Professional paper
Colutea arborescens (L.) – A species for burned areas and Mediterranean pastures
Boris Dorbić
; Veleučilište “Marko Marulić”, Knin, Hrvatska
Željko Španjol
; umarski fakutet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Animal husbandry on Croatian karst pastures primarily focuses on sheep husbandry and more recently on beekeeping. The Fabaceae family plays an important role in the above mentioned economic branches. This is the third highest ranked family according to species abundance (18,000 described species). The stems of specific species from this family can be ligneous (woody), herbaceous, or twining. Various interventions are required in order to increase their amounts on pastures, including the use of fertilisers, primarily through the use of phosphate fertilisers, sowing, planting (particularly the ligneous species), and field burning. In most cases, the best results are achieved when proper grazing is combined with fertilisers. The Colutea genus consists of around 26 species of deciduous shrubs or small trees, with a distribution range from the Mediterranean region and Southeast Europe to Northwest Africa and the Western Himalayas. C. Arborescens – Bladder Senna is a wild perennial plant that originates from the Mediterranean. Its closest kin is the Greek Bladder Senna (Colutea cilica). The Colutea genus contains various shrubs, and they were given their common name because of their large puffy fruits. The largest quantities of this plant can be found in Southern and Central Europe, Asia Minor, and North Africa. Bladder Senna (Colutea arborescens L.) is a deciduous shrub between 2 and 4 metres high with slender and straight shoots. Its few flowers (butterfly-shaped) are yellow and are located in the axils of the leaves grouped into clusters. It blooms during the period from May to August. The fruit includes up to 30 bladder-like hard greyish-black seeds. It grows on degraded stony soils, pastures, coppices, and on forest edges. For the nursery production of plants, the Bladder Senna seeds are stratified and sown in spring. They germinate within 1 to 2 weeks and the seedlings grow fast. Bladder Senna may also be propagated by cuttings. Summer (green) cuttings need to treated with IBA. This leguminous plant shows great effectiveness in the growth of new sprouts after cutting, its importance is immense in the protection of soil against erosion by water, and it is also useful for afforestation after a forest fire. In ecological animal husbandry, Bladder Senna can be used as an alternative fodder and hence wild plants can be protected, primarily in locations where the natural vegetation is quickly destroyed. It is a melliferous species. Scarcely any research has been completed concerning the use of Bladder Senna in forest melioration, both in Croatia and at the global level. Various technologies can be used and modified in accordance with related herbaceous and woody species from the family of leguminous plants. This survey presents the biological, ecological, and economic values of the species in question.
Keywords
C. arborescens; biology; ecology; economic value
Hrčak ID:
193380
URI
Publication date:
22.12.2017.
Visits: 1.743 *