About a plant, goof is rarely heard in our latitudes. Many will be interested to know why it is so called, what it looks like, what it is used for and in what climate it grows.

Loch: description and meaning of the name of the plant

Sucker is a small ornamental tree of the Sucker family. There are evergreen and deciduous species of shrubs, most of them prickly. They grow in Asia, North America and in Russia. Silvery shoots and large green leaves with petioles, which become bright yellow in autumn, give the plant a special beauty.

In the spring, sucker throws single-green or yellow-green flowers. They are very fragrant, melliferous and attract bees. The fruits of the plant are red-pink, oblong, with a stone (drupes). You can eat sweet flesh.

It’s easy to grow such a tree.

Sucker is not picky, loves light, survives well in arid areas, does not require special soil.

The plant received its Latin name from the Greek term "elaiagnos", which includes two words: "elaia" - berry, olive and "agnos" - the tree of Abraham. So they called the goof, because the trunk, leaves and berries of the plant are very similar in shape and color to the olive tree.

In different countries, the bush is called in its own way. In Japan - gummi, in India - pshat, and in the countries of Central Asia - jida, jigida. Europeans call the plant a wild olive, and Russians call it a goof, a silver tree.

The berries of the plant are widely used, having in their composition many valuable trace elements:

  • tannins (tannin);
  • protein complexes;
  • carbohydrates (glucose, fructose);
  • potassium, magnesium (salts);
  • organic acids;
  • vitamins C, E.

The rich composition of the plant determines the useful properties of sucker:

  1. Normalizes digestion.
  2. Strengthens the heart and blood vessels, reduces the risk of heart attacks.
  3. It has a sedative effect on the body, soothes.
  4. Removes parasites from the body.
  5. Normalizes the functioning of the nervous system.
  6. Promotes wound healing.
  7. Tones up, strengthens immunity.

In the leaves of the sucker a large amount of ascorbic acid, which strengthens the immune system. Therefore, tea from dry raw materials is useful to drink during the period of seasonal colds. Aromatic essential oil is obtained from the flowers.

Common types and varieties

They call a different number of varieties of sucker, common throughout the world. Some sources indicate the number 40, others, in particular The Plant List, include 98 species and 331 variant names (varieties, including synonyms).

Goof chilean

This phrase is used in colloquial speech of our compatriots. It, in fact, does not mean a species of plant goof. In Chile, this shrub is not cultivated; among its species, there is no Chilean. This phrase, built on a fictitious name, has a slang tone.

Multifloral goof

This type of plant is common in China and Japan. Locals call it gumi (gummy). In our country, this species also adapts normally, the plant is frost-resistant.

  • The tree does not grow above 1-1.5 meters.
  • Scaly shoots, red.
  • On oval leaves there are also silver flakes, the bottom is brown.
  • In mid-June, flowers appear: not single, but whole inflorescences. They resemble bells, have a white and yellow hue.

This type of plant is characterized by high productivity. The large fruits of the multiflowered sucker ripen in August. They are bright red, on long stalks, outwardly similar to dates. The berries are juicy, have a sour taste and are very useful. The Japanese call them the fruits of longevity.

Due to the presence of organic acids in the plant (aspartic, glutamic), as well as lysine, berries of a multiflowered sucker, inflammatory processes in the stomach and intestines are removed. For this, fresh fruits are used that can be stored for no more than a week.

Goof indian

Pshat - this is the name of this type of plant in the homeland, in Hindustan.

  • The tree has a lush crown, smooth brown bark with small spikes and roots deeply growing in the ground.
  • The leaves of the Indian sucker in the form of a lancet, taper on both sides, are kept on small petioles.
  • The palette of shades - from light green to silver, the bottom of the leaves is white.

Pshat blooms in the first days of summer for three weeks. Small yellow flowers are fragrant, have a lot of nectar.

Indian sucker honey is very tasty.

The life span of pshat reaches 60 years, the tree grows up to 10 meters. Having reached 4 years of age, the shrub brings the first fruits. Fruits are small, with an oval bone. The fruits ripen gradually, not all at once. It depends on the weather, because it takes several sunny and warm days to mature.

Silver goof

This type of plant is found in North America, and it was brought there from Japan. Deciduous shrub, small (2-3 m), has a branched crown. There are spiky and non-spiky varieties of wood. Growing slowly.

  • A characteristic feature of the plant is the silver color of oval leaves on both sides, its flowers on the outside are of the same shade, as well as silver scales on the fruits of the sucker.
  • Shrub shoots are red, the old bark has a gray tint.
  • Silver sucker flowers appear after the leaves fall (in May, June). They are small, yellow inside, gray outside. Flowering period - up to 20 days.
  • Fruits appear in an 8-year-old tree; they begin to ripen in mid-September. Berries - round or oval-shaped drupes of brown color. The pulp of the fruit is sweet, dry.

Several subspecies of the bush are known:

  • green;
  • barbed;
  • cultural.

The plant tolerates frost and drought. In conditions of increased gas contamination of the city, silver goof feels fine too.

Narrow-leaved goof

Shrubs are often found in the Caucasus and southern Russia, in Central Asia, Kazakhstan. They grow in the forest, in the field, on the banks of reservoirs. Plants of this species are low (6–8 m), have a curved trunk with brown bark, spiny branches and a lush crown.

  • Shoots have silvery scales.
  • The leaves grow up to 8 cm in length, have a gray-green hue, the bottom is in white scales.
  • The flowering period is mid-June (2-3 weeks). Fragrant flowers are orange outside and silvery inside.

Fruits narrow-leaved sucker in late summer. Berries are first silvery, then acquire a brown hue.

The tree grows quickly, resistant to frost, drought.

With the help of narrow-leaved sucker create hedges, using its property to quickly let out shoots.

Sucker umbrella

Akigumi - this is the name of the plant, common in East Asia. An umbrella sucker grows in the form of a tree or a bush; it is often grown in bonsai houses.

  • The plant is low (2-4 m), the crown is magnificent.
  • Young silvery shoots have thorns.
  • Light green leaves in the form of an ellipse, not more than 7 cm.
  • Light yellow flowers appear in mid-July.

Fruits an umbrella goof that has reached 9 years of age. Small pink berries with an oval bone ripen in October. They make jam and wine, eat raw to strengthen immunity.

Prickly goof

Navashirogumi is the second name for this evergreen thorny shrub. It grows up to 7 m, has a large crown and many overgrown shoots. Thorny branches goof clings to objects, plants and "climb" on them even higher (up to 10 m).

  • Oval oblong leaves with wavy edges have a brilliant saturated green color, their bottom is silver.
  • A feature of prickly sucker is the period of flowering and fruiting. The plant blooms in October – November, and the fruits appear in April.
  • Small flowers appear in bunches, have a silver-white hue, and inside are golden.
  • The fruits are light brown, and when ripe, they acquire a red tint.

Such varieties of navashirohumi are popular:

  1. Frederick (green-yellow leaves).
  2. Tri-color (yellow, white and pink color of large leaves).
  3. Variegated (white-yellow frame of leaves).
  4. Golden (leaves with an orange border).

Prickly sucker is often used to decorate the landscape, decorate walls and fences. It withstands severe frosts.

Features of cultivation and care

Reproduction of sucker is possible in several ways:

  • cuttings (used for evergreen species);
  • root processes (readiness for planting after 2 years);
  • seeds.

A place for the plant should be selected protected from the wind, without a shadow, so that there is a lot of light. The quality of the soil does not matter - the goof is not picky about the soil. Sowing is most often carried out in September – October, less often in April, but before that the seeds are kept in water for a week.

Sucker can be planted in autumn and mid-spring.

  1. For seedlings, dig holes (with a diameter of 0.5 m) at a distance of 2-3 meters from each other.
  2. A fertilizer mixture consisting of sand, compost, double superphosphate, nitrogen and wood ash is placed in them.
  3. The root neck of the seedling is 4-6 cm covered with soil.
  4. Immediately after planting, seedlings should be watered abundantly.

Although the sucker does not need special conditions for growth, it is necessary to care for the plant.

How to keep:

  1. Once a year to feed. To do this, dig up the earth around the trunk, apply fertilizer and water.
  2. In the fall and after winter, prune dry and damaged branches.
  3. Loosen the earth every 7–10 days and remove weeds near the sucker.
  4. In hot weather, regularly water, then mulch with peat.
  5. For rejuvenation, pruning 14-year-old trees. In this case, about a third of the branches are cut.
  6. During frosts, it is better to cover the plant with branches of brushwood. It is not necessary to use for covering other material under which the tree roars.

The unpretentiousness of the plant, attractiveness, ease of planting and care allow you to successfully use the goof to decorate the infield.And the healing properties of the fruit improve health.

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