“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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Buckwheat. Altai region
The Altai region is a region of thousands of lakes and untouched natural corners, rich in historical and cultural heritage, with a favorable ecology and famous branded products. One of these products is buckwheat (Latin: Fagopyrum esculentum), a species of herbaceous plants of the buckwheat genus (Fagopyrum) in the family Polygonaceae. It is both a cereal and a honey plant.
The Altai region grows a quarter of the world's buckwheat crop. The Altai region can rightfully be called the buckwheat capital, producing up to 70% of all Russian buckwheat.
Historically, buckwheat grew in Northern India, the Himalayas, Southern Siberia, and the Altai region. Russian archaeologists continue to find fossilized buckwheat grains in burial mounds of the Altai people and in excavated Ural camps of Asian nomads dating back to centuries before our era.
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Rhodiola rosea. Khanty-mansi autonomous area
Rhodiola rosea is a plant from the Crassulaceae family, listed in the Red Data Book of Yugra. In popular usage, Rhodiola is called "golden root" due to its unique medicinal properties and the golden color of its roots. It also has a second name, "rose root," because of its sweet fragrance that closely resembles that of a rose.
In folk medicine, rhodiola has been known to people for several centuries, it is especially popular in the northern expanses of the Russian Urals and Siberia. Rhodiola rosea is often compared to ginseng, although it is much more affordable. It helps the body adapt to adverse environmental conditions and cope with the effects of diseases and stress. It is used to enhance endurance, performance, and longevity.
Interestingly, the plant has always been surrounded by many legends, and the locations where golden root grows were carefully hidden from outsiders.
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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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Crowberry. Chukotka Autonomous Area
Crowberry, also known as shiksha, is a genus of evergreen plants in the heather family. It is widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, though rare colonies can sometimes be found in South America, particularly on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The residents of Chukotka highly value and cherish this remarkable berry for its beauty and beneficial properties.
The Russian name "vodianika" (crowberry) is derived from the high water content in its fruits. Crowberries contain vitamin C, as well as caffeic and benzoic acids, which impart powerful antioxidant and restorative properties to the berry. However, it's important to remember that the fruits can accumulate heavy metals, so they should only be gathered in environmentally clean areas, away from roads.
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Steppe Sage. Rostov Region
In hot weather, blooming sage in the Don steppe emits a spicy and rich fragrance, somewhat similar to the aroma of lavender, with hints of wild herbs and pine. Moreover, the purple-violet flowers stand out prominently against the mixed grassland background.
In the region, the most common type is steppe sage (or meadow sage). It prefers dry meadows, forest edges, and grows along roadsides, fields, and wastelands. The plant's stem, along with its flowers, reaches up to 60 centimeters in height.
The medicinal properties of sage have been known since ancient times. The beneficial qualities of sage for humans are due to its high content of essential oils, tannins, and phytoncides. The plant has astringent, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial effects. It is used in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, sore throats, stomatitis, and bladder inflammation. Sage is also used to relieve toothache.
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Reindeer lichen. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area
Reindeer lichen (also known as reindeer moss), a modest-looking yet completely unique organism in its properties, forms the foundation of the vegetation cover in the Far North, including the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area. It belongs to a peculiar group of plants: a symbiotic organism composed of fungi and algae (cyanobacteria).
This plant is remarkably resilient to extreme conditions, low temperatures, as well as high doses of ultraviolet and penetrating radiation. It easily endures long periods without moisture.
Reindeer lichen is a staple in the diet of the reindeer. The animals can detect the scent of reindeer lichen through the snow and dig it out with their hooves. Reindeer lichen grows very slowly, requiring many years to restore pastures. For instance, the average growth rate of fruticose lichens in the Arctic tundra subzone is 1-2 mm, while in the forest-tundra zone it reaches up to 3-4 mm per year.
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.
