The characteristic differences of the plant, how to grow an acroclinum in a personal plot, recommendations for the reproduction of a helipterum, diseases and pests of a flower, notes for flower growers, species. Acroclinium (Acroclinium) in botanical literature can be referred to as Helipterum (Helipterum) and it belongs to the family Compositae (Compositae) or as it is also called the Astroceae. All species of this plant have a one-year or long-term life cycle and take on a herbaceous form. Under natural conditions, the distribution area falls on lands with a tropical and subtropical climate, which is common in the southern regions of Africa, as well as on the Australian continent and the basis of Tasmania. There are up to 250 species in the genus.
| Family name | Compositae or Astral |
| Life cycle | Annual or perennial |
| Growth features | Herbaceous, shrub or subshrub |
| Reproduction | Seed or seedlings |
| Landing period in open ground | Seedlings are planted in late spring |
| Disembarkation scheme | At a distance of 15-20 cm |
| Substrate | Any dry and loose substrate, not wet |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting |
| Moisture indicators | Moisture stagnation is harmful, watering is moderate, drainage is recommended |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 0.3-0.6 m |
| Color of flowers | Snow white, silver, red, purple, yellow and pink |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Solitary or racemose |
| Flowering time | July August |
| Decorative time | Summer |
| Place of application | Flower beds, beds, alpine slide, rabatki or in a mixborder |
| USDA zone | 4–6 |
The plant bears its second name due to the fusion of the Greek words "helios", meaning "sun" and "pteron", translated as "wing". Until now, the origin of this name is unclear, in all likelihood, this is due to the structure of the crest or the leaves of the envelope, resembling the wings of some insects. But besides this, the people call him a stalker. The genus has synonymous names because it contains multiple decorative species that are quite different from each other and are often distinguished into separate small groups.
Although most species of acroclinum are herbaceous, there are varieties that have the shape of a shrub or semi-shrub. To date, flower growers are engaged in the cultivation of only 6 species of herbaceous representatives of this genus, as a crop. Helipterum is a dried flower plant, that is, after the buds open, it can be cut and dried, and then used to form flower paintings and similar compositions.
The plant looks very much like a chamomile or small aster. The flower stems are thin, upright and ascending, and the flowers are delicate in outline. In height, the parameters of the stems usually reach 50-60 cm. They may have or be without branching. Their surface is bare or with whitish tomentose pubescence. The main green mass of leaves is concentrated in the root part, forming a rosette. There is practically no foliage on the stems, and if it is, it takes the form of an elongated oval. The length of the leaf can reach 3-4 cm. The color of its dull rich green or bluish color. The leaves are arranged alternately, occasionally grow opposite. They are whole, sessile, there is a woolly pubescence on the surface.
Naturally, the decoration of the helipterum is its flowers, connected in baskets, which can singly crown the stems or gather in racemose inflorescences. In such baskets there is a simultaneous maturation of stigmas and anthers - homogamy. Baskets have drooping thin flowering stems, and because of this, the plant is popularly called the stem plant. When the flowers open, their baskets begin to turn towards the sunlight. The basket includes tubular bisexual flowers. They have a corolla with five teeth. The size of such flowers is very small and they are colored with yellow or brown color scheme. The diameter of the basket is 3-4 cm.
All the beauty of the basket is obtained due to the large size of the ornamental wrapper, which has bright colors. The leaves, of which the wrapper consists, are distinguished by a petal-shaped shape and they play the role of bent tongues with a radial limb. The number of petals is large, they are arranged in a tiled pattern, dry and hard to the touch, filmy. Usually, their color can have shades of silver, white, yellow, pink or purple.
When fruits ripen, oblong achenes are formed with a ribbed surface. Their size is very small, there is a tuft, consisting of bristles that resemble feathers. The flowering process stretches over the period from the beginning of summer and can last until the very frost. A large number of flowers bloom, although the duration of flowering is 30-40 days. Seed germination is maintained for 2-3 years.
Tips for growing acroclinum in the garden: planting and care
- Choosing a landing site. This dry-flowering plant prefers bright sun, therefore it is necessary to select an open place with a southern orientation. Stone gardens, rockeries, rabatki or mixborders are suitable, where Helipterum is planted in crevices among stones.
- Landing helipterum. Usually the plants are placed at a distance of 20 cm from each other, while the depth of the hole should be almost 0.5 m. Before the Acroclinium bush is placed in the hole, a complex fertilizer is mixed into the soil, which will stimulate further growth. If there are nearby groundwaters, then a drainage layer of fine expanded clay or pebbles can be placed on the bottom of the hole.
- Soil selection. The substrate for planting should be loose and airy so that moisture and air can easily enter the root system, but not be overmoistened. It is preferable to use rich sandy loam soil mixtures. So you can mix ordinary garden soil with part of the peat and river coarse sand. The main thing is that there is no lime in the substrate, which the plant does not tolerate.
- Watering. This dried flower does not like when its root system is in a waterlogged state, as it will begin to rot. Therefore, the soil is watered sparingly, especially when the weather is hot in summer, because the soil will dry out very quickly. Moisturizing is carried out every 7 days, and once every 10 days they are made deep.
- Fertilizers for acroclinum it is recommended to make about once or twice a month. Florists advise using full mineral complexes, but only before flowering occurs. At the beginning of the growing process, nitrogen remedies are suitable for this dried plant, which are applied twice every 10 days. Organics are never used as top dressing. But here it is important to maintain a balance, since this summer grows deciduous mass from the "overfed" substrate, and the flowering will be very scarce.
- Using Helipterum. Landscape designers recommend planting these sunny flowers in group plantings, they can be good for decorating balconies or terraces, and with the arrival of the cold season, cut flowers so that they continue to delight the eye. The main thing is to do this not too late, otherwise the flower baskets will lose their attractiveness.
- General advice on care. The plant is quite unpretentious, but it is recommended to carry out regular weeding from weeds three times during the summer and loosen the soil before watering. But if you mulch the soil, then this will become a protection against weeds. This layer can be peat, compost or straw, mown grass, sawdust or bark. Such components will interfere with the growth of weeds, but will provide the soil looseness that the plant needs. Immediately after the Helipterum is planted in a permanent place, the soil is covered with mulch and renewed as needed.
Recommendations for the reproduction of Helipterum - growing from seeds
Almost all annual herbaceous varieties of acroclinum are propagated by sowing seed. Usually it is sown in May days, directly into the soil in a flower bed. In the chosen place, shallow grooves are made, in which seeds are sparsely placed. From above they are sprinkled with a substrate somewhere in 0.5 cm. If the weather is too dry, it is recommended to cover the crops with special garden material, which can be lutrosil or spunbond. If this is not available, then simple newspaper sheets will do.
After a week, you can see the first shoots. If the seedlings grow very close to each other, then they are thinned out once, leaving only those plants, the distance between which reaches 15–20 cm. Those young helipterums that have been removed from the garden can be planted in another place. So that such plants can quickly take root afterwards, it is recommended to water the soil before the thinning procedure, and then dig them out using a small garden trowel. Some growers adapt to using a regular fork. After transplanting, the rooted stems must be watered abundantly and then shaded for the first time.
Another way is to grow Acroclinium seedlings. In this case, during the period from March to April, seeds should be sown in seedling boxes filled with peat-sandy soil. After a pair of true leaves is formed on the seedlings, the small Helipterum must be transplanted into small pots made of peat. With the arrival of mid-May, you can prepare a place for planting in a flower bed and then transfer the seedlings there. It is important to remember here that the more mature the seedlings are, the worse and longer it takes to adapt after transplanting due to the fragility of the root system. If in the process of work the upper part of the seedling breaks off, then such a plant is not thrown away, since if the dried flower takes root, it will become more bushy.
Diseases and pests of acroclinum
Helipterum is a representative of the flora, which is practically not affected by harmful insects and does not suffer from diseases. However, if the soil in which the plant is planted is constantly in a waterlogged state, then fungi belonging to the genus Verticillium and the like can develop there. Under their influence, Acroclinium begins to wither, which will lead to its subsequent death. To do this, you should choose the right soil for planting and carefully irrigate.
If the stems take dwarf forms, then this is a consequence of nematode damage, as well as the appearance of black dots on the leaves of the stem, and on the root system of nodular formations. To combat these pests, it is recommended to plant marigolds next to dried flowers, the smell of which will "drive away" nematodes. It happens that the caterpillars of the night moths gnaw at the foliage and leave holes. Here you will need treatment with insecticidal preparations.
Notes to flower growers about acroclinum, flower photo
It is known that acroclinum has been cultivated as an ornamental plant since the end of the 18th century. But at the same time, flower growers fell in love with only 10 species of the whole set. It is customary to grow the plant in the garden as an annual crop, but those species that are considered herbaceous perennials or have the form of a shrub or semi-shrub are usually planted only in greenhouse conditions.
All varieties are great for creating winter bouquets that can decorate the house for a long time. For drying, it is recommended to cut the helipterum in that phase while its buds have not yet fully blossomed, and no later than a couple of days after the flowering process has begun. If this rule is violated, then the cut flowers, when dried, lose their decorative qualities, since the petals of the wrapper will begin to bend towards the stem.
Cut shoots with flowers, must be dried and hung with their heads down and it is desirable that the room where they will be located is cool and well ventilated. So dried flowers are kept until completely dry.
Types of acroclinum
Acroclinium manglesii is often referred to as Rodante or Helipterum manglesii. It is an annual plant with an erect stem, which reaches 35–60 cm in height. Leaves devoid of pubescence are arranged in succession on it and have a gray or gray-green tint. The shape of the leaves is oval. The flower disk of the basket is made up of small tubular flowers, which are painted in yellow color. Inflorescences-baskets are crowned with elongated flowering stems. It can be single or loose inflorescences with the shape of scutes are collected from baskets. In diameter, the basket reaches 3 cm. The elongated leaves of the wrapper, resembling petals, are distinguished by a pale pink or white color. They are arranged in several rows in the basket. A little lower, small scales of a silvery color are formed, which fall below, covering the stem of the basket. It is because of these scaly formations that flowers, which have not yet fully blossomed, can sparkle under the rays of the sun, resembling drops.
The flowering process will last for the whole summer until September. There are varieties in which the leaves of the wrapper have a carmine color or a spotted coloring (pink with a darker ring). Looks good as a dried plant, and is also used to create flower arrangements. In the garden, it is customary to plant on alpine slides, rabatki or in mixborders.
Acroclinium roseum is called Helipterum roseum. This variety is the most popular among florists. Annual, the stems of which rise to a height of 40-50 cm. The flowers are quite large, the diameter of the basket can open up to 4 cm. The difference is the shape of the wrapper, which resembles a hemisphere. Small yellowish tubular flowers growing in the central part of the basket surround several rows of scales, which are a wrapper. They have shades of pink or raspberry color, or are formed by snow-white. Today there are garden forms in which the middle flowers are painted in black. Flowering process from early summer to autumn.
The most popular varieties are:
- Album characterized by completely white petals of the wrapper and a bright yellow center;
- Red Bonny - this variety has flowers of a bright pink-red color with a brown central part.
Humboldt Acroclinium (Acroclinium humboldtianum), which is called Humboldt's Helipterum (Helipterum humboldtianum) or Sanford's Helipterum. The stems can vary in height in the range of 30–40 cm. Small flowers have a yellow color and from them are collected corymbose inflorescences. The diameter of the inflorescence reaches 5–6 cm. It has very strong distinctive features from the previous species, since it looks more like a yarrow in its inflorescence. Even in dry plants, the color can remain unchanged for several years, without succumbing to fading.
Acroclinum brush-flowered (Acroclinium corymbiflorum) bears the synonym name Helipterum brush-flowered (Helipterum corymbiflorum). This plant resembles the Mangles variety in its outlines, but its inflorescences are looser.
Acroclinum care video:
[media = https://www.youtube.com/watch? v = 0t1CFn1eapw]
