General description of the plant, tips for caring for ginura indoors, recommendations for reproduction, difficulties in growing, interesting facts, species. Gynura is part of the genus of plants that belong to the Compositae family, or as they are also called Astraceae, there are also 47 varieties of representatives of the green world of the planet, in which the embryo has two opposite cotyledons - dicotyledons. The native habitat of ginura is the territories of Africa and Asia (namely, China and Japan), it also occurs in the north of the Australian continent and New Guinea, where a tropical climate prevails. Some varieties of this genus are cultivated not only as ornamental plants, but also as food.
If we take the translation of the word "ginura", then it means from the Greek the phrase "woman with a tail" and the plant got this name due to its long shoots, similar to the whip or tail of a bird.
This colorful specimen of the natural world has a herbaceous or semi-shrub form of growth and a long life cycle. Its shoots are tetrahedral, erect, but can be extended or climbing. Their length sometimes reaches from a meter to several, but the total height of the plant rarely exceeds 30 cm. Therefore, ginura grows in breadth. The root system is fibrous or tuberous. The stems have some fleshiness to sub-succulent (that is, there is some ability to accumulate moisture in the shoots). They can also be slightly woody, have pubescence with varying degrees of density, and there are also species with a completely bare surface of the stems. When the shoots grow enough, then supports are built for them and ginura is grown in the form of an ampelous culture.
The leaf plates are simple, they are arranged alternately or a root rosette is assembled from them. They may have petioles or be sessile, and their surface is either thin or fleshy. Pubescence also depends on the type of ginura: abundant or not, and may be completely absent. On the underside, the leaf plate is sometimes painted in purple or purple. The color is so interesting that it seems that it crawls from the lower part, spilling over to the edge of the upper side of the leaf. Their contours are oblong-lanceolate, elongated, and can grow from ovoid to deltoid outlines. The leaf edge also varies depending on the type of plant: there is a lyre-like excised edge or from fine- to large-toothed outlines. At the base, the leaf is wedge-shaped, trimmed or bluntly rounded, in rare cases uneven. The length of the sheet plate is measured at 20 cm.
Inflorescences also vary: they can grow solitary or gather in panicles located at the ends of the stems or in the leaf axils. Baskets have pedicels and their contours vary from narrow bell-shaped to disc-like. Their wrapper is highly decorative, it consists of 8–18 herbaceous scales. They are either completely naked or with some degree of pubescence. Receptacle flatish, with scaly. Flowers bloom in large numbers and grow in both sexes. The color of the petals can be yellow, orange, there is a reddish or purple color scheme. The flowers have an unpleasant odor, so it is recommended to remove the buds.
The contours of the achenes range from oblong to cylindrical, their surface is ribbed, and the color is brownish. The crest consists of multiple small-bearded corymbs, which have a gray or white tint. In the natural environment, the flowering process of ginura is almost year-round, but it produces buds more abundantly from the beginning of winter to the end of May.
Agricultural technology in cultivation, flower care
- Lighting and location selection for ginura. The plant loves bright light, in a well-lit place, all the decorative beauty of the leaf plates of the bush manifests itself. If the light level is low, the foliage will turn pale. Therefore, it is recommended to install a pot with a "blue bird" on the windowsills of windows facing the west, south and east sides of the world. However, in the midday hours in the summer, on the southern orientation of the windows, the flower will have to be shaded from direct ultraviolet streams so that a sunburn does not occur. In the autumn-winter period, with a short daylight hours, it is recommended to carry out supplementary lighting of ginura.
- Growing temperature. It is best when the room heat indicators are maintained in the room during the cultivation of ginura - 18-24 degrees, but the thermometer should not fall below 10 degrees. With the arrival of autumn, if there is no artificial illumination, then the heat indicators should be reduced to the limits of 12-14 degrees. Otherwise, the temperature regime can be left unchanged. But this reduction in heat will allow the plant to rest before the new growing season. It is recommended to carry out frequent ventilation of the room, but at the same time to protect the bush from the action of a draft.
- Air humidity is not a very serious factor when growing ginur, but dry air is harmful for it. Since spraying cannot be carried out due to leaf pubescence, it will be necessary to increase the humidity of the environment by all available means. For example, put mechanical humidifiers, a vessel with water next to the pot. Or you can choose another option - the pot with the plant is installed in a deep pallet, at the bottom of which a layer of drainage material is poured and a little water is poured, the main thing is that its level does not reach the bottom of the pot.
- Watering. With the beginning of the activation of growth, you should immediately water abundantly the substrate in the pot in which the ginura is grown. As soon as the top layer of the soil dries up and if you take it in a pinch, it falls apart, then it is already necessary to water the plant. If moisture stagnates in the pot, then this will inevitably lead to rotting of the root system. When in the autumn-winter period the "blue bird" bush is kept in cool conditions, then watering is reduced and after the top layer of the soil dries up, moistening is carried out for 2-3 days. Water for irrigation is used only warm, soft and settled. It is important to ensure that drops of moisture do not fall on the leaf plates, as they have pubescence and the foliage will begin to become stained and may rot. It is better to humidify along the edge of the container or use "bottom watering" - water is poured into a stand under the pot.
- General plant care. After the winter time, it is recommended to prune the ginura a little, removing too old shoots. By the way, this will stimulate the branching and rapid growth of young stems. You can simply pinch the tops of the young stems.
- Fertilizers. In order for the "blue bird" to please the owner with its foliage and growth, it will be necessary to carry out planned feeding in the spring-summer period. The frequency of fertilization is once a month. Complex mineral compositions are used for decorative deciduous indoor plants. If the feeding is scarce or their quantity is not enough, then the size of the foliage and their color will greatly decrease.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. The plant should be transplanted frequently and the substrate should be changed, but this is not done with any regularity, but as soon as an overgrown ginura requires. When the earthen lump is completely mastered by the root system, then you can safely transplant the bush. It is worth doing a transplant only in early spring. But most often the regularity of changing the pot and soil every 2 years, but over time the old bushes are removed, in their place growing "young". On the bottom of the new container, you will need to pour a wide layer of drainage material, but leave the level of deepening of the ginura bush the same. The soil is selected light, with good water and air permeability and neutral acidity. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for aster plants or mix humus soil, leafy and soddy soil on your own, and also take a little coarse-grained river sand (parts of the components are taken equal).
Tips for breeding ginura at home
It is possible to get a new flower bush by grafting; it is also similar in ease of reproduction to the unassuming chlorophytum. To do this, in spring or summer time, you just need to break off a stalk from the top of the shoot, which has 2-3 internodes, and put it in a vessel with water. After two weeks, this branch will have root shoots and it can be planted in a prepared pot with a substrate. The soil is taken the same as when growing an adult specimen. In the bottom of the container, holes are made to drain excess water and a layer of drainage is poured (for example, expanded clay or pebbles).
Difficulties in growing ginura and ways to eliminate them
The plant is quite resistant to diseases and pests, but occasionally, if the conditions of detention are violated, it can be affected by the scale insect, aphids, mealybug, whitefly or spider mite, felt. At the first sign of these harmful insects, it is necessary to treat with insecticidal agents.
Among the problems in growing are the following:
- it is important to avoid waterlogging of the substrate, as this can lead to rotting of the root system;
- when drops of moisture hit the foliage, they lose their decorative effect and can rot;
- if there is not enough lighting, then the leaves lose their purple color and turn pale;
- in strong partial shade or full shade, the shoots are stretched and the leaves are shrinking, as well as with insufficient nutrition;
- when watering is not enough and the substrate is dry, the leaves fall off.
Interesting facts about ginur
Some varieties of ginura are used in medicine or as a food culture. For example, such is the variety Gynura nepalensis, which grows in Southeast Asia and is used as a salad base, dishes with its participation help to lower cholesterol levels. Another such example is Gynura bicolor, found in the lands of South Asia. This variety is also called "Okivan spinach" and is used in cooking, both fresh and cooked.
Attention!!! All varieties of ginura, which are cultivated in rooms, have poisonous properties, therefore, when caring for the plant, you need to observe safety measures and install the pot out of the reach of children and pets. For medicinal purposes, the variety of Ginura peristonadreznay is grown, which is a very rare and expensive remedy. In one of the provinces of China, it is customary to grow this plant as an industrial crop. Ginura contains amino acids and trace elements, some volatile oils, triterpene saponins and bioflavonoids.
Ginura prostrate is considered to be the same medicinal plant. This plant is used in folk medicine not only by the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom, but also by the aboriginal nationalities of America and representatives of the Japanese islands. There are observations that people who eat this "smelly" practically do not get sick, since by its properties it helps to improve metabolism in the body and reduce blood sugar, helps to reduce weight and blood pressure. With frequent use, the blood, kidneys and liver are cleared of cholesterol plaques. It is only required to consume 2-3 leaves of the bush of the "tailed woman" per day, and after 14 days a person feels a general improvement in his condition. As a salad green, it is often found in salads.
The people have a very interesting name for ginura - "crocodile". Despite the fact that the smell of its flowers is unpleasant, this plant helps well to cleanse the atmosphere of the room from negative energy and save the inhabitants of the room from nightmares or deprive the fear of darkness.
It is also recommended to give this plant to people with a harsh character and a rough voice, ginura is able to mitigate these manifestations. And despite their unattractiveness, the flowers of the plant can save a person who is too amorous from mistakes in behavior, but then it is recommended to grow a bush in a shaded place, and there is also a sign that ginura grows in the house, strengthening female happiness.
Types of ginura
- Ginura orange (Gynura aurantiaca). A plant with evergreen foliage and semi-shrub growth. It reaches 1 m in height, has shoots with ribbing and pubescence. The arrangement of the leaf plates is alternate, those that are below are ovoid, and those growing at the top of the stems grow small, with a pointed apex, there is an uneven serration along the edge, there is a petiole. The color of the foliage is reddish purple. Both the leaves and shoots cover the villi of a violet tone, therefore, being in bright light, the bush looks purple. That is why she is often called Ginura violet. The name “orange” was given to her because the petals of small flowers collected in baskets have a golden yellow or orange color scheme. The plant grows in nature on the island lands of Java.
- Ginura wicker (Gynura sarmentosa) is similar to the previous species, but its stems droop and because of this, the variety is grown as an ampelous plant. In height, it reaches about 60 cm. Leaf plates are small in size, in length they measure 7 cm. Its native territories are the lands of East Africa.
- Climbing ginura (Gynura scandens) often found under the name of Ginura ascending. The plant is not common and is often grown in greenhouse conditions. Possesses a semi-shrub form of growth. The leaves of this variety are large with oval or ovoid outlines and sparse, coarse denticles at the edge. The length of the whip shoots reaches 2 meters, and therefore look good as an ampelous culture.
- Ginura coastal is a tall tree if it grows in its natural habitat, but when grown indoors it takes shrub forms. The plant has a beautiful crown, which is formed from leaf plates arranged in a regular sequence on the shoots. The surface of the leaf is glossy, leathery, reminiscent of laurel leaves. The foliage is ovoid-oblong. The edge is solid, there may be a blunt or indistinctly notched apex and a broad-wedge-shaped leaf at the base. Flowers are small in size, green in color, nondescript in appearance, they have no decorative value.
- Ginura brilliant (Gynura splendens) is a shrub, the size of the leaves of which are larger than those of all the species described above. The foliage is broadly ovate in shape, there is a strong unevenness at its base.
- Gynura Procumbens. Semi-shrub perennial representative of the flora with stems growing erect. The height can be up to a meter. The surface of the stems is smooth and juicy. The leaf plates are light greenish, their surface is smooth, the edge is slightly serrated. The contours of the leaf are oval or elliptical. There is no pubescence, but the type of foliage is striking with tenderness, this variety is used as a medicinal plant.
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