胡杨林，不一样的风景

郭晓娟

茫茫荒漠夜孤單，细语胡杨度万年。胡杨又名胡桐、英雄树、水桐、三叶树，是世界上最古老的树种之一。作为化石级植物，胡杨有着强大的生命力，对寒冷、干旱、盐碱、风沙有极强的忍耐力，人们赞其为“沙漠的脊梁”。额济纳旗处于大漠戈壁深处，拥有着世界上仅存的3处天然河道胡杨林之一。弱水河畔、居延海边，39万亩胡杨林用自己的雄姿阻挡着巴丹吉林沙漠的扩散，默默守护着一方土地。

“弱水三千，只取一瓢”常被人们用来比喻对爱情的忠贞和专一。此处的弱水指的正是流淌在额济纳旗土地上的黑河。这条古老的河流缓缓流淌着，滋润着岸边的胡杨，造就了千姿百态的胡杨林奇观。神奇的是，同一棵胡杨树可长出枫叶、杨叶和柳叶三种形状的叶片，所以胡杨又被称为“三叶树”。胡杨的树叶之所以奇特，是因为其生长在极旱荒漠区，为适应干旱环境，嫩枝上的叶片狭长如柳，而老枝条上的叶子却圆润如杨。

经过春风的吹拂和夏雨的洗礼，在秋天的召唤下，胡杨便由浓绿转浅黄，继而变成金黄。每年的9月底至10月中旬正是额济纳胡杨林最绚丽的时候。放眼望去，一片片胡杨林肆无忌惮地释放着生命的能量，把大漠装点得如诗如画，汇集成金色的海洋，连河水中也是金黄的倒影。此时，弱水也因胡杨更充满灵气，惊艳于苍茫的天地间。

胡杨的美丽，除了它的外形，更吸引人的是它在恶劣的生长环境中表现出来的傲骨之美。人们用“生而不死一千年，死而不倒一千年，倒而不朽一千年”来赞誉胡杨顽强的生命力。事实上，一株胡杨树的寿命通常在300年左右，最长一般不超过500年。为吸收水分，胡杨主根可深入地下6米，侧根密织如网则长达几十米，一旦扎根，便紧抓沙土屹立不倒。即使倒下，干旱缺水、阳光暴晒的环境抑制了微生物的活动，减缓了胡杨自然腐烂的进程，使其得以保存生前形象。

“天荒弱木根须绝，地老孤枝叶脉昂。”正如诗中所赞，虽然生命逝去，它们依旧风骨遒劲，虽然匍匐在地、肢断骨折，它们却脊梁不屈……站在它们面前，你会感慨生命的壮丽与永恒，有种“不见胡杨，不知大景之壮阔。不识胡杨，不知生命之辉煌”的领悟与释然。

魏伟

Populus euphratica， also known as swamp poplar， hero tree， desert poplar， and three-leaf tree， is one of the oldest tree species in the world. As a fossil plant， it has a strong vitality， and is highly tolerant of cold， drought， salt and alkali， as well as sandstorms. Thus， it is praised as the “Backbone of the Desert”. Located in the depths of the Gobi Desert， Ejin Banner has one of the world’s three extant populus euphratica forests with natural river courses.

Leaves of three shapes， maple， poplar and willow， can grow on a populus euphratica tree. So it is also known as “Three-Leaf Tree”. The peculiarity of its leaves is because of its growth in an extremely arid desert area. To adapt to the arid environment， it has long and narrow leaves like willow leaves on twigs， but plump leaves like polar leaves on mature branches.

The period from late September to mid-October is the most gorgeous period of the Ejin Populus Euphratica Forest. Looking around， you can see numerous populus euphratica trees releasing life energy without scruple， beautifully decorating the desert， and forming a golden sea， with golden reflections in the river.

The lifespan of a populus euphratica tree is around 300 years， not more than 500 years. To absorb water， the taproot of a populus euphratica tree can extend six meters underground； its lateral roots like a closely woven net have a length of a few dozen meters， clinging to sandy soil when taking root. Even if it falls down， the environment of drought， water shortage and sun exposure could inhibit the activity of microorganisms， and slow down its natural decay process to preserve its previous image.

Though dead， they are still sturdy. Though prostrate on the ground， with broken branches， they still show an unyielding spirit... Standing before them， you may marvel at the magnificence and eternity of life， and comprehend， “Without seeing populus euphratica， you will not know the grandeur of scenery； without seeing populus euphratica， you will not know the splendor of life.”