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Colchis boxwood is a subtropical plant native to the Mediterranean, which is often used for landscaping streets, parks, squares and gardens. This is one of the few cultures that have come down to us since ancient times. Currently, the species is listed in the Red Book and is endangered.
What does boxwood Colchis look like?
Colchis boxwood is an evergreen plant belonging to the genus Boxwood of the Boxwood family and grows in the form of a tree or shrub. It is often used for landscaping urban areas.
The height of the plant can reach 15 m, at the age of 200 - 250 years, the diameter of the trunk at the base is about 30 cm. In favorable conditions, representatives of this species can live up to 600 years.
Where does the Colchis boxwood grow
The natural zone of distribution of the Colchis boxwood includes Azerbaijan, Georgia, Abkhazia, Turkey and Russia. On the Black Sea coast, this plant can be found even at an altitude of 1800 m above sea level.
Colchis boxwood prefers humid places; it can often be found in gorges. The comfortable habitat of the culture is the humid Colchis or Kuban-Colchis forests up to 600 m above sea level.
Colchis boxwood is cultivated in the following botanical gardens:
- GBS RAS in Moscow;
- The Sochi arboretum, the parks of Greater Sochi, the Kuban Subtropical Garden in Sochi;
- Mountain Agrarian State University in Vladikavkaz;
- Kuban State University in Krasnodar;
- BIN RAS in Pyatigorsk;
- UNN in Nizhny Novgorod;
- Arboretum of the Adyghe State University in Maikop;
- Arboretum of the Sakhalin Forest Experimental Station in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.
Botanical description of the Colchis boxwood
Young shoots of Colchis boxwood have a green tint, old branches are covered with lignified bark. The plant is characterized by slow growth of shoots, the thickness of the trunk increases by no more than 1 mm per year.
The leaf arrangement in the Colchis boxwood is opposite, the surface of the leaf blade is bare and leathery. The length of the leaves is 1 - 3 cm, they have an oval-lanceolate shape. The upper side of the leaf surface is colored deep dark green, the lower side is lighter. Despite the small size of the foliage, the crown of the tree is dense and dense to such an extent that sometimes it practically does not let the sun's rays through.
The flowering of the Colchis boxwood begins in May. The plant blooms for the first time at the age of 20 - 25 years. During flowering, small green-yellow flowers with a delicate, sweetish aroma are formed in the axils of the leaves, collected in axillary capitate inflorescences. Stamen flowers are located at the base of the shoots, pistillate flowers are collected at their tops. In autumn, after the end of flowering, instead of flowers, fruit-boxes are formed, containing small black seeds inside.
Reproduction in nature occurs with the help of seeds, after ripening they are able to scatter up to 3 m from the mother bush. You can independently propagate the Colchis boxwood and vegetatively, using cuttings.
Growing conditions for Colchis boxwood
Many gardeners often grow Colchis boxwood as a potting crop. This method is quite convenient for residents of northern and central regions with a cold winter climate. In winter, the plant can be brought into a warm room and kept at a temperature of 12-15 degrees, and in summer, it can be taken out into the fresh air.When growing in this way, it is important that the container for planting the boxwood is not too large for it. Otherwise, the growth of the plant may slow down.
In the climatic conditions of the southern regions, planting in open ground is also possible. Boxwood shrubs prefer being in light partial shade. The boxwood crown is easy to cut, so you can give it any shape and turn the tree into an original garden sculpture.
If the seedlings were purchased from a store, they should be transferred to large pots of nutrient potting soil at a neutral pH level. In order not to injure the root system during transplantation, the seedlings are transplanted together with an earthen clod. Plants are usually sold in transport pots along with plain soil. To prepare a nutritious soil mixture, you can take:
- 2 pieces of deciduous land;
- 1 part of coniferous land;
- 1 part sand;
- perlite;
- birch charcoal.
Colchis boxwood is propagated by cuttings and seeds. To propagate a plant by seeds, you need:
- Soak fresh, recently ripe seeds for a day in water mixed with any growth stimulant;
- put seeds on a damp towel, wrap;
- leave until sprouts appear, regularly wetting a towel until it is damp, but not wet (the process can take up to 30 days);
- after the white shoots appear, the seeds are sown in a mixture of peat and sand, taken in a 1: 1 ratio;
- make a shelter of film or glass, keep warm and partial shade.
The first shoots should be expected in 2 - 3 weeks. After the first shoots break out of the soil, the shelter is removed. For sprouts, it is also recommended to stay in partial shade afterwards. Young plants are fed with fertilizers diluted in a weak consistency.
Algorithm for reproduction of Colchis boxwood by cuttings:
- at the beginning of summer, with a sharp knife, cut off semi-lignified shoots from the bush with a length of no more than 15 cm;
- further, all lower branches and leaves must be cut off;
- powder the place of the cut with any means that stimulates root formation;
- plant the cuttings in a mixture of sawdust and sand, water abundantly;
- so that the seedlings take root faster, you can build a small greenhouse for them from improvised means.
Landing in open ground is carried out in the spring. Planting pits for boxwood must be drained, since the culture does not tolerate excessive waterlogging of the soil. Boxwood does not require special growing conditions: the main thing that needs to be provided to it is a well-lit place. In this case, the shape of the bushes will be more compact.
To grow a tall plant, in winter you will need to take care of a shelter, as which you can build a wooden box. Colchis boxwood can winter only in the southern regions; it does not tolerate severe frosts.
In cloudy weather, boxwood requires moderate watering, in dry weather, abundant watering. Fertilizing will help speed up the growth of plants. They must be brought in before August.
During the summer, the shrub is trimmed regularly to shape it and remove the longest branches. At the same time, it is important to remember that the green mass grows very slowly, so the crown should not be cut too much.
Conservation status and threats
Over the past decades, there has been a strong reduction in the habitat of the Colchis boxwood, which is why the plant was included in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, Georgia and Azerbaijan. The conservation status of the plant is considered to be close to a vulnerable position.
In 2012, during the Olympic Games in St.Sochi, along with the material for planting boxwood in Russia from Italy, randomly brought in a dangerous invasive pest - the boxwood moth, massively destroying the plantings of boxwood.
After the discovery of pests on the seedlings in the Sochi National Park, they were supposed to be destroyed, but instead they were treated with pesticides, as a result of which the pests survived, multiplied and spread to the territories of Russia, Georgia and Abkhazia.
This led to the fact that by 2014 in the relict yew-boxwood grove in the Khosta district of Sochi, most of the boxwoods died out, and by the end of 2016 the area of distribution of this plant in Russia had decreased from 5,000 hectares to 5 hectares. In Abkhazia, only 1/3 of the boxwood plantations remained unharmed.
Limiting factors are also:
- changes in natural conditions;
- cutting down boxwood forests for timber;
- pruning shoots for drawing up flower arrangements.
Conclusion
Colchis boxwood is an ancient plant listed in the Red Book, which can be grown independently both in the open field and in a pot. Colchis boxwood is especially often grown by the potting method in the northern regions, since it is very sensitive to low temperatures.
