with white-edged leaves.

While admiring the bright fruits, remember that wolfberries got their name for a reason - most species, including wolfberry, are very poisonous. All parts of the plant are dangerous: bark, leaves, flowers, fruits. 10–15 berries contain a dose of poison that is fatal to humans, so if children visit the garden, it is better to pick the fruits.

Altai wolfberry

In nature, it is found mainly in Western Altai. This is a deciduous shrub 0.5–1.5 m tall, often looking like a miniature tree with a strong stem. The leaves are elongated, the flowers are white, collected at the ends of the branches in capitate inflorescences. It blooms profusely in May-June, after the leaves bloom or simultaneously with them. The fruits are bright red, brownish-black or black. Often a weak re-bloom occurs in September-October. Photophilous, winter-hardy.

Pontian wolfberry

Originally from Western Ciscaucasia. In the garden it prefers fresh, fertile soil and open spaces. Evergreen shrub 1–1.5 m tall. The leaves are large (up to 10 cm long), oval, dark green, shiny. Flowering occurs at the beginning of summer. The flowers are yellow-green, fragrant, quite large for daphne (about 2 cm in diameter), collected in the axils of the leaves. The fruits are juicy black berries. Although it winters well in central Russia, it blooms irregularly and does not set fruit.

Features of care

Daphnes are unpretentious. They require the most ordinary care: weeding, watering in dry weather. It is useful to fertilize with complex mineral fertilizer in the spring and add nutritious compost under the bush in the fall. Deadly wolfberry is extremely frost-resistant.

The ability of other daphnes to endure winter in central Russia depends on the conditions of their natural habitats. Some species may require shelter. Weak and damaged shoots due to early flowering are usually removed in the fall. Trimming is not recommended, because wolfberries grow slowly and themselves form a crown that lasts for many years.

Many daphnes are shade-tolerant, but the best results in cultivation can be achieved in semi-shaded or even sunny areas. Full lighting is especially important for alpine species such as alpine wolfweed, Julia.

Prefers soils that are nutritious, light, moist, but well drained. They cannot tolerate prolonged drying out.

Daphnes benefit from mulching the tree trunks, since their root system is superficial and easily damaged even when weeding.

Wolfworts are resistant to pests and diseases, although they are occasionally affected by some viral diseases and gray mold. Of the pests, the most dangerous can be.

Wolfberry (Latin Dáphne) is a genus of plants from the Wolf family (Latin Thymelaeaceae). The shrubs that are part of the genus have many folk names. The most common ones: Wolfman and Wolf's Bast. Plants naturally grow in plains, forests and mountainous areas in Eurasia, Australia and northern Africa. The growing area covers temperate and subtropical climate zones. Wolfberry has gained wide and dual fame because of its fragrant and beautiful flowers, on the one hand, and highly poisonous berries, on the other.

Description

The genus is represented by evergreen or deciduous shrubs of varying heights: from 20 to 150 cm. The crown is spreading, often cup-shaped. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, hard, with a smooth surface. Flowers with four petals are collected in inflorescences (brush, head, bunch). The color of the petals can be white, pink, or yellowish. In evergreen species, the flowers often have a greenish tint, while in deciduous species they often have a pinkish tint.

V. silky (D. sericea)

The flowers are numerous, with a pronounced pleasant aroma. Inflorescences are formed on last year's shoots. Growth buds are located in the upper parts of the stems. Most species begin flowering in late winter or March. The fruits are brightly colored (red, yellow, black), are juicy drupes that do not fall from the branches for a long time.

Important information: Different parts of the plant are poisonous for different species. These are most often berries, but there are also leaves, bark, and seeds. The poison acts not only upon ingestion, but also upon contact with the skin, causing severe irritation at best. In some species, all parts are poisonous, so you can only work with wolfberry with gloves, and children should not be allowed near it.

The structure of a wolf's bast

Types, varieties, hybrids

The Volchnik genus is very numerous, in addition to about 50-70 species, it includes about 10 hybrids, and many ornamental varieties have also been bred.

V. altai(lat. D. altaica) is a relict deciduous shrub that grows up to 150 cm. The branches of young plants have slight pubescence, old branches are bare. The leaves are oval, 2-6 cm long, green. Flowering occurs in May, the flowers are white. The fruits are dark drupes that ripen in July. In the wild, it can be seen in bushes, oak groves and pine forests in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and in Russia - in Altai and the Belgorod region.

V. borovoi(lat. D. cneorum) or Boletus is a low evergreen shrub, never taller than 40-50 cm. The branches are pubescent, the bark is gray-brown. The leaves are oblong, small (up to 1 cm long). The flowers are collected in capitate inflorescences located at the ends of the branches. The petals are painted bright pink. The berries are dark yellow. Flowering occurs in May or June. In its natural environment it grows in the pine forests of Europe and Asia Minor. The species is grown as an ornamental plant. A very beautiful variety “Eximia” was artificially bred.

V. bovine “Eximia” (D. cneorum ‘Eximia’)

V. ordinary(lat. D. mezereum) or V. deadly, also called Wolf's bast. The species is represented by deciduous shrubs, growing up to 150 cm. The branches are strong, with few branches, leafless in the lower part. Young shoots are pubescent. The leaves are dark green, oblong, 3-8 cm long. The flowers are pink, sometimes white, very fragrant. Flowering begins early, wolf's bast in central Russia blooms earlier than all shrubs - in April. Flowers appear before leaves. The fruits are bright red and the size of a cherry pit. Fruiting occurs in early August. Plants can be found almost throughout Europe, in Russia - in the forest zones of Western Siberia and the North Caucasus. In southern countries it climbs into the subalpine mountain belt. Almost everything in plants is poisonous: bark, leaves, flowers and fruits.

V. Sofia(lat. D. sophia) is a species listed in the Red Book, but found in Russia and Ukraine in forests. Widely distributed in Europe. In shrubs growing up to 120 cm, renewal buds are located high on the shoots. The bark is dark gray. Flowering occurs in May. The flowers are white. The fruits are dark red in color and ripen in late summer.

With fruits

V. paper(lat. D. papyracea) or Lokta is a type of shrub, the bark of which is used in Nepal to make paper, fabric, and rope. The plants grow high in the Himalayas.

V. capitate(lat. D. glomerata) is a deciduous shrub, growing up to 50 cm, with thick stems. The leaves are crowded at the top of the shoots. The flowers are white, fragrant, large. In nature, V. capitate is found in the alpine lawns of the Caucasus.

V. capitate (D. glomerata)

V. fragrant(lat. D. odora) - a very beautiful species native to China. The evergreen shrub will grow up to 1 m and has a dome-shaped shape. In our latitudes there is no higher than 40 cm. In March it blooms with sweet-smelling cherry blossom flowers. Many varieties have been bred based on V. aromatica, for example, ‘Maejima’ with two-color leaves.

V. laurel Philippa(lat. D. laureola var. philippi) - a variety represented by plants with yellow flowers. Shrubs grow from 50 to 150 cm. They are found in nature in Europe and northern Africa.

V. fragrant (D. odora) near the entrance

V. silky(lat. D. sericea) - a species growing in Asia Minor. Shrubs reach 120 cm in height. The flowers of wild plants are pink, while those of decorative forms are white or light pink. Tolerates frosts down to -12 °C well.

V. x thauma(lat. D. x thauma) - a hybrid obtained naturally as a result of crossing V. stone (lat. D. petraea) and V. striped (lat. D. striata)

Photo gallery of species

Growing

Let's talk about growing and caring for wolfberry.

Location. Wolfweed is a shade-tolerant plant, but grows better in partial shade and can develop in a sunny place. Many species are winter-hardy.

Soil and watering. Shrubs prefer moist, fertile soils with a high humus content. The soil must be well drained. Water the plants as the soil dries; overdrying should not be allowed. It is recommended to mulch the soil around the bush. The root system consists of many roots lying close to the surface; damage to them almost always leads to rotting. For this reason, the soil around the plants is not loosened. Fertilizers are applied only before planting the wolfberry; no further feeding is needed.

Trimming. Wolfberry is pruned in the fall. During this period, weak, dried or diseased shoots are removed and the shape of the bush is given symmetry. The branches cannot be severely pruned, since the wolfberry almost does not form new shoots, growing along the perimeter of the crown. Formative pruning is carried out in the first years of plant development, for which the shoots are slightly shortened, achieving tillering.

Hybrid (D. x thauma)

Reproduction

There are many methods of propagation: by dividing the bush, root suckers, layering, cuttings, seeds. Wolf's bast does not tolerate replanting well, so propagation by dividing the bush must be carried out very carefully, taking care not to damage the root system. When growing wolfberry with seeds, freshly harvested seeds are used: in September, choose a shaded place and sow to a depth of 3 cm, water the planting, and seedlings appear in the spring.

When propagating wolfberry by cuttings, green and semi-lignified cuttings are used (cut at the beginning of summer, 10 cm long), they are rooted in June under a mini greenhouse. If the species produces root suckers, then they can also be propagated.

Design of space near a pond

Decorative use

Wolfweed is an amazingly beautiful plant, pleasing to the eye with beautiful flowering and giving a delightful aroma, moreover, various types have their own “shade”, for example, V. striped smells of lilac, and V. laurel Philippa smells of violets. All species of Wolfberry attract bees and are excellent honey growers. Many species, varieties and hybrids are perfect for planting in alpine hills and rockeries.

Border decoration

IN landscape design they can be seen on the shores of reservoirs. They look beautiful on sunny lawns and among low spring flowers such as hyacinths and crocuses. They are also used to create low hedges and to decorate borders. Very good for shady flower beds. Sometimes wolf bast is used to create Japanese gardens.