Features of the plant, tips for growing griselinia indoors and on the site, reproduction, difficulties in cultivation, interesting facts, types. Griselinia (Griselinia) belongs to the genus of flowering plants, which is the only one in the family with the same name - Griseliniaceae. Today they are referred to the order of the Umbrella (Apiales), although some time ago they were ranked among the Kizilov family. This genus contains only 7 varieties.
The native habitat is rather fragmented and falls on the territory of New Zealand, as well as the southern regions of the South American continent (namely Chile, Argentina and southeastern Brazilian lands). This property is possessed by some representatives of ancient plant families, therefore griselinia can rightfully be considered an example of the Golantarctic floristic (or as it is also called the Southern floristic) kingdom.
Representatives of this genus are always plants with a woody form of growth - these can be shrubs, small trees, lianas, and even epiphytes (samples of flora that grow on other trees). Almost all of them are evergreen. In some epiphytic species, the roots hang decoratively from the branches of the host trees, and through these root formations, the plant receives all nutrients and moisture from the air.
The arrangement of the leaves is alternate, they are attached with short petioles, in a spiral order, two rows on the branches. The surface of the leaf plates is leathery, glossy. The shape of the leaves is simple, some varieties have serration along the edge of the leaf, while others are smooth. There are varieties with asymmetrical foliage contours. Stipules are absent.
These plants are dioecious, that is, there are male and female flowers. Inflorescences can have different shapes, but most often they are racemose or paniculate. The flowers of which they are composed are small, unisexual, with 5 petals, radially symmetrical. If the bud is male, then it has 5 petals and sepals. It also has 5 free stamens, they are fruiting (fertile). In female flowers, they are greatly reduced (reduced) or absent altogether. But there are three fused carpels, through which a common lower ovary will form. But only a couple of them are fertile. The color of the petals in flowers: yellow, green or purple.
After the flowering process, the fruit ripens in the form of a drupe, the number of seeds in it varies from 1 to 4. The surface of the berry is leathery, purple, dark red, purple to black. Dimensions rarely exceed 7.5 mm in diameter. Their taste is tart and bitter, the fruits are suitable for food.
Naturally, only shrub varieties of griselinia are used for indoor cultivation. If climatic conditions permit, then with the help of planting this plant, hedges can be organized.
Agrotechnics for growing griseline at home and in the garden, care
- Lighting. The plant can be grown on site with bright but diffused lighting. Indoors in the east or west directions of the windows, and when cultivated in open ground, it is better when the griselinia is under the openwork shade of trees.
- Content temperature. For this plant when grown indoors in the spring-summer period, it will be required to withstand heat indicators in the range of 18–20. With the arrival of autumn, they are greatly reduced, almost to 7-8 degrees. You can take the pot out to the insulated balcony. In the open field, griselinia can winter well with good shelter, since it has the ability to withstand frosts down to -10 degrees.
- Air humidity under growing conditions indoors, high is required and it is recommended to spray at least once a day. Also, vessels with water or mechanical humidifiers are placed nearby. Often, a pot with griselin is placed in a pallet with expanded clay at the bottom and a small amount of water poured into it.
- Watering griselines. When the plant is grown in open ground, then when planting, the soil is fertilized, and then it will be necessary to moisten the soil under the bush if there is a strong heat in the summer for a long time. In the conditions of rooms, griselin should be watered abundantly from spring to early autumn so that the substrate always remains in a moist state, but its gulf should not be allowed. The signal for moistening is the dried soil on top of the pot. This green beauty has no requirements for water hardness, since in the conditions of natural growth on the coast, you have to be content with salty sea water, but a prolonged drought will destroy the plant. In winter, the moisture content is reduced.
- Fertilization is held from mid-autumn to the end of summer days. The regularity of feeding is every 14 days. In this case, fertilizers are used for decorative deciduous plants. When grown in open ground, fertilizing is applied to the substrate during planting, and then at the specified time, fed with complete mineral complexes for decorative deciduous plants in liquid form, diluted in water. After transplantation, they do not fertilize for the first month and a half, since there are still enough nutrients in the substrate itself.
- Transfer and selection of soil. It will be required to change the soil and container for indoor cultivation for griselin annually, and subsequently every 2 years. Drainage is placed at the bottom of the pot. The capacity is taken in height of 60-80 cm and in diameter within 2-3 liters. The soil for the plant is nutritious and very porous. Usually they mix sod land, sheet (or universal peat), marble or gravel chips (with fractions of 3-4 mm) in a ratio of 2: 2: 2. In open ground conditions for griselinia, light substrates are selected - sandy or medium loamy. The acidity should be from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline with a pH of more than 7. The acidity of the soil is reduced by adding lime to the soil.
Tips for self-propagation of griselinia
In order to get a young plant, you will need to sow seeds or plant cuttings.
With seed reproduction, this operation is carried out in the spring, and this must be done quickly, since the seeds have a short germination period, and only fresh seed is recommended to be used. Sowing is carried out in a container filled with a universal soil mixed with vermiculite (equal parts). During germination, the heat indicators are maintained within the range of 24-25 degrees with a uniformly moistened substrate. As soon as the seedling has the first pair of true leaves, the transplant should be carried out in separate containers.
To cut the cuttings, semi-lignified branches are chosen. Preparation for disembarkation is carried out at the beginning of summer days. The average length of the cutting should be 10-15 cm. Then all leaves are removed from it, leaving only 2-3 upper ones. It is recommended to treat the cut of the cutting with a rooting stimulator. Planting is carried out in a pot with a diameter of 10 cm, filled with peat. With a pencil, a depression is made in the soil and a branch is buried there. The cuttings must be covered with a plastic bag or placed under a glass jar. It is recommended to carry out frequent airing or not to tie the bag tightly, and also, if necessary, spray the soil from a spray bottle. The germination temperature should be 20 degrees. After 3 months, the cuttings take root and can be transplanted into open ground with the arrival of spring or into a separate pot with suitable soil.
Fight against diseases and pests of griselinia
Of the difficulties in caring for griselina, yellowing and foliage can be distinguished due to the drying out of the earthen coma or insufficient soil moisture.
Interesting facts about griselin
Earlier, the genus griselinia belonged to the family bearing the name of Cornaceae, and of the same order of Cornales. However, since the aforementioned plant had many differences from the representatives of the family, we decided to conduct genetic research. In the process, it was found out that these representatives of the flora can still be attributed to the order of the Umbrella (Apiales).
With the help of fruits, you can not only prepare culinary dishes, but also use them in traditional folk remedies. In the past, healers believed that the berries of this plant were used as antibiotics and helped to cope with many diseases.
Types of griselines
- Coastal Griselinia (Griselinia littoralis). Basically he likes to "settle" at 1100 meters absolute height in New Zealand. There the variety is called "Kapuka". It is a fairly branched shrub that does not shed foliage year-round. Its height varies within one and a half to two meters, and sometimes even higher. If the plant has a tree-like shape, then the size will approach the mark of 20 meters. The branches are bare with cylindrical contours. The leaf plates are arranged in a regular sequence, the surface of the leaf is leathery, glossy, the contours are ovate-oblong, oval-oblong. The edge is barely wavy, all-edged, but at the apex they are blunt or a notch may be present, there is a narrowing at the base. Their length reaches a size of 5-10 cm with a width of up to 4-6 cm. The color of the leaves is rich, green, but on the reverse side, the shade is slightly paler. Stipules are small in size, as if they encompass the stem. The length of the petiole is 1–2 cm. The inflorescence has the shape of a small panicle, originating in the leaf axils. They are collected from miniature greenish or greenish-yellow buds, such inflorescences have no value and beauty. Flowers appear both female and male, pollination is carried out by means of insects. After flowering, the fruits ripen in the form of a small purple berry. These berries are bitter, but edible. There is a variety of this variety, Griselinia littoralis variegata, in which the leaf plates are painted in variegated greenish-brown tones. She received the Royal Horticultural Society's Garden Merit. The variety "Dixons Cream" is distinguished by green-yellow patterns on the emerald background of the leaf.
- Griselinia brilliant (Griselinia lucida). The native habitat is found in the northern island lands of New Zealand, as well as in limited areas of the South Island. There the plant is known as "Puka" or "Akapuka" and may be called "Shining broadleaf". It is an epiphytic representative of the flora, that is, it grows on the branches or trunks of trees. The roots of the plant are corrugated, they go down from the owner-tree. Basically, the territory of its distribution covers wet and floodplain forests, in open or rocky coastal areas. The plant has a shrub or tree-like growth, and its height is close to 10 meters. The branches are rounded, the bark is thick on them. The leaf plates are asymmetric, obliquely ovate-rounded, but can take on an oblong shape. The surface is glossy, shiny, leathery-thick. The color is dark green or yellowish green. The length of the leaf can be up to 7–18 cm. The leaf plate is attached to a plump, but short petiole.
- Griselinia jodinifolia known in its native habitat as "Yemo Chiko", and in Spanish it is called "Tribillo". It is distributed mainly in Chile, starting from Maule in the north to Los Lagos itself, not far from the coast at an altitude of 0-500 meters above sea level. It rains constantly and there can be periods of no precipitation for only one month. But with all this, the plant loves to settle in sun-drenched flat places, with practically no shelter from direct rays. It has a bushy form of growth, the height reaches 4 meters. Flower petals are colored in yellow tones, 5 units of them are formed in a bud, paniculate inflorescences.
- Griselinia racemosa a representative of the flora with shrub outlines, which is quite rare in breeding. The leaf plates are very shiny, glossy, juicy green. A plant that does not shed its foliage. Young stems are colored reddish. Flowering is quite intense, in the process of it, reddish small flowers are formed and then fruits-berries of a reddish-purple color ripen. The native territories of growth are in the lands of Argentina, Chile, as well as New Zealand and Brazil. For a century, this variety has been known in Chilean lands, but in Argentina it was not even mentioned. And only then the plant was discovered in Chubut (Argentina) and was first mentioned in the works of Parque National Lago Pauelo.
- Griselinia scandens may appear under the Spanish name "Yelmo". It grows on Chilean lands with absolute heights ranging from 0-500 meters. It can be distributed both in very humid regions (where the period without precipitation is only a month), but also in areas with fairly dry climatic conditions, where drought lasts 3-5 months, and the amount of precipitation rarely goes beyond 100-300 mm, and they only appear during the winter months. It has a shrubby form of growth and shoots reach up to 3 meters in height. The flowers have 5 red petals.
- Griselinia carlomunozii is a shrub with height parameters up to 2 meters, with upright branches. It grows on the coasts of northern Chile (in Antofagasta). Generally considered endemic (a plant that grows in only one single area on the planet) areas in El Medano, Rincon and Papaso (this is Chile, Uruguay or Brazil). The usual height at which this species is found is 0-500 meters above sea level. The growing areas are in very humid places, and the plant receives water from the air by condensation. She likes to settle in well-lit places, but there coastal fog protects her from direct rays of the sun. This variety has been classified as an endangered variety. The shape of the leaf plates can vary: from lanceolate to elliptical or oblong-elliptical. The leaves are attached to short petioles (about 2 mm). The surface of the leaf is bare, leathery. At the base, the leaf is blunt and rounded. The location is opposite. Leaf sizes vary within 3, 5–6, 5 cm in length and up to 2.5 cm in width. Flowers are greenish with 5 petals. Male buds are collected in paniculate inflorescences. Peduncles reach 5 cm, glandular, pedicel size is only 1–2 mm, and sepals 0.2x0.2 mm, they are ciliate. Filaments are up to 1 mm long, with anthers 0.4 mm. Female buds have peduncles 5x0.75 cm in diameter. From the flowers, paniculate inflorescences are also collected, which grow either in the leaf axils or terminal. Flowers are petalless, sepals are not visible. When the fruit ripens, an oval-shaped drupe is formed, its diameter approaches 7.5x5 mm. The surface of the berry is leathery, and 4 seeds are placed on it.
What griselinia looks like, see this video:
