“FUTURE IN FLOWERS” FESTIVAL
The festival began on 21 May and ended on 8 July, on the last day of the RUSSIA EXPO. This large-scale flower marathon captured the whole VDNKh area, and unique art objects made of flowers were introduced in several locations simultaneously. Guests could witness more than 100 million flowers, flower exhibits from all 89 regions of the country, and designer flower compositions from institutions and state corporations. Future in Flowers workshop held floristry classes, lectures from well-known plant breeders, and fun trivia games. Visitors were shown the best achievements of national plant breeders: about 400 types of peonies, 140 types of lilacs, 120 types of irises, 250 types of roses, 30 types of dahlias, as well as other flowers and plants of Russia.
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Pansies. Bryansk region
If the beginning of spring was warm and sunny, then as early as in April pansies (called in Russian "Anyuta's eyes") begin to bloom on the meadows and forest edges of the Bryansk region. This is the folk name of the flowers, which botanists call Víola wittrockiána. In the language of flowers, the three colors of the petals have their own meaning: white is a symbol of hope, yellow is for surprise, and purple is for sadness.
Pansies are a long-known, but still popular hybrid of large-flowered European violets.
It is believed that the fashion for pansies in Russia appeared thanks to the work of L. Tolstoy's “Anna Karenina”, in which the main heroine decorated her outfits and hairstyles with these flowers.
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Kamchatka bilberry. Sakhalin region
Kamchatka bilberry (Latin: Vaccinium praestans) is an endemic plant of the Sakhalin region, a wild berry bush from the genus Vaccinium of the Heath family. Locally, this berry is called "klopovka" (lit. "tick's berry"). This unusual Sakhalin berry is distinguished by its large, bright red fruits. The skin is smooth to the touch and glossy. The juicy pulp is edible, but it is usually not consumed raw.
Klopovka shrubs grow near trees in mixed forests and bogs. The plant's shoots can lie on the ground, hidden among grasses and mosses.
The berry picking season is late summer to early autumn. By August, the fruits acquire their characteristic bright red color, and in September, they may darken to a burgundy hue. Berries harvested in August-September have a high concentration of beneficial substances.
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Field horsetail. Perm region
Field horsetail is a perennial spore-bearing herbaceous plant widely distributed in the Perm region. In folk, it is called "pestls", "pistils", field pine, earthy cones.
Horsetails are very ancient inhabitants of our planet, appearing on Earth 400 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs. But back then, they were trees - remnants of calamites, ancestors of the now living low-growing herbaceous "trees," which are found during coal mining. From these remnants, it can be concluded that calamites were huge trees, up to 30 meters tall and with a trunk diameter of approximately 1 meter.
The grass of horsetail contains flavonoids, organic acids (aconitic, malic, oxalic), salts of silicic acid, essential oil, bitterness, tannins, and other biologically active substances.
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Artysh (Siberian juniper). Republic of Tuva
Artysh (Tuvan Siberian juniper or Juniperus sibirica) is a genus of evergreen coniferous plants in the Cupressaceae family of the order Pinales.
In the local language, it is called artysh, shaman herb, arsa, archa, shug-pa. Despite its name, its habitat is extensive. In the north, it grows in the Arctic zone, in the temperate zone, and in regions with a warm climate— in mountains at altitudes up to 4200 meters above sea level.
This is a very hardy plant capable of withstanding low and high temperatures. Moreover, its appearance changes little depending on the habitat and climatic zone. It is considered one of the most frost-resistant coniferous species. Among the shrubs of the undergrowth, juniper is the most long-lived. Plants aged 300–400 years are not uncommon.
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Kurai or Ural rippensame. Republic of Bashkortostan
Kurai is a fairly common plant in the coniferous and deciduous forests of the Urals, belonging to the umbellifer family, with a hollow stem. The kurai flower is considered a symbol of Bashkiria and can be seen on the flag and coat of arms.
Why is the kurai flower a symbol of Bashkortostan?
According to legends, the united Bashkir people emerged from seven main clans. The kurai flower is a symbol of friendship, and its seven petals represent the seven different ethnic groups that formed the Bashkir people as an ethnic group.
The union of the clans consisted of the largest tribes: Burzyans (бөрйән), Usergans (үсергән), Tangauers (түңгәүер), Kypsaks (ҡыпсаҡ), Katays (ҡатай), Mins (мең), and Tabyns (табын). Although, in reality, there were many more (about 45).
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Narrow-leaf fireweed (Ivan-chai). Tyumen region
Narrow-leaf fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop.) known in Russia as Ivan-chai (lit. Ivan-tea) is a perennial herbaceous plant, the type species of the genus Chamaenerion, belonging to the family Onagraceae. It is often considered part of the genus Epilobium. Commonly known as "Koporye tea" and "field tea," in Russia, it has been used to produce tea as a substitute for expensive Chinese tea since the XVIII century.
Fireweed is widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially in the forest zone of Siberia, where it is one of the main honey plants. In the Tyumen region, it grows in the Tobolsk district and the Antipino area. Look for Ivan-chai on forest edges, ravine slopes, and riverbanks. This plant can quickly cover large areas in clearings and burnt-out areas due to its rapid vegetative reproduction, which helps restore soil fertility. Due to its ability to grow in fire-damaged areas, it is also called fire herb, garevik, pozharnik in Russia.
Along with the RUSSIA EXPO, the flower festival is also coming to an end.
The "Future in Flowers" festival continues at the RUSSIA EXPO, where unique flowerbeds from all regions of our country can be seen at the "Space" pavilion until July 8.
The RUSSIA EXPO concludes on July 8, and with it, the flower festival will also come to an end.
