Description of the plant, caring for the codonant during cultivation, how to reproduce, methods of combating diseases and pests, facts to note, species. Codonanthe (Codonanthe) was defined by scientists as a plant of the genus of flowering representatives of the flora, which are part of the Gesneriaceae family. There are about 20 varieties of this genus, which are represented by perennial epiphytes with various life forms. There is an opportunity to meet this wonderful example of nature in natural conditions on lands that stretch from the Mexican slopes overgrown with mountains to the southern and eastern regions of Brazil. However, most of all the cadonant likes to settle in the Amazon basin.
This plant bears its name due to the fusion of two Greek words "kodon" and "ante", which translate as "bell" and "flower", respectively, since the buds, opening, are very similar in shape to the corolla of a bell.
The plant has a long-term life cycle, is an epiphyte, that is, it can grow on the branches or trunks of trees. It takes various forms: it grows in the form of a shrub, grass or liana. Most often in nature, they choose ant nests for their "place of residence". The codonanta has spreading shoots, but also the branches take a creeping or upright form. At its base, the shoots sometimes become lignified, have the ability to reach the soil, root in the nodes, since extrafloral nectaries sometimes form on their lower surface.
The leaves on the branches are arranged in opposite order and are attached to the stem with short petioles. The leaf blades are anisophyllic, fleshy, the surface is shiny, leathery, and extrafloral nectaries often appear on the underside of a reddish color.
Flowers can grow both singly and gather in inflorescences that originate in the leaf axils. The inflorescence usually contains one or more buds. Peduncles are short. In the flower, the corolla color can be white, pinkish or lilac, as well as yellow or dark purple, often reddish streaks and spots are present on the pharynx. The rim has the shape of a funnel or bell, it is rounded at the base, and then there is a sharp or smooth expansion to a 5-lobed bend. There are varieties in which the tube has a small size and a wide limb, its lobes are wide open. Inside the flower, two pairs of stamens grow, which are equal in length to the corolla, the anthers have an oblong shape, they have the ability to open longitudinally. The ovary is upper in the flower; the pistil has a stigma with a pair of lobes. The flowering process takes place from June to September.
After flowering, the fruits ripen, which take the form of a box, which has the appearance of a fleshy berry, it can be rounded, oval or flattened. The fruit is colored red, pink, orange yellowish or green. Inside contains seeds of various shades - yellow, pink or reddish. Their shape is elliptical, the surface is covered with stripes. Usually on plants, berries can coexist with flowers.
The codonant is quite easy to care for and even a beginner grower can handle it, the growth rate of a plant is average, but if you do not neglect the rules of maintenance, then it will delight you with its gentle flowering for a long time.
Creation of conditions for growing codonants, care
- Illumination and location. For such a beautifully flowering liana, places on the windowsills of windows "looking" to the east, west, southeast or southwest are suitable. There, the light level will be high, but without the threat of sunburn of the foliage.
- Content temperature. Since the codonant is a thermophilic representative of the flora, for its cultivation in the spring-summer period, heat indices are maintained in the range of 19-22 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn days, the temperature begins to decrease and go up to 15 degrees.
- Water the codonant follows as soon as the top layer of soil in the pot dries out (about 3-5 cm deep). Regularity of moisturizing every 3–6 days. The plant may not endure a slight drought for a short time, but if watering is regular, then it grows more luxuriantly. However, you should not allow stagnation of moisture and waterlogging of the soil in the pot, otherwise the vine will start to rot. In winter, watering is greatly reduced. Only soft settled water with a temperature of 20-24 degrees is used.
- Air humidity when growing flowering liana does not play a big role, since the plant successfully tolerates humidity in urban areas. But still, with the growth of the thermometer column, especially in the summer heat, to maintain a comfortable state of the flower, it is worthwhile to regularly spray its leaves. The water is soft and warm.
- Fertilizers are codonants. Since the bush grows almost all year round, it will have to be fed without ceasing. It is recommended to apply preparations for flowering plants once every 14 days - these include complete mineral complexes of a liquid consistency.
- Pruning it is carried out to form the shape that is necessary for the owner, since the plant itself branches quite well even without pinching the tops of the shoots. However, this procedure will help you get more lush bushes.
- Transfer of codonants and choice of substrate. The pot for transplanting should not be greatly enlarged, since the root system of this vine is superficial and compact. When the specimen is already an adult, then a container with a height of 10 cm with a diameter of 12 cm is suitable for it. It is better to time the transplant to coincide with the spring months, it is performed only once every 2 years. A layer of drainage material or broken brick (shards) is placed on the bottom of the new container.
The substrate for growing codonants should be loose, nutritious and allow air and moisture to pass well to the root system. Often, ready-made soil mixtures are used for Gesneria, a little bark of coniferous trees and crushed limestone is mixed with them. You can also compose a substrate yourself from the following components:
- equal parts of leafy soil, peat, humus soil, river sand (perlite);
- peat, perlite, chopped sphagnum moss, coco-soil (substrate of coconut fibers) are all taken in equal parts.
After the transplant, it is recommended to prune or pinch the shoots.
Reproduction of codonants at home
To obtain a new flowering vines, it is recommended to carry out cuttings or sow seeds.
For grafting, the twigs are cut in early summer and should be half lignified. It is desirable to have up to 6 leaves on the handle, and its size is at least 10 cm. The blanks are placed in water or planted in pots filled with a substrate (peat-sand mixture). In any case, it is recommended to cover them with a glass jar or wrap them with plastic wrap - this will allow you to create increased moisture around the rooting workpiece.
Several cuttings are planted in one pot at once, in order to subsequently get a lush bush. Rooting is carried out in a warm place with heat indicators (20-25 degrees) and with diffused lighting. It is important not to forget daily, ventilate the branches and moisten the substrate in a container from a spray bottle. As soon as the cuttings show signs of rooting (after about a month, young leaves will begin to develop), they are transferred to a larger pot with more fertile soil. And then, when the codonant adapts to a new place of growth, it is recommended to pinch the tops - this will allow the vine to start branching.
If the cuttings are placed in water, they wait until they have roots and they reach a length of 1 cm. Then planting is carried out in pots filled with nutritious soil. Often, you can also get a new plant codonants during transplantation - by dividing a heavily overgrown bush. In this case, the mother bush is carefully removed from the pot and then a division into parts is performed with a sharp knife, it is only important that the divisions are not too small and have a sufficient number of roots. Subsequent planting of plants in new pots with drainage at the bottom and selected substrate is carried out. If the shoot of the codonant is pinned into the soil, poured into a separate pot or into the same pot in which the mother specimen grows, then after a while the branch will take root and it will be possible to separate an already independent plant.
Also, the seed material of the codonants is sown in a moist peat-sandy substrate. The container is placed in a bright place under glass or plastic bag. It is important that the soil is always warm with indicators of 20-25 degrees. As with cuttings, daily ventilation is necessary and, if necessary, moistening the soil in a container with crops. As soon as the seeds germinate, the shelter is removed. When a pair of true leaves appear on the seedlings, dive into separate pots with suitable soil. Several seedlings should be placed in one container.
Potential pests and diseases codonants
If the conditions for keeping this bell-shaped liana are violated (and often it is dry air or soil flooding), then it can be affected by harmful insects: aphids, mealybugs, spider mites. If these pests are noticed, then an insecticidal treatment should be carried out immediately, and then the operation should be repeated a week later to destroy any eggs. Such processing can be performed 3-4 more times in a weekly period.
If the level of illumination in the room where the codonant is grown is low, then its shoots will begin to stretch unaesthetically, leaf plates and shoots begin to fade, losing their color. And it will not be possible to wait for flowering in such conditions. Leaves and buds are taken to fly around quickly in two cases: if the soil has not been moistened for a long time, or the substrate is constantly in a flooded state. If the midday scorching rays of the sun fall on the leaves, then the entire surface of the leaf plate will be covered with burns - spots of brown color.
Facts to note about the codonant
In their native growing areas, namely in the lands of Central America, the local population makes an infusion from the leaves of codonants, which is used for insect bites, with its help, skin irritation and pain are eliminated.
Often the plant is confused with the hoya, which is part of the Asclepiadaceae family, since its small leaves (only 2 cm in length with a width of about 0.8 mm) are painted in a dark green color and have a shiny, leathery surface, which gives them a “puffed””Looks like a codonanata is a succulent.
An interesting fact is that liana grows in anthills built by insects of the species Crematogaster longispina, and this interaction was written and studied by Kleinfeldt in 1987.
Types of codonants
- Codonanthe crassifolia occurs under the synonym of Codonanthus thick-leaved. This variety is the most popular in the culture. The leaf plates have graceful outlines and small sizes, the surface of the leaves is leathery. The length of the sheet is 5 cm, it has a pointed top. The shoots have a delicate white-pinkish color, and it contrasts perfectly with the rich green color of the glossy foliage. The stems of the plant have the ability to creep along the surface of the soil, and at the same time root at the nodes if the moisture readings are increased. The shoots are thin, when they grow, drooping, they resemble a real green cascade. The length of the stems can be measured up to half a meter. The flowers have tubular outlines, the petals are painted in white or pink tones. The flowers have a curved spur, and the corolla tube itself also has an arcuate bend.
- Codonanthe gracilis can be found in florists under the name-synonym for Graceful Codonants. The variety is quite common in the culture. Leaf plates with a dense surface, painted in a dark green tint, there is a sharpness at both edges. When blooming, buds with white petals are formed, and a yellowish-brown speck is present inside the corolla (in the neck). Their flowers look very impressive against the background of dark foliage.
- Codonanthe carnosa has elongated stems, which are abundantly covered with leaves. The shape of the leaf plate is oval or rounded. The flowers are small in size, they have a delicate pleasant aroma. Most of all, the plant resembles a kind of dignified codonant.
- Codonanthe devosiana also belongs to the aromatic species and has a liana-like form of growth. Similar in outline to the previous view. There is a variety of Codonanthe devosiana "Paula" with small flowers, with a tubular corolla, and a brown speck in the pharynx. The leaf plates are dark green, and the reverse side is painted in a reddish tone.
- Swollen codonant (Codonanthe venticosa) differs in rather small foliage. The length of the leaf plate reaches 3 cm. When flowering, bell-shaped flowers are formed in white color. To date, it has been combined with the graceful Codonanta look.
- Codonanthe elegans is an ampelous culture with leaves of a rather spectacular look. The leaf plate is glossy, leathery, with a dark green or olive green color. The size of the flowers is large, the neck of the corolla is bright yellow, it is decoratively combined with the general color of the flower of white, lemon or pale yellow color.
- Codonant yellowish (Codonanthe luteola) or yellow codonant. It grows as an ampelous culture, the shoots of which are covered with leaves that are very delicate to the touch. The plate is painted in a light green color with a glossy surface. The flowers are large in size, their shade is creamy yellow, there is a light pleasant aroma.
There is a hybrid of Codonatanthus called Codonatanthus, which was bred by crossing plants such as Codonatanthus and Nematanthus.
From the first basic plant, codonatanthus inherited the gracefulness of its outlines, and from the second - rich colors. The shoots of the flora sample are creeping, they are covered with small rounded leaves, the surface of which is covered with a wax coating. Ripening berries are brightly colored. The flowers have a tubular corolla, but they are shaded more brightly than those of the codonant. However, the tube of the codonanthus is wider and thicker than the flowers of the nematanthus are similar. The rim has a 5-petal bend, its color is pinkish - the heritage of the cadonant.
The most popular varieties of this plant are:
- “Barsoom” has a tubular corolla, from the outside it is painted in an orange-pink shade, and on the limb there is a yellow tone. The leaf plates have a dark green color; there is a reddish tint on the reverse side;
- "Golden Tambourine" is distinguished by its small size of flowers, the corolla is tinted from the outside with an orange-pink color scheme with creamy petals. The color of the foliage is yellow, but as the leaf grows this color changes to green.
How the codonant looks like, see the video below:
