Sleep on bees - uleterapiya - Ivan-tea. Ivan - narrow-leaved tea - honey plants Herbaceous and shrubby forest plants - honey plants

Blooming Sally or fireweed

Ivan-tea or Fireweed is a perennial herbaceous plant 50 cm -150 cm high, with long, narrow leaves and beautiful crimson, purple-red flowers, which are arranged in elongated racemes. It grows throughout the northern hemisphere. On the territory of Russia, it is distributed in the European part and Siberia. It grows well on felling sites and after fires for 3 years, then it is replaced by other plants. Easily adapts to different types of soil. Wet ground and cold weather are fine.

In swampy areas, fireweed gives less nectar, and loves clay soil rich in humus more, as well as on sandy-stony ground. Flowering continues from late June to September (until frost).
Nectar is secreted by the green fleshy top of the ovary, where rain does not fall and there is free access for insects. Honey bees, bumblebees, flies, butterflies and other insects enjoy visiting the flowers of Ivan Chai, which has beautiful greenish pollen, whose grains are interconnected by sticky threads. Flowers are odorless.
Warm days and cold nights contribute to the release of a large amount of nectar. Fireweed gives bees a longer bribe than clover. Most of the summer (July and August) the flowers produce nectar, even in the cold north wind, when all nectar production ceases in linden and clover. But it is not always possible to rely on bribes from fireweed: abundant rains in spring and dry summers can adversely affect the plant. Unfortunately, the best places to get fireweed honey are not easily accessible.
Fireweed honey is the lightest and sweetest, transparent greenish color, with a mild aroma, delicate spicy taste.

Ivan-chai, as a honey plant, can take first place among herbaceous plants in the forest and in the fields.
Fireweed reproduces in two ways: by seeds of the fruit and with the help of the root system.
The fruit (box) contains a large number of seeds with hairs. When the box opens, then, thanks to the hairs, the seeds fly like a parachute over long distances.
The fireweed root can reach 6 meters in length. If the plant grows in the shade, then it quickly withers and falls off. Then it puts out a big long root to come out of the shadow. The brighter the light, the brighter the color of Ivan-tea. After a fire, fireweed can grow densely not from seeds, but from rhizomes.
So here they are "Parachutes of Happiness", which we caught in childhood! It turns out these are the seeds of fireweed!
Fireweed is the most valuable honey plant! Every beekeeper experiences real joy while working in the apiary, where Ivan-chai grows nearby!
Fireweed is very common in alternative medicine! Great teas, various infusions and decoctions are made from it, which contribute to the treatment of viruses and diseases.

If there was a fire in the forest, then one of the first plants in the ashes, of course, will be Ivan-tea. Perhaps this is because its seeds are light enough, and therefore are carried by the wind over great distances. It grows well on ashes, populating wastelands. In good light conditions, the first flowers will appear in two or three years. Very often in wastelands, meadows or forest clearings you can find these bright pink flowers.

Very often, Ivan-tea is confused with its relative fireweed. However, you should not do this, fireweed blooms in a completely different way, although outwardly it is very similar to Ivan tea. The leaves of Ivan-tea are also different, in fireweed they are sharper, with small denticles along the edges. The flowers of these two plants are also excellent. In fireweed, they are much smaller, and not as bright as in Ivan-tea, sometimes you can even find almost white flowers of fireweed.

In the Amur basin, Ivan-chai is one of the best and most common honey plants. An interesting fact is that plants growing on burned areas produce more nectar. It is also more productive for plants that grow in more northern regions.

According to the observations, we can say that at an average air temperature of 26 degrees Celsius, one flower emits from 5.0 to 7.0 milligrams of sugar, this is at normal humidity. With a decrease in moisture content in the air, the sugar content also fell, and then it was equal to 0.3 milligrams.

From one hectare, on average, you can collect from 150 to 550 kilograms of honey. The highest rates of honey collection are observed in Oluchensky, Nanaisky, and Komsomolsky districts. Along the valleys of such rivers as Anyui, Amgun and Guru.

If favorable weather conditions were given, then the strongest hive could replenish three to six kilograms per day.

If we consider the southern and central parts of Primorye, then here Ivan-chai is not an important honey plant, since the release of nectar is very low, and the areas of its growth are also not large, so it is of no interest to bees. On the island of Sakhalin, the Kamchatka Territory, in the Magadan Region and the northern regions, it grows in abundance, forming entire fields, as a rule, it secretes nectar very abundantly.

From the south of Primorsky Krai, bees are brought here for a bribe, in order to get honey for sale. Thanks to this simple, not time-consuming, due to the relatively short bribe, manipulation, beekeepers have the opportunity to significantly increase the productivity of their apiaries.

Examples of the same migrations of apiaries is their export from Primorsky Krai to the north of the Amur region, where raspberries bloom profusely. Therefore, by the time the linden blossoms, apiaries already have in their combs from 30 to 60 kilograms of honey in each bee colony.

Most of the population of the Far East knows Ivan tea. Let's give it a brief description. Ivan-chai is a perennial plant with a branched strong root. It reaches a height of 0.8 to 1.8 meters. It has large pointed leaves. One inflorescence has a large number of flowers. The shade of flowers is most often pale pink, but brighter color combinations are also found. The flowering period of Ivan tea begins somewhere in mid-July and ends in early September.

But not only honey collected from Ivan-tea is useful. An interesting fact is that the content of vitamin C in its leaves is three times higher than that in citrus fruits. Ivan-tea contains a huge amount of trace elements, which is comparable to their content in vegetables. Its leaves contain iron, molybdenum, boron, nickel and copper. All these are elements that stimulate hematopoiesis, and are also enhancers of the body's natural immune properties.

In the root system of the plant there are large reserves of starch, therefore, in terms of their nutritional value and energy value, they can even act as substitutes for potato tubers. Fresh roots with young spring offspring are very similar in taste to cauliflower and asparagus.

In order to remove astringents from the rhizomes of Ivan-tea, it is necessary to collect them after the autumn withering of the ground part, then cut into small pieces and wash thoroughly. After these procedures, the rhizomes are dried and ground in a mortar or coffee grinder.

The resulting powder is very useful to add to the flour in the dough for baking, it can increase their sweet taste.

Drinks made from the flowers and leaves of the plant also have a pleasant taste. Young leaves and shoots can be added as greens to salads and soups.

Koporye tea, famous in Russia, was obtained precisely from the leaves of Ivan-tea. This tea in very large quantities was sent for sale to other countries, so it was popular. Koporye tea is in no way inferior in its useful and gustatory qualities to the famous Georgian tea.

In Tibet, Ivan tea is used medicinally, mainly as a hypnotic and antipyretic medicine. Also, Ivan-tea leaves have an excellent wound-healing effect. Very often, doctors who adhere to folk methods of treatment prescribe various fees, which include Ivan-tea. Such diseases are gastritis, stomach ulcers, colitis, as well as other diseases where its anti-inflammatory effect is required.

Referring to all these data, we can conclude that the cultivation of this plant in the gardens of rural residents, as well as summer cottages, would be of great benefit. With the help of Ivan-tea, it is possible to realize real savings. Just think, it can replace many of the early vegetables that people buy in supermarkets at inflated prices, and even with no guarantee of product quality. It can be used as a good honey plant, as well as a valuable medicine. But, perhaps, the main advantage for the city dweller, so striving for the natural environment and beauty after the noise of the city, is the aesthetic appeal of the plant. If Ivan-tea is planted in the garden, it will delight the eye with its bright pink flowers throughout almost the entire summer, due to which the summer cottage will immediately change and be filled with colors.

Ivan-tea honey, obtained by bees from the nectar of this plant, is transparent, with a slight yellow tint. It has a delicate delicate aroma, after the formation of crystals it acquires a white color. The consistency resembles snow grains, and sometimes even sour cream or lard. Good at providing bees with food in winter.

Ivan-chai propagates by shoots, seeds and rhizomes, so that it can be easily transferred from the forest edge to the backyard.

According to the journal Beekeeping.

Ivan - narrow-leaved tea - Chamerion angustifolium (L.)Holub. Herbaceous and shrubby forest plants - honey plants.
Ivan tea is a perennial herbaceous plant of the fireweed family (Onagraceae), 60-120 cm high, with erect, cylindrical, slightly branched stems. Ivan-tea leaves are alternate sessile, lanceolate, pointed, dark green, bluish-green below, purple-pink flowers, collected in a long terminal raceme. Ivan-tea corolla with four petals. Calyx deep, four-parted, eight stamens, pistil with four-parted stigma and lower ovary. The fruit is a long, four-sided pod-like capsule. Ivan-tea seeds are numerous, with a fluffy white tuft.

Ivan-tea narrow-leaved is distinguished by a long flowering time (1-2 months), and flowers - by an abundance of nectar. During flowering, one flower releases from 0.46 to 25.0 mg. Honey productivity thickets of willow-tea reaches 350–500 kg/ha. The honey productivity of one plant is 0.79 g, one flower is 9.8 mg.

Ivan-chai also has a high pollen content.

Ivan-tea often grows along with raspberries in fresh cutting areas and burnt areas. In the taiga regions of the European part and Siberia, control hives show daily honey yields of up to 10–14 kg. Quite widespread throughout the Non-Chernozem zone. Often forms continuous thickets. In many places it is one of the main honey plants. In terms of distribution and honey productivity, it has no equal.

blooms from June to August. bees very actively visit the flowering plant Ivan-tea.
Fireweed honey in liquid form it is watery-transparent, with a greenish tinge, in a crystallized state it is almost white. A fine-grained, greasy mass crystallizes quickly. The aroma is very delicate, but slightly pronounced, the taste is pleasant. It has long been used as a sedative, anti-inflammatory and enveloping agent for gastritis with high acidity, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. They successfully treat throat diseases, constipation, chronic diseases of internal organs. In Tibetan medicine, it is used for diseases of the mucous membranes and skin. This honey stimulates blood formation and increases the protective properties of the body, and dissolved in warm water has a beneficial effect on insomnia and headaches, normalizes bowel activity, and is useful for nursing mothers.

Blooming Sally is a medicinal plant. Ivan-chai has long been known in Russia as "Koporsky tea". Tea was made from its leaves, which was in demand far beyond the borders of the St. Petersburg province. Fireweed angustifolia has astringent, hemostatic, mild laxative, emollient, wound-healing effect and a weak soporific property. An aqueous infusion of the herb is taken internally for headaches and insomnia and as a uterine remedy. Crushed leaves are applied to wounds.

pollen grains Ivan tea three-pore, spherical shape. Diameter 4.8-8.4 microns. Rounded-triangular in outline from the pole, with pronounced pores, rounded from the equator. The pores are round, intrarim, 17-20 microns in diameter; pore membrane tuberculate. Mesoporium width 61.2-68.8 µm. The exine in the center of the mesoporium is 1.6-1.8 µm thick, near the pores it is thickened up to 7 µm. The sculpture is thin, smoothed-tuberculate. The color of the pollen is yellow-green.