There are places in Moscow where eternal summer reigns. For example, in the greenhouse of the main Moscow Botanical Garden named after N.V. Tsitsina. It contains one of the largest expositions in Russia with the rarest and most mysterious plants from different parts of the world. Construction began in the mid-1980s. Height 33.5 m. Two blocks were built. One of them exhibits plants from Southeast Asia, equatorial Africa, India and the Amazon. Another box contains tropical aquatic plants. The opening is planned for the second quarter of 2015 for the 70th anniversary of GBS HAPPY CITY DAY, MOSCOW! Greenhouse of the Main Botanical Garden. Moscow

Red camellia

during the festival, the greenhouse is transformed into a tropical paradise, where orchids of the most incredible colors and shapes look at you from everywhere, where colors, smells and even birdsong are pouring from all directions. Visitors are waiting for whole cascades of orchids, many of which are located as in nature - on the trunks trees. Not only orchids participate in the colorful show, but also hundreds of other flowering and decorative deciduous plants: bromeliads, begonias, anthuriums of the most incredible shapes and shades - more than a thousand flowering specimens in total. Powerful vines climb the supports and ancient brickwork, age-old palms go up to the glass roofs, fruits peep through the thickets, the names of which are well known to us, but few have seen how they grow: coffee, cocoa, pineapples, black pepper, avocado.
Orchids are the largest family of the plant kingdom. Orchids make up almost a tenth of the entire diversity of the Earth's plants; they can be found on all continents, except Antarctica, and in all types of climates, except for deserts (several dozen species are also found in the middle lane). The lion's share of the entire variety of orchids lives in the tropics, where botanists discover 100-200 new species every year.

Clivia. Family: Amaryllidaceae .. Homeland: South Africa. Clivia cinnabar (C. miniata (Lindl.) Regel). Synonym: Vallota cinnabar (Vallota miniata Lindl). Inhabits shady places, rising from the coast to the mountains to an altitude of 600-800 m above sea level, in Natal (South Africa). Plants up to 50 cm tall. Leaves are xiphoid, widened at the base, tapering at the apex, 45-60 cm long and 3.5-6 cm wide. Peduncle 40-50 cm tall, with 10-20 flowers. The flowers are large, with pedicels 2.5-3 cm long, scarlet or red lead, funnel-shaped, with a yellow throat; petals 4-5 cm long. Blooms in February and May, less often at other times of the year. There are a number of varieties that differ in flower color, leaf size and plant height.

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Again-Kmelia.

Orchid Cymbidium (Cymbidium), unlike other species of the Orchid family, does not require special conditions. This orchid can develop and bloom normally under normal household conditions. More than 60 species of cymbidium are known in nature, growing both in the rainforests of India, South and Southeast Asia, Japan, on the islands of the Malay Archipelago, and in the cool mountainous regions of Indochina and Australia. The leaves of the cymbidium orchid are narrow, long, can be both pointed at the end and rounded. Solid green pseudobulbs each bear up to eight long leaves. Under favorable conditions, leaves on cymbidiums can persist for up to 3 years. Then the old leaves gradually die off, they are replaced by young ones. Cymbidium flowers are fragrant, the smell is quite strong and pleasant. They stay on the peduncle for up to ten weeks. Flowers can be yellow, green, cream, brown, red, pink. Peduncles grow from the base of young pseudobulbs.

White azalea

Composition with orchids

In pink

White orchids

Red azalea

Pink azalea

White orchids

Lady's slipper

Exhibition of azaleas in the greenhouse of the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Ostankino. Rhododendron and Azalea are undeniably some of the most beautiful flowering shrubs in our gardens and parks. The name of the genus rhododendron is of Greek origin and consists of two words: "rhodon" - means "rose" and "dendron", which means "tree". Together it sounds like rosewood or rhododendron.
Translated from Greek, the word "azalea" literally means "dry". Indeed, before the flowers that look like roses bloom, the plant is a dryish shrub with small, rough leaves, like paper ones.

White azalea flower

Delicate azalea

In the period 1950-1970. In the Botanical Garden, all the main expositions were built and collection plots were created - models of the geographical landscapes of the USSR in the flora department, an extensive collection of floral and ornamental plants and expositions "Rosary", "Garden of continuous flowering", "Garden of coastal plants" and "Shadow garden". One of the largest in Europe collection of tropical and subtropical plants, numbering about 5300 species and forms, is collected in the Stock Greenhouse.
By the decree of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences on December 2, 1991, the Main Botanical Garden was named after Academician N.V. Tsitsina.

The Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow is located in the place where there were once unique forests. Part of this forest area has been preserved thanks to the scientific and nature conservation activities of the botanical garden. For example, the Evgenievskaya grove, which is part of the Ostankino oak forest and the Leonovsky forest, are first encountered in documents dating back to 1584. In those days, these lands belonged to the princes of Cherkassk, in whose lands the father of Peter I, Alexei Mikhailovich, often hunted.
After the Ostashkovo (Ostankino) estate, together with the adjacent lands, was bought by Count Sheremetyev in 1743, part of the grove was transformed. Count Nikolai Sheremetyev was a fan of modern gardening ideas and in the nearest part of the grove (in the Pribavochny Garden), he laid out the English Park. The English gardener, equipping the park, tried, as it should be in style, to achieve the naturalness of the formed landscape. In the park, 5 artificial ponds were dug, which were fed from the Kamenka River, a tributary of the Yauza. The main species growing in the park were oak, maple and linden, as well as hazel shrubs. Honeysuckle, viburnum.
5 artificial ponds were dug, feeding on the water of the Kamenka River, one of the tributaries of the Yauza. It is known from documentary sources that the main tree species of the park were oak, linden and maple; the bushes were dominated by hazel, honeysuckle and viburnum.
Despite the fact that the official date of foundation of the Main Botanical Garden is April 14, 1945, the first project for its creation appeared in 1940, its author was I.M. Petrov. According to the project of the 40th year, the botanical garden was supposed to border on the Okruzhnaya railway from the north, from the south - to the current Akademik Korolev street, from the west it was supposed to cover the territory of the Marfinsky complex, and in the east - to pass to Prospekt Mira. The new project of 1945 left the northern and southern borders the same, and from the west and east was limited to Botanicheskaya and Selskohozyaistvennaya streets. According to both projects, the botanical garden included the territory of the All-Union Exhibition of Achievements of Agriculture (now the All-Union Exhibition Center), the Ostankino estate, the Ostankino park and partly the Leonovsky forest. Both projects were distinguished by an excellent compositional solution, thoughtful zoning and conveniently located paths.
During the period from 1945 to 1969, by orders of the federal and Moscow governments, the Botanical Garden was transferred to the land, which now houses the bulk of the expositions and production areas. And in 1998, the Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences was transferred for perpetual use 331.49 hectares within the boundaries of the current possessions.
The modern layout of the botanical garden was designed in 1948-1950 by the architect I.M. Petrov with the participation of academicians N.V. Tsitsin and A.V. Shchusev. A part of the Leonovsky forest in the Yauza floodplain and a section along the Vladykinskoye highway were allocated for a nursery. The project of the parterre part of the botanical garden, as well as the development of the idea of ​​creating an arboretum and artificial microlandscapes belong to L.E. Rosenberg, an architect educated in France. According to Rosenberg's project, one of the largest arboretums in the world was built, which is home to 1,900 plant species collected from different parts of the world.
Significant changes took place in the Moscow City Botanical Garden in the period from 1950 to 1970. During this time, the main expositions and collection sites were created, which were models of the geographical landscapes of the USSR. A rich collection of flower and ornamental plants was collected - Rosary, Garden of continuous flowering, Garden of coastal plants, Shadow garden.
The stock greenhouse of the botanical garden in Moscow has one of the largest European collections of tropical and subtropical plants (about 5,300 species and forms). Thanks to its activities, the Moscow Botanical Garden has become widely known not only in the USSR (later - Russia), but also abroad. The Botanical Garden cooperates with many famous botanical gardens and scientific institutions of other countries, and also participates in scientific research. In addition, the Main Botanical Garden is part of the Department of Biological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In 1991, by the Decree of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Main Botanical Garden was named after Academician N.V. Tsitsin, who is the permanent director of the botanical garden for 35 years from the day of its foundation.

Stock greenhouse of the Main Botanical Garden named after N.V. Tsitsin of the Russian Academy of Sciences("Moscow Tropics") - a unique "museum" of living tropical and subtropical plants, where you can personally see and get acquainted with trees, grasses and shrubs from different continents.

The greenhouse exists as a scientific and educational center, on the basis of which work has been launched to study and preserve the biological diversity of tropical and subtropical plants. Its collections include several thousand species, including rare and endangered ones, obtained from the botanical gardens of post-war Germany and as a result of exchange with other botanical gardens of different countries, as well as collected by the employees of the Botanical Garden on expeditions. Despite such a long and dry name and serious tasks, in reality the Stock Greenhouse looks warm and homely - like a large indoor garden, and anyone can visit it.

It is especially pleasant to come here in winter: regardless of the weather outside, the greenhouse always maintains a high temperature, and it will be a great find for those who yearn for summer on gloomy winter days!

Exposition

The greenhouse complex of the Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences includes two buildings: the Old Stock Greenhouse and the New Stock Greenhouse, however, only one of them is accessible for visiting - the Old, which has been operating since 1954.

The space inside the greenhouse is divided into several exhibition sections, built according to a geographical principle. Each of them maintains its own temperature and humidity levels throughout the year, which are as close as possible to the natural habitat of plants.

... Tropics of the Old and New Worlds: here you can see various types of ficuses and palms, huge bananas, cocoa trees, papaya and even a real baobab.

... Dry subtropics represented by plants of the Mediterranean, South Africa, Madagascar, Australia, North and South America. In this section, you can see various types of succulents, xerophytes and cacti, aloe, acacia and eucalyptus trees, as well as a collection of azaleas and conifers.

... Humid subtropics divided into 3 separate exhibition sections. The first includes plants from the Canary Islands, South Africa, Japan, continental East Asia and South America: laurels, heathers and dracaena, cypress and feijoa are available for inspection. The second showcases plants from Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand, while the third displays a large collection of rhododendron and camellia varieties.

The branches do not just demonstrate plants to visitors, they exist as a kind of full-fledged ecosystems characteristic of the declared region. Between them there are concrete or rubble paths, which you can walk on when you visit on your own or on a guided tour, and in some places, under the branches of exotic trees, there are even cozy benches.

The main part of the exposition is permanent, but there are also temporary exhibits that are changed depending on the season or taken out to visitors during the flowering period. In addition, during the mass flowering of plants of a certain species, an exhibition of them can be arranged in the greenhouse: for example, flowering orchids, which annually attract a large number of visitors.

It is worth noting that the exposition is replete with reference plates with general information about the flora of the tropical and subtropical regions presented, however, the plants are mostly not signed, so it is better to visit it with an excursion.

History of the Stock Conservatory

The Old Stock Conservatory was opened in 1954.

According to a widespread legend, which has no documentary evidence, but looks quite reliable, the botanical collection of Hermann Goering, a prominent statesman and military leader of the Third Reich, formed the basis of the first collection of the greenhouse. Goering went down in history as chairman of the Reichstag and Reich Minister of Aviation of Germany, but there were other positions in his biography, including the Imperial Forester of Germany. Being a great lover of nature, Goering collected an extensive collection of orchids and other plants, which were taken to the Soviet Union after the end of World War II.

Subsequently, the collection expanded through exchanges with other botanical gardens around the world, as well as during expeditions to tropical and subtropical regions.

Gradually, the collections became cramped in the old building, and in 1992 the construction of the New Stock Conservatory began, much larger and more technologically advanced than the previous one. However, for various reasons, construction was soon frozen and resumed only in 2002. The building was completed in 2016, however, it was never opened for visiting; when the new greenhouse will become available to the townspeople is unknown.

Opening hours and order of visit

The exposition of tropical and subtropical plants in the Old Stock Conservatory is open all year round. You can visit it individually or with a guided tour.

On weekends, visitors are offered free sightseeing tours without an appointment (subject to the purchase of a ticket to the greenhouse). It is also possible to order thematic excursions: "Plants in myths and legends", "Ferns and gymnosperms", "The most-the highest: tall, ancient, long-lived", "Useful tropical and subtropical plants: food, technical, medicinal, phytoncidal and decorative" other.

On the site of the Ostankino estate (originally Ostashkovo) 400 years ago there were dense forests, in which a few villages were scattered. In these places, the royal huntsmen hunted elk and bears. The first written mention of the village and its owner dates back to 1558, when Ivan the Terrible granted land to the servant Alexei Satin, who was executed by him during the years of the oprichina. The famous diplomat, clerk of the embassy order Vasily Shchelkanov was appointed the new owner of the estate. Under him, a boyar house, a wooden Trinity church was rebuilt in Ostankino, a large pond was dug, and an oak grove was planted. After the time of troubles, the ruined estate was restored by new owners - the princes of Cherkassk, who built on the site of the burnt wooden church the stone church of the Trinity, which has survived to this day.

Since 1743 Ostankino has been associated with the Sheremetevs. That year, Count Pyotr Borisovich Sheremetev married Princess Varvara Alekseevna Cherkasskaya, who received 24 estates as a dowry, including Ostankino. Later, their son, an enlightened man, a zealous owner, Count Nikolai Petrovich Sheremetev, became the owner of the Ostankino oak forest, rich in birds and game. He forbade hunting, felling, cattle grazing, picking mushrooms, berries and nuts in the oak forest, and so he wrote to his manager: "Do not allow walkers in the grove, and more than shooters and mushroom pickers."

In 1861, after the abolition of serfdom, many peasants near Moscow abandoned their allotments and went to work in Moscow. At the end of the 19th century, care for forest plantations worsened, and later the sale of land for plots for summer cottages began, then a significant part of the forest was cut down, unregulated grazing began, and the destruction of birds and game. After 1917, a law was adopted prohibiting felling of primary forests in the forested zone of Moscow, which was strictly followed even during the war, which made it possible to preserve the Ostankino oak grove until 1945 and later.

The central part of the Main Botanical Garden is a unique protected area of ​​50 hectares. Free access is closed here, the felling is completely stopped. This is a well-preserved oak grove with regal oaks, the average age of which is 150 - 170 years, although there are also older specimens - up to 200-300 years old. Occasionally, there are individual birches, lindens, spruces, aspen, maple and mountain ash. Under the canopy of trees - dense thickets of hazel, honeysuckle, buckthorn, euonymus. Below is a green carpet of herbs: tender anemone, bluish-pink lungwort, evergreen zelenchuk, fragrant lily of the valley, graceful stellate, strict hairy sedge. All these plants are typical elements of the natural oak forest. They owe their lush development to the protected regime of the oak grove. This mode allows you to conduct an ecological experiment - an analysis of the life of a forest in the center of a huge city. Now the reserved oak grove can rightfully be considered the standard of a typical Central Russian broad-leaved forest.

All expositions and collections of the Garden fit into natural forest plantations with oak and birch forests. There are birch forests with forbs, where the creeping tenacious grows ( Ajuga reptans), ordinary cuff ( Alchemilla vulgaris), May lily of the valley ( Convallaria majalis), spring cleaner ( Ficaria verna), hard-leaved stellate ( Stellaria holostea), dog violet ( Viola canina). In summer, typical meadow grasses appear here: the hedgehog ( Dactylis glomerata), thin bent ( Agrostis tenuis), meadow foxtail ( Alopecurus pratensis), meadow timothy ( Phleum pratense), sweet spikelet ( Anthoxanthum odoratum), middle shaker ( Briza media), forest bluegrass ( Poa nemoralis), red fescue ( Festuca rubra), etc. In the midst of summer, the herbage of the birch forest is colored with a white cornflower ( Leucanthemum vulgare) , purple flowers of marsh geranium ( Geranium palustre) and forest geranium (G. silvaticum); pharmacy initial letters ( Betonica officinalis), Phrygian cornflower ( Centaurea phrygia); umbellate hawk ( Hieracium umbellatum) and hairy hawk ( Hieracium pilosella), Hypericum perforatum ( Hypericum perforatum) and etc.

Passing through the birch forest along the alley towards the Stock greenhouse, in the forest you can see Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris) - usually the remains of plantings near former summer cottages. At the Fondovaya greenhouse, you can turn left and go along the clearing into the depths of the forest towards VDNKh. Then you find yourself in the world of deciduous forest in the Ostankino oak forest, which existed on the spurs of the Klinsko-Dmitrovskaya ridge and 850 years ago. The oak grove is represented by a disturbed herbaceous oak forest; disturbed - sedge and lavender-sedge; as well as the indigenous oak forest - zelenchukova and medunitseva. May is the most cheerful and spectacular month in the life of the Ostankino oak forest and Garden, when shrubs and trees are blooming, nightingales are singing, the air is full of indescribable forest aromas, and it is difficult to imagine that all this is happening in a large metropolis, in Moscow.

The modern Botanical Garden covers an area of ​​over 331 hectares. Its unique collection funds include more than 18 thousand species and varieties of plants. In 1991, the Main Botanical Garden was named after Academician Nikolai Vasilyevich Tsitsin (1898-1980), an outstanding botanist, geneticist and breeder, twice Hero of Socialist Labor, laureate of Lenin and State Prizes, who led the Garden since its foundation for 35 years.

When creating the Garden in 1945, one of the most important tasks was the arrangement of open and closed ground expositions in order to more fully represent the various elements of the flora. To demonstrate the vegetation of the Soviet Union, a department of natural flora of the USSR was created, which had such botanical and geographical expositions: the European part of the USSR, the Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East and Central Asia. In these areas, various conditions for plants were created, sand or stones were added, slides, streams and ponds were built. All plants were planted not in plots, but in clumps, with the expectation of creating more or less natural combinations. There was an introduction nursery for testing new plant species.

The modern expositions of the flora department have been partially renamed and show the vegetation of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Siberia and the Far East, as well as wild useful plants. Plants of tundra, dark coniferous, light coniferous, coniferous-deciduous forests, meadows, steppes and deserts are represented on an area of ​​30 hectares. When these collections were created, from the first years of organizing the Garden, the widespread attraction of plants from nature began. Every year, since 1946, expedition teams were sent to various botanical and geographical regions: Siberia, the Far East, mountainous regions of Central Asia and the Caucasus. By the hands of several generations of employees of the GBS RAS, perennial plantations with a tree canopy, undergrowth and grass cover have been created. In the department of natural flora, more than 5.7 thousand plant species have been tested for 70 years. Particular attention was paid to the collection and cultivation of rare and endangered species. Throughout the years of the Garden's existence, the floristic composition of the expositions, the age of arboreal and herbaceous species have changed noticeably. The maximum plant diversity was noted in 1990, when there were almost 3 thousand species in the collections of the flora department. Unfortunately, at present only half of this diversity remains. All expositions are open to the public and are a place of recreation for the population. You can get acquainted with the plants of the natural flora from early spring to late autumn.

It was established in the early 1950s and occupies an area of ​​0.7 hectares. All herbaceous perennials are planted in curtains of arbitrary shape. In addition, there are trees and several groups of shrubs. When arranging this exposition, V.N. Voroshilov developed a convenient and very logical classification of useful plants into sections depending on the field of application, The first section is medicinal, insecticidal and essential oil plants that have a physiological effect on the functions of the human and animal body or have toxic properties. The second section presents industrial plants, among which there are dyeing, tanning and fibrous, which were previously used or are now used in various industries. The third section includes melliferous and forage plants that serve as food for domestic animals: hayfields, pastures, and silage plants. The fourth section - food plants - includes species that serve to support the vital activity of the human body - spicy, flavoring, infusion, tea and vitamin.

Flora exposition of Eastern Europe covers an area of ​​5.7 hectares. Her collection includes about 300 species of plants, including 20 species of trees, ~ 30 species of shrubs and> 200 species of herbaceous plants, some of which were brought from the Carpathians.

Exposition of plants from Central Asia with an area of ​​~ 1.6 hectares - the oldest in the flora department, because it was originally laid down in the late 1930s by M.V. Kultiasov on the territory of the Moscow Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences on Vorobyovy Gory. In 1946, this collection was transferred to the flora department (in Ostankino), but it was opened for visitors in 1953. Botanical and geographical areas were created here, reflecting the main types of vegetation in Central Asia. The mountainous relief is formed from Tertiary clay removed during the construction of the Moscow metro tunnels. In terms of chemical properties, this clay is close to Central Asian loesses. In the area of ​​deserts, a layer of tertiary clay was poured, which was then sprinkled with sand and humus. In addition, there are plants of tugai, mountain forests (juniper, broad-leaved and coniferous forests), subalpine and alpine meadows, steppes and rocky slopes. Over 70 years of the existence of this exposition,> 1 thousand species have passed the introduction test. Currently, there are about 150 species here, of which 22 species of trees, 44 species of shrubs, 67 species of perennials and 4 species of annuals, among them 29 species are rare and endangered plants. You can see all the exposition areas of Central Asia from the top of the hill: a section of desert plants and tugai is clearly visible in the distance against the background of the Caucasian hill, below the juniper - in an open area between dirt paths, to the right under the mountain - a spruce forest, and shrubs of the middle belt grow directly and to the left of it mountains and plants of deciduous forests.

Exposition of the flora of Siberia occupies an area of ​​4.5 hectares, where ~ 200 species of plants from 59 families and 176 genera are collected. Among these plants there are 18 tree species, 33 shrub species, and 50 species are rare and endangered in nature.

Very interesting NSVegetation position of the Far East... It is the largest in the flora department in terms of area (8.5 hectares) and is represented by almost 400 plant species, many of which are rare.

The GBS RAS maintains valuable collections of more than 1,700 tree and shrub species and varieties, collected in the arboretum, spread over an area of ​​75 hectares. The arboretum is built as a landscape park, where plants are planted according to a systematic principle. This part of the garden is very beautiful from spring to autumn, it is also unique on winter days, when conifers are wrapped in caps of white fluffy snow. You walk and take your breath away from such beauty !!!

In 1994, an exposition was created in the arboretum, where 7 types of erica, 18 varieties of heather were brought from Germany. This 350 sq. m, located near the Laboratory building, it is decorated with rhododendrons, barberries, spireas and conifers.

The exposition should be considered the pearl of the Garden and a vivid example of the perfection of oriental landscape architecture. "Japanese garden", equipped on an area of ​​2.7 hectares in 1983-1987 with the support of the Japanese Embassy in Moscow. Wonderful cherry blossoms were brought from the island of Hokkaido to the GBS RAS, the flowering of which fascinates thousands of Muscovites and guests of the capital every year. More than a hundred ornamental species of trees, shrubs and grasses are picturesquely placed around a pond with islands, next to gazebos and a stone pagoda built in the 18th century in Japan.

Very colorful collections of decorative floral plants, which include more than 5.5 thousand taxa. But the exposition occupying an area of ​​2.5 hectares is especially interesting. It has been completely restored and already today demonstrates the most winter-hardy and disease-resistant varieties of roses. In the department of cultivated plants on 10 sites, more than 2 thousand varieties and forms of fruit and berry crops, essential oil and medicinal plants belonging to 700 species are presented.

The greenhouse collections are invaluable, including unique species of subtropical and tropical flora. In total, over 70 years, the GBS RAS has collected more than 5.7 thousand species and forms of thermophilic plants brought from Vietnam, Madagascar, Cuba, Brazil, various African countries, etc. Among them, 100 species are included in the International Red Book. Since 1955, GBS RAS has been conducting an international exchange of seeds with 131 botanical gardens in 30 countries of the world. There is a Herbarium in the Garden, where invaluable scientific material is collected, which is so necessary for researchers of botanical science.

GBS RAS is a unique scientific institution where scientists conduct fundamental and applied research in the field of botany and environmental protection. Here, educational and educational work is being carried out, showing the richness and diversity of the flora of Russia and various regions of the Earth.

The staff and the Administration of the Garden are celebrating their 70th Anniversary with dignity and are setting themselves new and challenging tasks aimed at the prosperity of national science and the creation of a comfortable resting place for Muscovites and guests of the capital.

Vinogradova Yu.K.and etc. Plants of natural flora in the Main Botanical Garden: GBS RAS. M: GEOS, 2008.208 p.

N.V. Trulevichand etc. Botanical and geographical expositions of plants of natural flora .. M: GEOS. 2007.226 s.

Demidov A.S. and etc. Main Botanical Garden named after N.V. Tsitsina - Museum of Wildlife. Moscow: GEOS, 2007.64 p.

Photo: Alla Kuklina, Ekaterina Bulygina

Tsitsin Nikolai Vasilievich - Academician of the Lenin All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Director of the Main Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow.

Born on December 6 (18), 1898 in Saratov in a peasant family. Russian. Graduated from elementary school. As a teenager, he worked in a factory in Saratov.

During the Civil War, he was a military commissar, took part in the defense of Tsaritsyn (now Volgograd) and battles on the Southern Front, and defended the Soviet Republic.

After the war in Saratov he graduated from the workers' faculty at the university. In 1923-1927 he studied at the Saratov Institute of Agriculture and Land Reclamation.

After graduating from the institute in 1927-1932, he worked at the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Grain Farming in the South-East as a research assistant. On the fields of this institute (Saratov Agricultural Experimental Station), being at the same time an agronomist of one of the branches of the Gigant grain farm in the Salsky District of the Rostov Region, N. V. Tsitsin began to conduct experiments that subsequently led him to brilliant results.

From the very beginning, N.V. Tsitsin was interested in the problem of creating more productive varieties of the main food crop - wheat - on the basis of distant hybridization. He crossed wheat with wheatgrass and for the first time got a wheat-wheatgrass hybrid. He widely involved wild and cultivated plants in crossing, which had gone through independent evolutionary paths that determined their genetic isolation. The researches carried out by the scientist in this direction have made it possible to create new varieties of plants.

Since 1932, N.V. Tsitsin worked as the head of the laboratory of wheat-wheatgrass hybrids at the Omsk Zonal Experimental Station, which was later reorganized into the Siberian Research Institute of Grain Economy (in 1936-1938 he was the director of the institute). Doctor of Agricultural Sciences (1936). Here the scientist created mid-early (with a shorter growing season) varieties of wheat-wheatgrass hybrids, distinguished by high productivity and a set of other economically valuable traits. At the same time, new varieties of wheat were created with a branched ear structure. Before that, only forms of spring durum branched wheat existed in nature. The scientist managed to create varieties of winter soft branched wheat, that is, forms that did not exist in nature before. One of the pioneering works of Tsitsin was experiments on the creation of multi-grain forms of wheat, which have a particularly high productivity.

In 1938-1949 and 1954-1957 N.V. Tsitsin - director of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (VSHV) in Moscow; in 1938-1948 - Chairman of the State Commission for Variety Testing of Grains, Oilseeds and Herbs; in 1940-1949 - director of the Scientific Research Institute of Grain Farming in the non-black earth zone of the USSR; in 1940-1957 - head of the laboratory for remote hybridization of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1938-1948 - Vice-President of the All-Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences named after V.I. Lenin (VASKhNIL). Member of the CPSU (b) / CPSU since 1938.

In the postwar years, N.V. Tsitsin created intermediate constant (stable in offspring) forms of wheat, which have an increased protein content and compete in yield with the best standards of this crop. For the first time in the history of breeding and genetic science, he created a completely new species of wheat plant of great scientific and practical importance - perennial wheat, which he named Triticum agropynotriticum... Tsitsin's work on the creation of high-yielding resistant to lodging varieties and forms with shortened and filled straw was also of great practical importance.

The scientist and his collaborators successfully used polyploid forms of plants (containing several sets of chromosomes in cells) in breeding. In particular, a tetraploid variety of winter rye "Start" was created, which had high winter hardiness and productivity. Particularly interesting are the works of Tsitsin and his students on the hybridization of wheat, rye and barley with elimus (giant, sandy and soft). On the basis of 29 combinations of crossing soft and durum wheat with three types of elymus, 7 generations of wheat-elymus hybrids were obtained. In 1968-1969, in the process of hybridization of wheat with soft elymus, highly productive constant 42-chromosomal hybrids were first isolated. They were distinguished by large ears and grains, and contained over 20 percent protein and more than 40 percent gluten.

In 1945-1980, N.V. Tsitsin was the director of the Main Botanical Garden of the USSR Academy of Sciences (GBS of the USSR Academy of Sciences), organized with his participation, chairman of the Council of Botanical Gardens of the USSR (1953-1980), academician-secretary of the Plant Growing and Breeding Department of VASKhNIL (1966- 1968), President (1969-1975), Vice President (1975-1980) of the International Association of Botanic Gardens.

Under the leadership of N.V. Tsitsin, all the landscape and construction work on the development of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition / VDNKh of the USSR and the GBS took place. He initiated the organization of expeditions around the country to collect plants for the botanical garden. Since 1947, Tsitsin has been collecting a scientific library, in the funds of which already in 1952 there were 55 thousand books, including the rarest copies of the 16th-19th centuries in Russian and foreign languages. Since 1948 Tsitsin began to publish the Bulletin of the Main Botanical Garden. Out of 200 published bulletins from 1 to 120, he himself was the editor-in-chief. Under his leadership, an arboretum, one of the largest in Europe, was created on 75 hectares. During its existence, 2500 species of woody plants were tested in it. Of these, 1,800 were selected as quite stable, and of these, in turn, about 600 are recommended for landscaping Moscow.

In 1952, on the initiative of N.V. Tsitsin, a network of botanical gardens of the USSR was created, and the Main Botanical Garden of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR became a kind of national coordinating and methodological center. In the same year, a greenhouse was opened. By 1953, Tsitsin had completely completed the exposition of the flora department, and by 1954, on the second birthday of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition / VDNKh, the garden of continuous flowering, the garden of coastal plants and the collection rose garden were finally completed. In the village of Snegiri, Istra district of the Moscow region, on almost 1.5 thousand hectares, Tsitsin organized an experimental gardening farm.

On July 28, 1959, the Botanical Garden was opened to visitors. By the 1970s, all the main expositions of the garden were finally completed, and collection areas of geographical landscapes were created in the flora department. The garden under the leadership of N.V. Tsitsin became one of the largest in Europe. In his collections there were more than 20 thousand taxa of plants (about 17 thousand were exhibited).

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 17, 1968 for outstanding services in the development of biological and agricultural sciences and in connection with the seventieth birthday Tsitsin Nikolay Vasilievich awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor with the Order of Lenin and the Hammer and Sickle gold medal.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of December 15, 1978 for outstanding services in the development of Soviet science and in connection with his 80th birthday he was awarded the Order of Lenin and the second gold medal "Hammer and Sickle". He became twice the Hero of Socialist Labor.

Delegate to the XX Congress of the CPSU (1956). Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of the 1st (1937-1946), 3-4th convocations (1950-1958).

Honorary foreign member of 8 foreign academies. He was president, chairman, a member of a number of domestic and foreign scientific organizations. President (1958-1970) and Vice President (since 1970) of the Soviet-Indian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations. More than 700 scientific papers have been published, including 46 books and brochures. Has 8 copyright certificates for inventions. Many works have been published abroad.

He was awarded 7 Orders of Lenin (12/30/1935; 06/10/1945; 11/10/1945; 11/19/1953; 12/17/1968; 09/17/1975; 12/15/1978), Orders of the October Revolution (12/18/1973), Red Banner of Labor (11/16/1939 ), medals, including "For Military Merit" (10/28/1967), the IV Michurin Gold Medal, the French Order "For Merit in the Field of Agriculture" (1959). Laureate of the Lenin (1978) and Stalin 2nd degree (1943) prizes of the USSR.

The name of N.V. Tsitsin was assigned to the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Compositions:
Distant hybridization of plants, M., 1954;
The problem of winter and perennial wheat, M., 1935;
What will the crossing of wheat with wheatgrass give, M., 1937;
Research in the field of vegetative-sexual hybridization of herbaceous plants with woody ones;
Proceedings of the Zonal Institute of Grain Economy of the Non-Chernozem Zone of the USSR, 1946;
Ways of creating new cultivated plants, M., 1948;
The role of science and advanced practice in the rise of grain farming, M., 1954;
Perennial wheat, M., 1978;
Theory and practice of distant hybridization, M., 1981.

If you cover the sights of the capital, which every person simply must visit, then the list of the most important of them will certainly include the Main Botanical Garden, which bears the name of its first director Nikolai Vasilyevich Tsitsin. Located in the eastern part of Moscow, next to VDNKh, the Botanical Garden welcomes its guests from late April to mid-October. Before the opening of each season, as well as after its completion, the next planting of cultivated plants is carried out in the garden.

Botanical address, opening hours

The nearest metro station from the GBS is Vladykino, from which bus route 76 runs to the site, on which those wishing to visit the largest botanical garden of the country will travel only 4 stops to the Ostankino hotel. Starting from April 29, GBS operates daily from 10 am to 8 pm. The season ends traditionally on October 19. Guests planning to visit the exposition should carefully read the opening hours. Some exhibitions are closed 2 days a week for maintenance work. An exposition such as the "Japanese Garden" has a shorter opening hours from Tuesday to Friday.

Wide range of exhibitions and greenhouses

Includes a varied collection of plants brought from all over the world. The richest botanical collection in the country began in the spring of 1945. Since then, outstanding botanists and breeders have worked on replenishing the expositions. Guests of the garden can visit the following exhibitions:

• The famous "Japanese Garden".
• The best collection of tropical aquatic plants in Europe.
• "Arboretum".
• "Rose garden".
• "Continuously Blooming Garden".
• "Exhibition of cultivated plants".
• "Shadow Garden".
• Numerous greenhouses.
• Exposition of natural flora.
• Collection of flowering ornamental plants.

GBS card

If your plans for the near future include visiting how to get to the place, you can see it on the map. Trust me, you won't regret this excursion! In addition to the already described expositions, on the territory there are: a reserved oak grove, a heather garden and areas of natural forest. The employees of the laboratory building help to keep track of all this splendor; the stock greenhouse helps to preserve the collections in their original form. Botanists and breeders of GBS do not want to rest on the laurels of past achievements and plan to expand the existing collections, as well as build new exhibitions.

Botanical Garden (Moscow), how to get to a visitor

If the guests of the capital are poorly guided by the terrain, especially if they decide to visit the GBS for the first time, then it will be useful for them to find out the following: the main thing is to find the route to the Vladykino metro station on the metro maps. It will take about 10 minutes to walk from the station to the main entrance to the exhibitions. The main gate is located on the side of Botanicheskaya Street. In addition to the main entrance, there are several gates along the perimeter of the garden. On the way from the metro exit you will see a small gate. There are also entrances from the border with VDNKh.

Traveling by private transport

Many nature lovers travel by private transport, so the question arises when they want to visit the Botanical Garden (Moscow): "How to get to the place from Dmitrovskoe or Altufevskoe shosse, and which route is better to choose?" passes through the Otradnoye area up to the territory of the GBS. If you go along Dmitrovskoe highway, then you will need to get to the intersection with Bolshaya Akademicheskaya street.

Public transport routes from VDNKh metro station

Of course, Vladykino metro station is not the only one from where you can take a bus and go to the Botanical Garden (Moscow). How to get to the place by getting off at the VDNKh metro station? Bus routes 24, 85 and 803 run to the country, as well as trolleybuses 9, 36 and 73.

How much are the entrance tickets?

Children under 7 years old accompanied by adults, as well as pensioners can use free entrance to the territory. For all other categories of the population, the cost of entry is:

• For adults - 50 rubles
• For students and schoolchildren - 30 rubles.

As you can see, the entrance fee is purely symbolic. Next, we follow the most popular exhibitions. Entrance to the rose garden and to the exhibition of decorative flowers costs 100 rubles per adult. Discounts are available for children and seniors. Tickets for adults to visit the unique exposition "Japanese Garden" on weekdays cost 150 rubles (due to the shortened opening hours), on weekends and holidays - 200 rubles. Now we have learned, having decided to inspect the Botanical Garden (Moscow), how to get to it, and how much entrance tickets cost. It remains to decide with which exposure to start the inspection.

Anniversary of the Botanical Garden

In 2015, GBS celebrates its 70th anniversary. The huge glass building of the New Conservatory is planned to be opened for this momentous event. The entire surrounding area is cleaned and ennobled daily. And even now we can safely say that the celebrations will be held in conditions of ideal order and beauty. Since the opening took place at the end of the Great Patriotic War, much attention is paid to the exhibits brought from Germany, which can be viewed in the Stock greenhouse.

The best expositions

We have already learned a lot about the Botanical Exhibition Garden and briefly covered the history of its creation. The real gem of the project is the rose garden. It is also worth noting the importance of two special exhibitions. It will be about the collection of tropical plants and the "Japanese Garden". No botanical garden in all of Europe has such an extensive collection of coastal plants. Among them are wild, cultivated and flowering specimens. If you have a great desire to admire the blossoming sakura, many years ago brought to the Botanical Garden (Moscow), reviews of which are spreading everywhere, - welcome to the "Japanese Garden". People who once saw this miracle will never forget it. Delicate fragrant flowering trees create a unique atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Orchids, bonsai, miniature trees miraculously transport visitors far to the East, to the Land of the Rising Sun.

Rose garden

If we talk about the rose garden, then it is worth starting with the history of the emergence of the exhibition. Back in the middle of the last century, the scientist breeder Ivan Shtanko bred amazing varieties of roses, which instantly became popular even abroad. To this day, the varieties Aurora, Yasnaya Polyana and Utro Moskvy are very popular outside Russia. The total area occupied by the rose garden is 2.5 hectares. In total, more than 270 different varieties of prickly beauty grow on the territory of the GBS. If you measure the number in the bushes, then the figure will be about 6,000 units. Over the long history of the exposition, the best varieties of roses from all over the world have been collected here. Many foreign rosology firms consider it an honor to cooperate with such a well-known organization as the Botanical Garden (Moscow). The address of the GBS in all the years of its existence has more than once become the destination for considerable gratuitous gifts from partners.

To complete the picture, there are numerous ponds and reservoirs on the territory, framed by century-old oak trees. There is an exposition called "Natural flora", which includes trees and shrubs from different regions of the country. These include:

• Plantings
• Types of Siberian forests.
• Representatives of the Far Eastern forest cultures.
• Saplings imported from Central Asia.
• Caucasian plantings.

Visitors, walking around the territory, can get acquainted with the standard of landscape design of the 50s of the last century, which is presented in the exposition "Garden of continuous flowering".

In conclusion, I would like to wish you aesthetic pleasure and unforgettable moments of unity with nature, which the Botanical Garden (Moscow) can present to its guests. Everyone now knows how to get to the breeding paradise.