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15 plants worth knowing

Russia

Russia spans almost every vegetation zone of Eurasia: from Arctic tundra through the taiga – the largest forest in the world, dominated by larches, pines, firs and spruces – to mixed forests, forest-steppe and the steppes of the south. The climate is mostly continental, with bitterly cold winters, while the Far East and the Caucasus are home to forests rich in relict species.

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

where it grows

  1. Silver birch 1

    tree · Unofficial national tree of Russia

    Silver birch

    Betula pendula

    The white birch is the most Russian of trees – the heroine of songs, of Yesenin’s poems and of countless landscape paintings.
  2. Siberian pine 2

    tree

    Siberian pine

    Pinus sibirica

    The “Siberian cedar” is the queen of the taiga – a tree that lives up to 800 years and whose nuts have fed the people and animals of Siberia for centuries.
  3. Siberian larch 3

    tree

    Siberian larch

    Larix sibirica

    Larches are Russia’s commonest trees – they shed their needles for the winter and withstand frosts below −50°C.
  4. Fireweed 4

    perennial

    Fireweed

    Chamaenerion angustifolium

    “Ivan-chai” turns Russian clearings pink in summer, and its fermented leaves have been brewed into tea for centuries.
  5. Buckwheat 5

    crop

    Buckwheat

    Fagopyrum esculentum

    Russia is the world’s largest buckwheat producer, and “grechka” is one of the country’s best-loved dishes.
  6. Chamomile 6

    herbaceous plant · Unofficial national flower of Russia; symbol of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

    Chamomile

    Matricaria chamomilla

    For Russians, white “romashki” in the meadows symbolise summer and love, and chamomile tea is a home remedy for almost every ailment.
  7. Rowan 7

    tree

    Rowan

    Sorbus aucuparia

    The slender rowan with its clusters of red berries is the heroine of countless Russian songs and poems – from “Tonkaya ryabina” to Tsvetaeva.
  8. Sunflower 8

    crop

    Sunflower

    Helianthus annuus

    Russia and Ukraine are the largest producers of sunflower seeds and oil, and cracking “semechki” is a national pastime.
  9. Small-leaved lime 9

    tree

    Small-leaved lime

    Tilia cordata

    Lime bast was woven into bast shoes, its wood is carved into matryoshkas and icon panels, and Bashkir lime honey is famous across Russia.
  10. Guelder rose 10

    shrub

    Guelder rose

    Viburnum opulus

    “Kalinka”, “Kalina krasnaya” – in Russia the red clusters of guelder rose berries stand for girlish beauty, love and the homeland.
  11. Norway spruce 11

    tree

    Norway spruce

    Picea abies

    The Russian “yolka” – the spruce around which New Year has been celebrated since 1935 to the song “A Little Fir Tree Was Born in the Forest”.
  12. Scots pine 12

    tree

    Scots pine

    Pinus sylvestris

    The heroine of Shishkin’s painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” – the pine grows on sandy riverbanks from the Baltic to Yakutia.
  13. Pedunculate oak 13

    tree

    Pedunculate oak

    Quercus robur

    “U lukomorya dub zelyony…” – every Russian child knows these opening lines of Pushkin’s “Ruslan and Ludmila”, praising a green oak.
  14. Common wheat 14

    crop

    Common wheat

    Triticum aestivum

    Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter – golden fields stretch from the Kuban and the Volga region to the steppes of Western Siberia.
  15. Bog cranberry 15

    dwarf shrub

    Bog cranberry

    Vaccinium oxycoccos

    Klyukva from Russia’s bogs is the basis of mors – a traditional fruit drink – and a “vitamin” store for the long winter.