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Mountain bract poppy on Mount Beshtau. Beshtaurian poppies Where poppies bloom in Beshtau

They are hidden on purpose and no one says where they are. Some consider them the standard of youth and charm. Some people think they suck blood if you walk here. A symbol of sleep and death, they say. But overall, you won't see them anywhere else in the world.

Beshtaugorsky bract poppy is a one-of-a-kind plant; it can only be found on Mount Beshtau. Found nowhere else in the world. Found in the Red Book. Endemic to our foothills of the North Caucasus.

They bloom around the beginning of June and are gone by the 12th. We were lucky.

One of the most ancient plants existing on Earth. Every year many plants disappear. Our poppies are under threat. Lots of assholes, they vomit one way or another. They do not know that once plucked, it lives only a short time. The Beshtaugorsk flower, or rather its ancestors, bloomed in the era of dinosaurs. The description of this plant was compiled quite recently.

The plant itself can be 120 cm high. The leaves are located at the root. Petals are blood red. The poppy bowl can be 30-40 cm wide. The funny thing is that the substances of such a plant can be used to obtain anti-drug drugs. And not for drugs, as was usually believed.

They are already falling.

There are beautiful specimens.

Just a week ago everything here was on fire.

Scarlet fire.

You can estimate the slope. It's not easy to get to them.

Poppy slope from afar. I won't tell you how to get there. Because many people began to appear. Therefore, many experts do not disclose information and do not advise going to the slope. I'll probably support it.

The relict plant grows at approximately 1000 meters above sea level. Every year the poppies climb higher and higher. Escaping from people.

Summer. The rains have finally stopped and poppies are blooming on the mountain. Not simple poppies, of which the fields are full, but real giants. The diameter of the open flower can reach 25 cm, and the height is 1-1.5 meters! As soon as the flowers bloomed in full force, crowds of tourists formed near the mountain.

From the books “Plants of the Red Book”, “Red Book of the USSR”, the reliable name of the flower is known - bract poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl). A plant species that is endangered.

Taproot perennial with a multi-headed caudex.

Plants up to 100-150 cm tall with flowers up to 25 cm in diameter. Blooms in May-June.

It reproduces mainly by seeds, and also vegetatively - by particulating the upper part of the root.

In Russia, it grows in the Stavropol Territory on the laccolithic mountains of Pyatigorye - Beshtau, Sheludivaya, Camel, Byk, Lysaya, and was previously also indicated near Kislovodsk in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic along the ridge. Arik and Tersky, bl. Urozhaynoye, Verkhniy Kurp;

In the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Tersky Range: Old Batakoyurt - Mozdok). In the Republics of Ingushetia and Chechnya - along the Terek and Sunzhensky ranges. (Voznesenskaya, Table Mountain, Lower-Upper Achaluki, Sleptsovskaya, Grozny, Magomet-Yurt, etc. Described from Pyatigorye (city of Beshtau).

Outside Russia, the information is given for northern and western Iran, the information is probably erroneously unreliable.

The plant grows at approximately 1000 meters above sea level.

It grows in steppe mountain meadows, among bushes and on gravelly slopes at altitudes of 400-1000 m above sea level. ur. m.

The number is in the range of 3-5 thousand copies. Rare throughout the North Caucasus, more often found in small groups and single specimens.
State of local populations. The most reliable data is for the Caucasian Mineral Waters region - up to 1000 individuals (of which at least half grows on the largest laccolith in the city of Beshtau), in North Ossetia along the Tersky ridge. about 1000 individuals, as well as in the Sunzhensky Range. (near Nizhnie - Verkhnie Achaluki) - up to 500 specimens. Information about other locations in the North. The Caucasus is very uncertain.

Information about the growth of the species on the Zmeyka mountain in Pyatigorye in Lately are not confirmed, but near Kislovodsk - since the time of A.P. Overina. On Mount Sheludiva (Caucasian Mineral water), where until quite recently there was one of the most abundant populations, only a few individuals remain.

Factors that influence flower size limit - Plucking flowering plants, excavation for transfer to gardens, excessive tourist attendance leading to erosion of slopes, industrial destruction of mountains.

To protect the species from extinction, it was included in the Red Books of the USSR (1978,1984) and the RSFSR (1988). The species is included in the Red Books of the Stavropol Territory (2002), the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania (1999) and Kabardino-Balkaria (2000).

Establishment of botanical reserves in the Kavminvod region on the city of Beshtau (classical location) and other laccolithic mountains - on the city of Lysoy and others, in Kabardino-Balkaria on the Tersky Range, in Ingushetia on the Sunzhensky and Tersky Ranges. (based on the project of the Achaluki-Malgobek nature reserve). Monitoring the state of populations. Prohibition of haymaking in places where the species grows until the seeds ripen.

Cultivated at 11 botanical gardens Russia from Kirovsk (PABSI RAS) to Pyatigorsk (station BIN RAS). Growing the species is not difficult. In culture it successfully reproduces both by seeds and caudex particles; used as decorative in landscape design.

Unfortunately, this year the plant was attacked by poisonous hogweed. Combined with the crowd of tourists, it seems that next year there will be even fewer poppies.

The calling card of Mount Beshtau is under threat.

View of Pyatigorsk from Mount Beshtau.

There are a lot of tourists this year.

They even come by bus.

This active interest in poppies is caused by publications in local social media pages.

Hopefully everything will work out.

View of the Beshtau ring road towards the poppy slope.

I notice another group walking up the slope.

It's time to go down.

View of Mount Sheludivaya.

And a few more photos.

Hogweed surrounds flowers.

From the books “Plants of the Red Book”, “Red Book of the USSR”, the reliable name of the flower is known - bract poppy (Papaver bracteatum Lindl). A plant species that is endangered.

Taproot perennial with a multi-headed caudex.

Plants up to 100-150 cm tall with flowers up to 25 cm in diameter. Blooms in May-June.

It reproduces mainly by seeds, and also vegetatively - by particulating the upper part of the root.

Outside Russia, the information is given for northern and western Iran, the information is probably erroneously unreliable.

The plant grows at approximately 1000 meters above sea level.

It grows in steppe mountain meadows, among bushes and on gravelly slopes at altitudes of 400-1000 m above sea level. ur. m.

The number is in the range of 3-5 thousand copies. Rare throughout the North Caucasus, more often found in small groups and single specimens.
State of local populations. The most reliable data is for the Caucasian Mineral Waters region - up to 1000 individuals (of which at least half grows on the largest laccolith of the city of Beshtau), in North Ossetia along the Tersky Range. about 1000 individuals, as well as in the Sunzhensky Range. (near Nizhnie - Verkhnie Achaluki) - up to 500 specimens. Information about other locations in the North. The Caucasus is very uncertain.

Information about the growth of the species on the Zmeyka mountain in Pyatigorye has not been confirmed recently, and near Kislovodsk - since the time of A.P. Overina. On Mount Sheludiva (Caucasian Mineral Waters), where until quite recently there was one of the most abundant populations, only a few individuals remain.

Factors that influence the limit of the number of flowers - Picking off flowering plants, digging them up for transfer to gardens, excessive tourist attendance leading to erosion of slopes, industrial destruction of mountains.

Cultivated in 11 botanical gardens of Russia from Kirovsk (PABSI RAS) to Pyatigorsk (station BIN RAS). Growing the species is not difficult. In culture it successfully reproduces both by seeds and caudex particles; used as decorative in landscape design.

Unfortunately, this year the plant was attacked by poisonous hogweed. Combined with the crowd of tourists, it seems that next year there will be even fewer poppies.

The calling card of Mount Beshtau is under threat.

View of Pyatigorsk from Mount Beshtau.

There are a lot of tourists this year.

They even come by bus.

This active interest in poppies is caused by publications in local social media pages.

Hopefully everything will work out.

View of the Beshtau ring road towards the poppy slope.

I notice another group walking up the slope.

It's time to go down.

View of Mount Sheludivaya.

And a few more photos.

Hogweed surrounds flowers.

Yesterday we decided to go to Mount Beshtau. The weather was great, it would be a shame not to climb the rocks. The route chosen was unknown to us - a pagan labyrinth of the Slavs, a clearing of relict poppies, the Bastion rock.

The top of the Bastion. Let's go there. On the left is a clearing of poppies, but ours the path will pass through the rocks on the right.

We come across a labyrinth. ancient sanctuaries. The restored “labyrinth” was a Slavic-pagan community, in the likeness of the Solovetskys. But the most interesting thing is that at the moment when it was folded, a “reflection in the sky” appeared above it in the form of a cloudy spiral. The ancient ritual of “Inviting Spring” takes place here: scaring away “ evil spirits", ritual chants, ditties. This ancient Slavic tradition We managed to carry the farewell of winter through two millennia.

A reconstruction of the ritual has been organized in Beshtau for several years in a row after spring equinox when it comes astronomical spring. Ancient customs that existed on our land long before the Baptism of Rus' are of considerable cultural interest.

It is no coincidence that the Beshtaugorskaya meadow was chosen for the reconstruction of the ritual: according to some information, one of the ancient Slavic settlements once stood on this site. Evidence of this has survived to this day: the ruins of a bastion on the “Fox Nose” rock, the ruins of the wall that enclosed the settlement, huge stone blanks - up to 120 cm in diameter, carved millstones. Experts attribute them to the 4th-5th century AD.

Russian geographical society is engaged in research of Slavic culture, traditions, customs, historical mysteries of the ancient Slavs. By analogy with the Cretan labyrinth, 5 years ago they built a labyrinth on Beshtau.

Handsome Mashuk in the distance

Rock with eagles. A crow is nestled below and is constantly making sounds of an unusual tonality, it’s not a croak, but something like a call sign =)

The GPS showed that we had arrived at Bardovskaya Polyana. Beshtaulubs gather there to relax, sing songs, and enjoy the clean air.

Barbecue grill

The middle of the road, there is little left to Bastion.

Monastery Lake.

Phew...let's take a break and look to the left)

Glade of poppies. Hurry up, maybe you will still have time to see the flowering of Beshtaugorsk poppies.
We kindly ask you not to pick or trample flowers, as there are very few of them left on our planet. They are listed in the Red Book. We didn’t get to the Pole, we’re going to the right.
Poppies will appear for 2 weeks in June. From 1 to 15 June