Prilomnik - low-growing herbaceous plants forming lush flowering bushes. In the family of this representative of the Primrose family, there are annual and perennial crops, most of which live high in the mountains.
Botanical characteristics
The numerous genus of the breaker has more than a hundred annual and perennial plants. All of them have a superficial, highly branched root system. The stems are drooping or creeping, so the height of the shoot rarely reaches 20 cm, and can be as little as 5 cm.
The color of the ground parts is bright green. Due to adverse weather conditions, small leaves often become needle-shaped. Dense, sometimes fleshy leaflets are located closer to the ground. Their length does not exceed 2-5 cm.
On tops of shoots, on short peduncles there are single five-petalled flowers. They form a dense bedspread over a green pillow of a bush. The flowers are small, about 1 cm in diameter. The color of the petals is white, pink, yellow or raspberry. In some species, snow-white petals turn into a purple core.
Flowering begins early, sometimes immediately after snowmelt, and lasts until mid-summer. Flowers have a pleasant rich aroma. After flowering is completed, a small fruit is formed - a rounded capsule with small seeds.
Group classification
All known varieties of the breaker are divided into four main groups according to habitat and appearance:
- Chamaejasme. The most common mountain varieties in the culture. The group includes ground cover, abundantly flowering plants. They prefer fertile garden soils in partial shade.
- Pseudoprimula. Distributed in Central Asia and the Far East. They live in slightly shaded and shady areas. Poorly amenable to cultivation.
- Aretia. It consists of dwarf, highland varieties that prefer rocky or sandy areas, hidden from direct sunlight. It’s very difficult to transfer the transplant to the garden.
- Andrapsis The group contains annuals that are easily propagated by seeds.
Popular varieties
The northern breaker. This annual is widespread in the temperate climate of all continents of the Northern Hemisphere. It is found on sandstones, dry meadows, roadside mounds. It is a creeping, groundcover plant with a height of 6 to 20 cm. Elongated, lanceolate leaves are located at the base. Their surface may be smooth or slightly pubescent with short hair. Smooth, erect stems end with a small inflorescence. Each bud has its own short peduncle. The corolla consists of five wide-open white petals and a small yellow core. Flowering occurs in April-July. Fruits ripen unevenly, 2 months after flowering.
Breach of Kozo-Polyansky. A rare species listed in the Red Book. It prefers rocky steppes and chalky hills with sparse grassy cover or small turfs. This perennial plant does not differ in special density of overgrowth, but its leaves are collected in more numerous rosettes. Dense, stiff foliage with a central vein protruding from below. Arrows are densely covered with whitish hairs and end with inflorescences of 2-7 buds. Snow-white petals are adjacent to a bright yellow or orange core.
Shaggy breaker forms dense green pillows up to 7 cm high. Leaves and arrows are abundantly covered with drooping hairs. Flowering begins in May, during this period the thickets are abundantly covered with white with a pink eye, pink and purple flowers. The plant exudes a pleasant, fairly strong aroma. It prefers well-drained, sandy soils with a high calcium content.
Juvenile Breach distributed in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3-4 km. It forms a dense carpet, up to 5 cm high. Leaf rosettes are very dense, densely covered with hairs. The color of the leaves is dark green with a reddish tint. It begins to bloom in May. On the arrow, 2-3 pink or purple flowers with a greenish core bloom. Prefers well-moistened, slightly shaded areas.
Broken Albanian blooms in the highlands of the Caucasus at an altitude of up to 3.6 km. Lives for 1-2 years. Above a continuous carpet of leaves at a height of 10-20 cm, pubescent arrows with short peduncles rise. In one dense umbrella-shaped inflorescence, there are 3-8 snow-white or pale pink flowers. It blooms from May to June.
Propagation Methods and Growing
For perennial crops, the most convenient method of propagation is cuttings and division of rhizomes. They have been doing this since mid-summer, when flowering ends. The outlet is very carefully dug out and cut into 2-4 parts. Young plants are immediately planted in a hole with fertile, well-moistened soil. Delenki and petioles quickly take root and begin to bloom the very next year.
Sowing seeds gives more trouble, but it allows you to get a large number of plants at once. Seeds quickly lose their germination, so they need to be sown immediately after harvest or during the first year. You can sow immediately in the open ground in the winter. The first shoots appear in the spring, but can be delayed for a whole year. Plants first develop a rhizome and only then throw out land shoots.
When growing seedlings, seeds need stratification in the refrigerator for 6-8 weeks. It is carried out after sowing in a container with earth. The first shoots may appear even in the refrigerator, but this is not a reason to immediately transfer the pot to heat. Upon completion of the stratification, the container is exposed in a warm, well-lit place. Germination takes up to 2 months. Strong seedlings are planted in open ground in May or June. The distance between the seedlings is about 10 cm.
Features of the care of a breaker
Growing in rather harsh, mountainous areas, the breaker is well tempered, therefore, he will not require special care from gardeners. He prefers light, loose soils with a high content of gravel, sand or other large fractions. The plant is not demanding on fertilizers, but needs good drainage. It feels great in bright places or in a small shade.
The plant does not need frequent watering, it is adapted to tolerate drought, but excess moisture will lead to decay of the roots. To pests and common diseases, good immunity is observed.
Strong winds or frosts are not terrible for a breaker. Some varieties withstand frosts down to -28 ° C. After the leaves fade, it is recommended to mulch the soil with fallen leaves. Of these, the roots will receive the necessary nutrition. No other shelter is required.
Plant use
The breaker is great for decorating rocky slopes and sandy hills. Its dense green pillows, densely covered with flowers, look good in independent plantings or in the foreground of floral arrangements. It can be used in rock gardens or rockeries.
The northern breach, in addition to decorative ones, also has healing properties. It is rich in saponins, coumarins, flavonoids, which are used as an anticonvulsant, bactericidal agent and natural contraceptive. To prepare the medicine, all the grass along with the roots is used. The broth is used for epilepsy, heart pain, urolithiasis, bleeding, and also against pregnancy.
