PlantsMap

EN PL

8 plants worth knowing

Belarus

Belarus is a flat, wooded country with a temperate climate transitional between maritime and continental – forests, mostly pinewoods and mixed forests, cover about 40% of its area. In the south lies Polesia, with some of the largest peat bogs in Europe and the floodplains of the Pripyat, while on the border with Poland lies Białowieża Forest, the last remnant of primeval lowland forest on such a scale.

Hover over a plant to see on the map where it grows.

where it grows

  1. Flax 1

    crop · Flax flowers on the coat of arms of Belarus

    Flax

    Linum usitatissimum

    Blue fields of flax are a calling card of Belarus – flax appears on the state coat of arms, and its fibres have been woven into famous linen for centuries.
  2. Cornflower 2

    flower · Regarded as one of the floral symbols of Belarus

    Cornflower

    Centaurea cyanus

    The blue “valoshka” among the rye is a favourite motif of Belarusian songs, wreaths and embroidery.
  3. Red clover 3

    herbaceous plant · Clover flowers on the coat of arms of Belarus

    Red clover

    Trifolium pratense

    Pink clover heads entwine the Belarusian coat of arms – a tribute to the meadows and pastures that fed the countryside here.
  4. Scots pine 4

    tree

    Scots pine

    Pinus sylvestris

    The pine is the most important tree in Belarus – pinewoods make up about half of the country’s forest area.
  5. Bog cranberry 5

    dwarf shrub

    Bog cranberry

    Vaccinium oxycoccos

    In autumn Belarusian bogs turn red with cranberries – picking them is a traditional occupation for the people of Polesia.
  6. Potato 6

    crop

    Potato

    Solanum tuberosum

    The bulba is the heart of Belarusian cooking – grated into draniki, babka and kalduny – and Belarusians are jokingly called “bulbashi”.
  7. Silver birch 7

    tree

    Silver birch

    Betula pendula

    In spring Belarusians gather birch sap en masse, and white birches by roads, fields and cemeteries are one of the country’s most recognisable sights.
  8. Pedunculate oak 8

    tree

    Pedunculate oak

    Quercus robur

    The tree of the Slavic thunder god – oaks several hundred years old grow in Białowieża Forest and in Polesia.