The origin of the name and plant, its characteristics, recommendations for growing allamand, advice on transplanting and reproduction, interesting facts, species. Allamanda is a member of the genus of flowering plants that belong to the Apocynaceae family - there are also many dicotyledonous representatives of the flora belonging to the Gentian order. It includes up to 15 varieties of flowers. All plants that are members of this family, for the most part, are distributed in the territories of the southern continent of America and in the lands of Brazil (Guyana, Suriname, Guiana), where conditions of a tropical climate operate. It is actively naturalized in the coastal regions of the northern part of western Australia; you can find allamanda in China or Florida (southeastern United States).
The plant got its name in honor of the Swiss botanist, professor teaching at the University of Leiden - Frederick Allamand, who lived in 1736-1803. This scientist traveled extensively throughout his life and visited, in particular, Suriname and Guyana. For a long time he was a correspondent of the famous naturalist Carl Linnaeus, who was the creator of a unified classification system for the representatives of the flora and fauna of the planet, known at that time. In this work, all the available knowledge of the previous periods of the development of biology as a science was significantly streamlined. F. Allamanda was also able to describe several plants, and the genus Allamanda was named thanks to the works of this scientist.
There are also popular names for this beautiful flower; in the territories of its natural origin, allamandu is often called "the jungle bell" or "golden pipe". It is these epithets that will help you to imagine what the buds of the plant are, as they reflect their shape and color. Some varieties are called "golden vine" because of the similarity of a flowering bush with climbing roses.
For the most part, almost all Kutrovy flowers are shrubs or vines that do not change the color of their deciduous mass and do not shed it. If you do not cut the branches for 3-4 years, then their height can reach up to 3 meters. Allamand's stems, as a rule, lignify over time, their bark acquires a brown tone, although young shoots are colored green and do not have pubescence.
Leaf plates of the "jungle bell" are located on the shoots in opposite directions or connected in rosettes (whorls) of 3-4 units. The petioles of the leaves are very short, reaching 2–5 mm in length. The shape of the plate is obovate or elongated-lanceolate, there is a sharpening at the apex. In natural conditions, the length of a leaf can reach 10–17 cm with a width of up to 3–6 cm. In indoor conditions, the leaves become slightly smaller and reach only 12–15 cm in length. Their surface is glossy, leathery, devoid of any pubescence.
From allamanda flowers, inflorescences are collected in the form of curly brushes. The shade of the petals of the buds can be yellow, orange or purple. The calyx consists of five petals, the same composition of the corolla, which at the base has the shape of a funnel or bell. In the middle of the flower there are five free stamens and a single-breasted ovary.
After flowering, the fruits ripen in the form of a bivalve capsule containing numerous seeds. The fruit is prickly and has a fleshy interior.
Growing indoors is fraught with many difficulties, since allamanda is a capricious plant. For it, it is necessary to maintain certain conditions of humidity, heat and light. It will also be necessary for pot cultivation to arrange a support for plant shoots. Allamanda is a beautiful tropical plant that immediately captivates with its laconic outlines, spectacular appearance, minimalism and catchiness. It is customary to cultivate this vine as an ampelous plant because of the elongated branches, or to put decorative lattices that it will braid with its shoots. Can be grown using the bonsai technique.
Conditions for growing allamanda at home, care
- Lighting. The plant is very light-requiring and can confidently tolerate a certain amount of direct sunlight, so you need to put the pot on the southeast or southwest windows, but on the window sill of the southern location window at 12 to 16 hours, you will have to arrange light shading. Allamanda grows well in conservatories and greenhouses. It is necessary to ensure that the bush does not fall under the influence of a draft. If climatic conditions permit, then the plant can be grown in the garden, planting it along artificial reservoirs or on the sides of paths where there is a lot of sand and stones (but not clay). The place should be bright, but protected from wind and draft.
- Content temperature. In the spring-summer period, the indicators are maintained within the range of 20-23 degrees, and by winter they are lowered to 13-15.
- Air humidity. Since allamanda grows in natural conditions with high humidity, it will be necessary to spray its leaves in the rooms every day, trying not to get on the flowers. This procedure is not performed during winter. Water is taken at room temperature, soft.
- Watering. The bush does not require abundant wetting of the substrate, it is only recommended that the top layer has time to dry out between waterings. In the summer, they are moistened every 3-4 days, and in the winter, watering is reduced. Water is taken from rain or river, and only warm. Filters, boiling and settling can be used to clean and soften tap water from suspended solids.
- Fertilizer. As soon as active growth begins in the spring, it is necessary to make top dressing twice a month. Organic or mineral complexes are used. The concentration indicated on the packaging by the manufacturer does not change.
- General plant care. In the spring months, young allamands are recommended to be pruned and pinched, this will stimulate lush flowering and can give the plant a compact size. For this, the spring months are selected or pruning is done during transplantation. The shoots will need to be halved, the cut is made over the leaf node. Shoots must be tied up, as they can break off.
- Transplant and selection of soil for Allamanda. Transplanting young bushes will have to be carried out annually in the spring months, and when the plant grows up, this procedure is performed every 2-3 years, if necessary. At the bottom of the pot, a layer of drainage material (expanded clay or pebbles) must be poured.
The soil for the plant should be very porous, nutritious and with an acid reaction, acidity values within the range of pH 5, 6-6, 0, sometimes even strongly acidic with a pH of 5, 1-5, 5. You can buy soil mixtures for transplanting in a flower shop, which suitable for azaleas or conifers. The composition of the substrate is compiled independently from:
- leaf and sod soil, peat soil and river sand in proportions 2: 1: 1: 1: 0, 5;
- high-moor peat, leafy soil, compost soil, coarse-grain sand (in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1: 0, 3);
- humus, deciduous soil, sod, river sand and peat (in proportions 5: 2: 1: 1: 1);
- leafy soil, humus, pine bark (or needles), fine gravel (in proportions 2: 1: 1: 1: 2).
Jungle Bell Breeding Tips
You can get a new allamanda bush using seed planting or a vegetative method (cuttings).
Semi-lignified shoots are used for cutting cuttings and the procedure is performed in the spring months or late winter. The branch can be cut into pieces with a length of 10 cm. Then the cuttings are planted in moist sand. For early rooting, the lower sections are treated with a root formation stimulator (for example, heteroauxin or succinic acid), and after planting, the soil must be heated from below. It is also recommended to wrap the planted branches with a plastic bag to provide warmth and high humidity. Be sure to require daily spraying of the soil and airing. Temperature readings should not go beyond 23-24 degrees. As soon as the cuttings take root, they are transplanted into a substrate mixed of sand, humus and sod soil, taken in equal parts. After a month or a month and a half, the plants can be looked after as adults.
To propagate allamanda with seeds, you will first need to soak them for 2 days in warm water, but there is an opportunity to bubble them up - soak the seed material in water with a high oxygen content, this will accelerate their germination. Then it is necessary to sow seeds in a substrate based on peat and sand or peat and vermiculite (parts of any components are equal). For disembarkation, use transparent plastic cups of 200 gr. or rectangular transparent containers. Heat indicators during germination are maintained at 24-25 degrees. It is necessary to put a container with seeds under glass or wrap it with plastic wrap. You will need to ventilate and spray the soil twice daily. The soil should never be dry! After 3-6 weeks, you can see the first shoots. When the seedlings stretch up to 6-7 cm in height, they are dived in separate containers with diameters of 8 cm.
Difficulties in plant cultivation
Of the harmful insects that annoy Allamanda, they secrete whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, and nematodes. In the presence of symptoms of damage (yellowing and deformation of the leaves, white dots on the back of the leaf plate or a cobweb that began to envelop the plant), it is necessary to treat with insecticides.
The following troubles are also encountered:
- the base of the plant begins to turn black or rot if the soil is waterlogged or the seeds were planted too close to each other, the disease is called "black leg";
- with insufficient lighting or a lack of nutrients, allamanda slows down growth, the stems stretch, and the leaves begin to turn yellow, the flowering is rather weak;
- if the bush has been exposed to a draft or overcooled, then the leaves become brown and curl, this may also be evidence of waterlogging of the soil;
- when there is no flowering or it is weak, then this is evidence of too warm wintering and dryness of the substrate, as well as a lack of light and nutrients in the soil, but this also happens when overfeeding with allamanda fertilizers;
- when the substrate was overdried in the summer, the branches and leaves droop, or this happens in the winter due to high humidity and low heat indicators;
- when yellowness appears on the leaves and interveinal chlorosis, it is necessary to change the soil to a more acidic one and add citric acid to the water when watering.
Interesting facts about Allamand
On the lands of the Australian continent, Allamanda has taken root so successfully that it has been classified as an ecological weed. As a result of human activity (invasion), the plant began to fill with its thickets all open areas in most national park areas.
The shrub, like many of the Kutrovy family, emitting milky sap, is poisonous and, if liquid gets on the mucous membranes, causes vomiting. If an animal or a small child swallows large quantities of allamand leaves or flowers, this will have a serious effect on the cardiac activity of the body and threaten with danger. It is also necessary to remember this when leaving (pruning) the plant, since the juice, getting into the eyes or on the skin, can cause irritation, so you will have to work with gloves.
Types of allamanda
- Allamanda nobilis. The plant is distinguished by reddish shoots. The leaf reaches 20 cm in length, sessile on the shoot, lanceolate in shape, there is a pointed tip at the top. Pubescence is present on the underside of the leaf blade. The leaves are located in a whorled node - 2-3 pieces each. The petals of the flower are colored yellow and inside the corolla there is a pale speck on the pharynx. The bud diameter reaches 12 cm. They have a pleasant aroma.
- Allamanda cathartica. It is she who is called the "jungle bell" or "golden pipe" and this variety is loved by flower growers in room conditions. Its shoots can grow up to 6 m. The leaves are located on the branches in opposite order, the size is large, the shape is elongated-ovate, the pubescence is only on the lower side along the veins. Their sizes reach up to 14 cm in length and 4 cm in width. The location of the buds is apical. The flower grows up to 6 cm in width, the shape is tubular-funnel-shaped, the color is yellow, whitish at the base.
- Allamanda Henderson A synonym for Allamanda Henderson's laxative variety (Allamanda cathartica var. Hendersonii). The species is fast-growing, leathery leaf plates on the upper surface, arranged whorled by 3-4 units, have a thickness. The diameter of the flower in the opening reaches 12 cm, the color of the petals of the bud is yellow-orange with pale specks on the surface (there can be up to 5 of them).
- Allamanda grandiflora. The synonymous name of Allamanda is a large-flowered laxative variety (Allamanda cathartica var. Grandiflora). A plant with a very slow growth rate. Mainly grown as an ampelous crop. Small leaves are distinguished by lanceolate-ovate outlines. There are a lot of buds on the bush, they reach a diameter of 10 cm. The color is lemon yellow.
- Allamanda schottii. A synonym for Allamanda is a laxative variety of Schottii (Allamanda cathartica var. Schottii) or Allamanda neriifolia. The branches of this liana-like or shrub plant have pubescence, "warts" are present on the branches, and the growth rate is high. Shoots in an arc-like manner droop to the soil surface and reach a length of up to 90 cm. Leaf plates of 3-4 pieces are collected in whorls, in shape they are lanceolate or elliptical with a pointed tip at the top. The surface of the leaf is dark emerald, their length is 12 cm. The color of the buds is yellow with brown stripes, the throat is shaded with a dark yellow tone. The diameter of the flower can be measured 4 cm, there is a swelling of the corolla tube at the base.
- Allamanda oleandrolist (Allamanda neriifolia). The shoots of this plant can reach up to meter lengths and droop to the ground. Leaves are lanceolate, elongated or elliptically elongated. In length, they often reach 12 cm, and are attached to the branch with short petioles. The surface of the top of the leaf is colored with a dark green tint, and the bottom is lighter. Flowers in diameter can reach up to 4 cm, their color is rich yellow, the corolla tube is distinguished by a swollen base.
- Allamanda violet (Allamanda violacea). May have previously met under the name Allamanda blanchetii. Climbing liana-like plant with a slow growth rate. The leaf plates are elliptical, with pubescence, and because of this, the color of the leaf seems to be grayish-bluish. In length, they can reach up to 15 cm, are located in whorled nodes of 4 units. The flowers are apical, 2-3 buds are collected in the inflorescence, their color is light purple or light lilac-pink.
See what Allamanda looks like in this video:
