A selection of photos with a description of the types and varieties of badan
Bergenia, as the plant is called in the official classification, lives in nature in the foothills of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, in Altai and in China. However, the culture is better known to gardeners as badan, photos of varieties and types of which always amaze with the most delicate shades of pink, white, lilac flowers and the splendor of leaves collected in lush basal rosettes.
A spectacular and unpretentious plant, which was first introduced into culture in the 18th century, is still not too spoiled by breeders. Some of the existing varieties are bred on the basis of wild specimens of the most studied species - thick-leaved bergenia. And the bulk of cultivated plants are hybrids with flowers of various colors that are larger than in nature, as well as specimens with variegated and purple leaves.
Badan thick-leaved (V. crassifolia)
Badan thick-leaved is widely known due to the medicinal properties of roots and leaves, which are prepared with a fragrant tart broth. Traditional among the peoples of Altai and Mongolia, the drink perfectly tones, resists infections and inflammations. Thanks to him, badan got the name "Mongolian tea" and is included in the list of medicinal plants.
Wild-growing badan, in the photo, can be seen in the foothills of Altai and in the Sayan Mountains, in the north of Mongolia and in Transbaikalia. The clumps of this plant revive the expanses of stony wastelands in Kazakhstan and China.
Badan is herbaceous perennial... The underground system of the plant consists of thick rhizomes located almost on the surface of the soil, giving rise to short, densely leafy shoots and peduncles with dense paniculate inflorescences.
As you can see in the photo of the incense flowers, the bell-shaped corollas can be painted in all shades of white, pink, purple and purple.
Leafy rosettes of large obovate leaves do not die off even in winter, so greenery appears literally from under the snow, with the first rays of the spring sun. Leathery, smooth leaf plates during the growing season have a bright green color, and closer to autumn they are painted in red and purple tones.
Badan cordifolia (V. cordifolia)
Since the second half of the 18th century, heart-leaved badan has been cultivated in the culture. Previously, this species was considered independent, but now botanists recognize it as a well-established variety of bergenia medicinal.
Plants with dense, heart-shaped leaves and lilac-pink flowers reach 40 cm in height during seed ripening.
This type of badan has varieties, as in the photo, with very light or completely white flowers with a diameter of 1 to 1.5 cm.
Badan Schmidt (V. x schmidtii, or B. stracheyi var. Schmidtii)
Hybrid badans from cross-pollination of plants of different species were first obtained in the 19th century. An example of such a culture is Schmidt's badan, which has absorbed the features of thick-leaved and ciliated badan.
This plant is easily distinguished from other varieties by its glossy leaves with jagged edges. Dense leaf plates are preserved under the snow.In the spring, when flower shoots appear above them, the growth of foliage stops, and resumes with the wilting of the inflorescences and the formation of seed bolls.
White, purple or pink flowers up to 5 mm in diameter open from May to July or August. In autumn, seeds ripen, which can be sown immediately to obtain spring seedlings.
Berry ciliate (V. ciliata)
The frost-resistant species of badan is an indigenous inhabitant of the Himalayas and Tibet, where plants prefer to settle in wooded foothills and on rocky ledges. According to the description, badan prefers shady corners and close to water.
This plant differs from its other counterparts, except for reed berry, by the presence of cilia or pile on the base of the leaf plates. The flowers of this species of bergenia are light pink or white, with a bright almost purple calyx.
Descriptions and photos of varieties of hybrid berry
Creating, as in the photo, varieties and types of badan, breeders give summer residents the opportunity to:
- admire the flowering of these plants longer;
- rejoice in larger flowers;
- do not be afraid that the plantings will suffer from frost;
- paint the flower beds in all shades of pink and purple, white and red.
Many varieties of bergenia are the result of the work of German enthusiasts. The garden badan of the Abendgloken variety, unlike wild specimens, has semi-double flowers of a rich pink tone. Unusual inflorescences open on purple peduncles up to 40 cm high. The leaves of the Abendglocken variety are decorated with a thin reddish edging in summer, and are almost completely colored in purple in autumn.
Badan hybrid from the Dragonfly series stands out for its lush flowering. The flowers of the Angel Kiss variety shown in the photo have elongated-oval dense leaves and racemose inflorescences of white bell flowers with a delicate pink dusting.
Badan Abendglut has bright purple flowers that can be either simple or semi-double. The leaves of the Abendglut variety are green in the warm season, and in autumn they acquire a reddish-brick tone. The plant is compact and at a height of up to 30 cm is excellent for planting on curbs and alpine slides.
Although the flowers of the garden berry Pink Dragonfly are no more than 1.5 cm in diameter, they are incredibly attractive due to their semi-double shape and delicate pink color.
The height of the flower stalk of the Bressingham White hybrid berry is 30 cm. The first white buds open earlier, when the flower-bearing shoot is still at the level of bright green foliage with red edging.
According to the description of Morgenrote, this variety has bright pink flowers with a reddish core. The peculiarity of the plant is that racemose inflorescences can appear not only in spring, but also closer to autumn.
Tall varieties and types of badan, as in the photo with lush racemose inflorescences, are successfully used not only to decorate the garden, but also for cutting. An example of such a plant is the Glockenturm cultivar, whose peduncles in full dissolution reach 50 cm.
Another variety of garden badan for spring bouquets is Silberlicht bergenia up to 40 cm high with delicate pink-white flowers on racemose inflorescences.
The name of the bergenia or badan variety Scheekoenigin is translated from German as "The Snow Queen". A plant up to 50 cm high fully corresponds to its name and charms with white flowers, gradually turning pink towards full dissolution. Powerful purple-green peduncles tolerate cutting well, and the inflorescences do not lose their decorative effect.