Acena natural habitats, description of the exterior, types and characteristics, recommendations for cultivation and care, use in the field of landscape design. Acene is a delightful plant that appeared in our area for a long time. A flower that managed to gain popularity and demand in the shortest possible time. Today, this perennial is valued by gardeners and landscape designers for its beautiful appearance and its peculiarity: to show off on the site almost all year round.
The origin and habitat of the acena in the wild
Acena (lat. Acaena) - originates from a kind of a large, beautiful family of Pink (lat. Rosaceae). This is a fairly common representative of the green world of the planet. The lands of the Southern Hemisphere are considered familiar and familiar to him. Traveling around the world, you will have quite a few opportunities to see the Acene. This can be done on the Tasmanian Peninsula, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and, in principle, throughout South America.
Features of the appearance of the acena
In nature, Acene grows in the form of shrubs or semi-shrubs, which tend to spread along the ground. Their growth is not very large, about 10-30 cm. There are quite a lot of shoots within one bush, they are also characterized by strong branching, for this reason they are strongly intertwined with each other, thus forming a dense, unbreakable carpet of the earth. Shoots have a tendency to lignification, leaves are comfortably located on them. They are pinnate, slightly pubescent. The sizes of the leaf plates range from 5 to 10 cm in length. The peculiarity of the acene leaves is that they do not fall off in autumn. Around the middle of the summer period, spherical inflorescences begin to appear on this evergreen. Their size is very small, reaching about 7-10 mm in diameter, they are formed from tiny flowers, which are usually colored red or dark burgundy.
Variety of plant species
In various parts of our planet, there are approximately 40-60 species and varieties of this attractive plant. Not all of them are available for cultivation in the conditions of our garden plots, due to their characteristics. The most popular and studied ones are presented to your attention:
- Small-leaved acene - Acaena microphylla. He honors New Zealand as his homeland. This type of South American plant is the most popular among domestic gardeners. This species does not require particularly complex actions for cultivation and care, adding to this the unsurpassed appearance of its appearance. Long shoots, about 50-60 cm each, with their rather strong branching form dense, inseparable above-ground covers. They are covered with a thin layer of single leaves that have rounded shapes with sharply serrated edges. The leaf plates are colored deep green, in places with a brownish tint. On thin, fragile peduncles, spherical inflorescences flaunt, which in turn are formed by miniature flowers, painted mainly in red color. The flowering period falls in late spring and early summer. There is in the life of the small-leaved acena and one more period, which is called - fruitful. At this hour of her life, she is especially attractive and unique. The inflorescences acquire a rich brown color with a dark shade, and their surface is decorated with long "needles". When growing this beauty in your gardens, you should beware of severe frosts.
- Acena silvery - Acaena argentea. The habitat habitual for this species, rises high above sea level, about 2000-4500 m. The homeland of this green miracle is Chile and Peru, or, to be more precise, the Alpine zone of the Andes. Despite its low inconspicuous growth, this representative of the acene is distinguished by its high decorativeness and extraordinary appearance, due to the fact that nature has awarded it with leaves painted in a special bluish-green tint, which is accompanied by a silvery metallic sheen. A characteristic feature of the leaf is also a gentle, slight pubescence on the reverse side. The number of leaf plates located on one stem is about 4–6, their length is 3–6 cm, which strongly depends on the external environment, the sharp changes in which this plant is experiencing hard. The flowering period begins in May-June and smoothly passes into the period of decorative fruiting in August-September.
- Acena unarmed - Acaena inermis Hook f. There is also its subspecies Acaena purpurea. This native of New Zealand is a perennial low-growing plant, the height of which does not exceed 10 cm. The leaves, which are painted in a beautiful crimson shade, give a special charm to this representative of the world flora. In the middle of summer (July-early August), small flowers, which have green sepals and light stamens, slightly sticking up, begin to please the eye.
- Acena Buchanana - Acaena buchananii. The homeland of this stunted miracle is distant New Zealand. With a growth of about 5-6 cm, by nature she got long, highly branched shoots, the parameters of which are approximately 50-60 cm each. As for the lateral shoots, their lengths range from 10 to 25 cm. In the projection of the tops of the stems, one can observe not particularly numerical leaves, which are painted in a green-grayish tint; on the reverse side of the leaf plate, a very slight pubescence is visible. The flowering period falls in the middle of summer, after which yellow heads, which are covered with thorns, begin to flaunt on the plant. Fruits are taken to form in early August, and fully ripe can be harvested somewhere in early September. The dense, beautiful carpets that this flowering perennial forms are a very stable unit of the green world; neither changes in the external environment nor physical damage are particularly terrible for it.
- Acena sparkling - Acaena splendens. The native lands of this flower with a beautiful name are located at an altitude of 2000 m above sea level, in the alpine meadows of South America. The stems of this "mountain queen" form a perennial, dense, beautiful hiding place for the earth, the height of which reaches approximately 10–25 cm. Also, this carpet is decorated with long oval-shaped leaves, endowed with a delicate silvery color, at their end there is a fine serration. In the middle of a hot summer, on relatively high peduncles, flowers with bright purple bracts begin to show off.
- Acena New Zealand - Acaena novae-zelandiae. Based on the name, it will not be difficult to guess that the homeland of this flower is New Zealand, namely its mountainous lowland. This representative of the entire variety of the genus Acene, is distinguished by the largest size and a long flowering period. Leaves, light green color, with a metallic sheen. Its inflorescences take on a spherical spherical shape, painted in red, which shimmers beautifully in the sun. You can admire the large bloody flowers from the beginning of July until the arrival of the first autumn frosts. Due to its rapid growth and the ability to branch out widely, it requires a relatively large and spacious "living space".
- Acene oval - Acaena ovalifolia. Native to South America. The features of its external appearance are somewhat different from other species of these branching plants. The length of each shoot sometimes reaches one and a half meters, they tend to lignify and they begin their branching already from the very base. A distinctive characteristic is that the shoots are covered with leafy cover throughout their entire length. The dimensions of the leaf plates are quite large, they have an oval shape, along the edge they are decorated with large teeth, which resemble a saw, their natural color is bright green, without a metallic sheen.
Growing acena on the site, care features
Once you decide to grow a beautiful "carpet" for your garden, you will never regret it. Acena is not a particularly capricious and demanding plant, so you should not face difficulties in caring for it. With a minimum of effort, you will get the most beautiful and unique decoration for any corner of your garden.
- Reproduction methods. In nature, there are two ways to reproduce this plant - sowing seeds and vegetative method using cuttings. Both of them are quite effective and not requiring much effort. Sowing the seeds gives a fairly good result. Sowing them is recommended in the spring, when the winter chills and frosts are already far behind. The first leaves are not long in coming, it is necessary to immediately carry out a pick - a transplant in separate containers. When summer comes to an end, rather formed bushes are already flaunting at the site of the first shoots, capable of fighting with courage against winter weather. There is another useful tip: carrying out stratification for 7-10 days will provide more friendly and consistent seed shoots. A suitable temperature for this would be a temperature of about 2-5 degrees. The vegetative way of reproducing this wonderful perennial is the most common and effective, since young stems quickly adapt to new locations, then rooting takes place in the shortest possible time. To prepare raw materials for the continuation of the genus Acene, it will be enough to divide the last year's shoot into segments 10-15 cm long. This should be done in late spring or early summer, when the most intensive growth of the shoots and the plant as a whole occurs. Be sure to take cuttings with a small last year's shoot - this is the key to quick and successful rooting. It is also advisable that the stalk be with fresh green leaves and make sure that there is not the slightest area of rot on the future element of your exterior. After planting, it is necessary to carry out a regular spraying procedure.
- Insolation level for ornamental bushes. These little magical bushes are very humble plants. They quite normally perceive both the scorching sun and its direct rays, and shaded areas. But there is always a "but": with a lack of rays of the sun on the leaves and stems of the plant, it responds to you with the loss of its decorative effect. The stalks try to reach closer to the sun, their length increases, and "looseness" begins to form in a beautiful carpet. For this reason, you need to more carefully choose the "place of residence" of your garden pet. For this, the most optimal option would be an area that is under ultraviolet rays for the largest part of the day, light diffused partial shade is allowed.
- The correct choice of substrate. Since this beautiful South American flower is very humble, the choice of soil mixture will not pose any particular problems either. The substrate in which your beautiful pet will grow should be loose enough to provide good drainage for water and oxygen. The ideal soil for acena will be garden soil with a humus content.
- Providing liquid. The plant does not need especially abundant and regular watering. A desirable measure for its comfortable existence will be soil moistening during periods of prolonged drought and intense heat. Acene is more adapted to the dryness of the soil, but as for stagnant water, this has a bad effect on the health and appearance of the flower. For this reason, even when choosing a location for your branching inhabitant, you should prefer a location that does not tend to retain moisture.
- Top dressing. It does not need regular fertilization, but there is one unique feature of this magical plant: it pays for goodness in kind. If you regularly feed this green miracle with complex mineral fertilizers, then after a while the decorative effect of this bush will increase.
Difficulties in cultivating acena
Nature has awarded this plant not only with modesty and undemandingness, but also with good natural immunity. Problems with its appearance are rare, it is also very rarely exposed to pests. But some unpleasant situations sometimes happen:
- In the case when your beautiful bush has an unusual yellowness of the leaves or, moreover, their dryness, you need to increase watering. This happens in hot weather and during prolonged drought.
- Your garden perennial does not increase in growth, does not please you with its flowering, or there is a decrease in its decorative effect, this is a signal that the soil is too wet.
- If your pet's leaves begin to die off, do not panic. Most often, this situation occurs during the spring thaw or prolonged torrential rains. It is recommended to design an outflow of fluid or transplant the shrub to a drier and more comfortable place for it.
Acena is a plant that is not afraid of cold weather; in winter it feels great under a layer of snow. If winter has already come, cold and frost is already raging, and there is still no snow, then in this case a warm shelter will be a necessary measure of protection for your shrub. The material for this can be spruce branches or brushwood.
Acene in landscape design
In such an area as landscape decoration, this ground cover plant is especially appreciated. The reason for this is that in the fall the bush does not shed its leaves and they decorate their garden plot almost all year, except for the time when the acene is warming up under a snowy shelter. This plant fits very well and harmoniously into any nook and cranny of your garden. Therefore, there are many different options for the use of this unique shrub. It is used as an elegant framing of coniferous trees, arranging a rocky hill or trellis, a beautiful decoration between the slabs of garden paths. If the plant is grown in a container, for example, in a pot or in a planter, then this will be a good decor for a veranda or balcony. Other flowers with a higher growth height against the background of an acena carpet will look very impressive. It is also often used to decorate rock gardens.
For more on Acene, see this video:
