Description of the crimson plant, recommendations for growing in open ground, how to reproduce, combating possible diseases and pests, notes for flower growers, species and varieties. Scarlet (Cyrcis) can also be called Certsis or Scarlet. It belongs to the large family of legumes (Fabaceae). It occurs naturally on the Mediterranean coast, in the southeastern or eastern regions of Asia and on the North American continent. They prefer mixed forests. This genus has only seven different species.
| Family name | Legumes |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth features | Shrubs or trees |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (cuttings) |
| Landing period in open ground | Rooted cuttings, planted in April-May |
| Disembarkation scheme | At a distance of 15-20 cm |
| Substrate | Neutral or acidic, well-drained and fertile |
| Illumination | Open area with bright lighting or partial shade |
| Moisture indicators | For seedlings, water plentifully, then stick to moderate |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | Up to 18 m |
| Color of flowers | Pinkish or purple |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Bunches or brushes |
| Flowering time | April May |
| Decorative time | Spring-autumn |
| Place of application | Gardens and parks, hedging |
| USDA zone | 4–9 |
The plant bears its name in Latin thanks to the translation of the word "cercis", meaning "weaving shuttle", since the shape of the fruit has the outlines of this part of the loom. The name in Russian reflects the color of autumn foliage, similar to the color of blood - crimson. But there is another name for it - Judas tree. This term originated from an inaccurate translation of the French phrase "Arbre de Jud e e", which means the tree of Judea.
All scarlet trees have a shrub or tree-like shape, in the latter case, the height of the branches may approach 18 m. The plant is deciduous. Its trunk is covered with fissured bark of a black and whitish shade. Moreover, if the branch is perennial, then the color of the bark on it is olive-brownish-gray; on annual shoots, the surface of the bark is smooth with a reddish tone. With its branches, the plant forms a rounded crown.
The shape of the leaf plates in cercis is simple, the edge is solid, their outlines are almost rounded or ovoid, but at the base the contour resembles a heart. The foliage is entire, there is a finger venation on it. Each leaf has a petiole, located on the branches in an opposite order. The stipules are small in size, their shape is linear, they fly around rather quickly.
The outlines of flowers in purple are irregular. From the buds, inflorescences are collected in the form of brushes or bunches. They originate in leaf axils, and on shoots that are more than two years old. At the same time, there is the property of caulifloria, that is, the formation of flowers even on the trunks. Bracts are also small in size, may be absent altogether or fly around very quickly. The corolla is moth shape. The calyx resembles a wide bell, slightly oblique, with a thickening. Its teeth are short and wide with obtuse apices. There are five petals, their color is pink or purple. In a flower, the petals usually diverge. Inside the corolla there are 10 free stamens, with filaments pubescent at the base. The stem of the ovary is shortened. Magnificent flowering can be observed even before the leaf plates begin to unfold, or with them. That is, the time from the end of April to May, stretched out over a month.
After pollination, the fruits ripen, which have the shape of a bean, in which a stalk is formed. The shape of the pod is flattened, along the dorsal seam to a greater or lesser extent, the fruits are narrow-winged. The length of such a pod is 8–12 cm. The fruit opens after ripening, releasing 4–7 seeds. The outlines of the latter are rounded-elongated, flat with a smooth surface.
Recommended to be planted for landscaping park and garden areas, as well as for the formation of highly decorative hedges.
Recommendations for growing scarlet in open field conditions
- Location selection. For cercis, so that growth and flowering take place comfortably, it is necessary to plant it in a well-lit place. However, for seedlings and young plants, these conditions are unacceptable, since the direct rays of the sun on the bark of the branches leave burns. Partial shade may come up, but in any case, it is worth taking care of protection from the northern cold winds. It should be borne in mind that groundwater should lie no closer than two meters deep to the landing site.
- Soil for planting purple should be fertile and moist. Indicators of soil acidity are permissible slightly acidic or closer to neutral (pH 5, 5-6). It is good that lime is present in it. But there is information that the plant can feel good on a strongly acidic or alkaline substrate. It is noted that acidic soil will contribute to a more saturated color of foliage with the arrival of autumn days. If the place where Cyrcis will be planted has never been processed, then it is recommended to dig up the soil and mix coarse sand into it, which will help fluff.
- Watering. Although many forms can cope with drought, the plant will exhibit excellent growth and flowering performance when well hydrated. It is important to remember that young cercis seedlings are watered with such frequency so as not to allow the soil to dry out, moreover, abundantly. Then, when the tree (or shrub) grows up and gets stronger, then watering can be set moderate.
- Fertilizers for crimson. Usually, the plant does not experience an urgent need for feeding, especially if the soil in which it was planted is fertile. All the nutrients so essential for growth and flowering will come from the soil, but the young seedlings need support. It is recommended to fertilize with mineral preparations in the spring and summer. Doses should be as follows: per 1 sq. m. add 10 grams of nitrogen, 15 grams of phosphorus and 20 grams of potassium. But you can use the complex mineral remedy "Kemira-Universal".
- Landing. The time when planting the crimson in open ground falls on April-May. When planting seedlings obtained by both seed and vegetative methods in open ground, the distance between the plants is maintained up to 15–20 cm. Usually, transplanting is recommended in the first year of growing cercis.
- Trimming. With the arrival of autumn, you can engage in the formation of the crown of the crimson tree. In this case, the shoots should be shortened by 1/3 of the entire length. Branches growing in the middle of the crown or dried up are removed. It is necessary to remove all the shoots formed in the root zone. Since the growth of Cyrcis is very slow, such molding is carried out in the first 3-5 years. Then, such operations are practically not carried out, cleaning only frozen or old shoots. Since the root system has the ability to first go down to a meter depth, and then grow almost horizontally, you should not plant other plants nearby.
- Wintering. To protect the root system of the Judah tree from frost, mulch crumbles in the near-trunk zone, and young seedlings need to be wrapped.
How to reproduce the scarlet?
For cultivation in the open field of cercis, we can use the seed and vegetative propagation method.
There are two ways to use seed propagation. In the first case, the seed material is collected, and throughout the winter period it is subjected to stratification. To do this, the seeds must be placed in boiling water for 24 hours, while it is recommended to use a thermos, since the heat indicators should not decrease or the container will need to be wrapped. When the seeds are swollen, they are removed and then dried on a towel. After drying, the seed is placed in an airtight bag and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. They are kept there for up to a month. The described procedure should be repeated three times. With the arrival of spring, seeds are sown in the chosen place in the garden only if the temperature indicators of the air are in the range of 15-20 degrees.
The second method is that the seeds are sown in the spring, but sprouts will appear only the next year, after natural stratification has passed. They are sown in the soil or in a seedling box. The substrate is used by mixing river sand, turf and leafy soil.
When grafting, twigs are harvested in the autumn. The length of the cuttings is kept up to 20 cm, while it should have 2-3 internodes. The harvested shoots are buried in a pot filled with coarse moistened sand. When the sand dries up in the upper part, it needs to be watered. Root cuttings of the purple plant should be in greenhouse conditions (you can cover them with plastic wrap) at a temperature of 20-25 degrees.
With the arrival of spring heat, rooted cuttings can be planted in open ground. In this case, a hole is dug up to a depth of 10–12 cm, then a fresh cut is made obliquely on the handle, at an angle of 45 degrees. It will be necessary to carry out treatment with a rooting stimulator and plant the workpiece. After that, it is watered, and the place near the trunk is subject to mulching.
Fight against possible diseases and pests of scarlet
The plant is resistant to diseases and harmful insects. However, in some areas freezing of shrub species may occur, so such plants will require shelter. It is recommended to mulch the root zone of trees.
With increased dryness, aphids drinking the juice of young shoots can cause a problem. This causes the branches to weaken and the leaves to wither. For prophylaxis in the spring, you need to whitewash the trunk. Also, to combat possible anthracnose, spray with a weak solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Notes to flower growers about purple
The purpura is a member of the Caesalpinioideae subfamily, which is also a member of the Legume family. However, some mistakenly consider the former to be a separate family.
The wood of the Cercis siliquastrum variety is used in carpentry, and the buds of the plant are also used for the preparation of spices with a pungent taste.
If we talk about a variety of Japanese scarlet, then for the first time the plant was taken out of its native lands in 1865. It was brought to the territory of the North American continent by Thomas Hogg, who, being in the land of the rising sun as a consul, brought out the seedlings of an unusual tree. And only after a 15-year period they met cercis in Europe, where for the first time trees with pink-crimson flowers appeared in the gardens of Germany and England. In Russia, the first plantings of scarlet were carried out in the Botanical Garden, owned by the Forestry Academy of St. Petersburg in 1910. All work on further introduction showed brilliant results. So a tree planted in 1934 in the territory of the botanical garden, belonging to the Institute. V. L. Komarov, with its shoots reached a height of 18 m, and it has two trunks. There is information that the same Japanese variety of cercis, grown in the Botanical Garden of the Moscow State University, was able to survive the most frosty winters, with negative indicators of 35-38 degrees, which were noted in 1978 and 2002.
Types and varieties of purple
Japanese scarlet (Cyrcis japonicum) is found under the name Roundfoot. In nature, it grows in forests of mixed and deciduous trees in Japan. Differs in shade tolerance and drought tolerance. Often grown in European Asian botanical gardens as well as in the United States. The height of such a tree can approach 30 meters. From the base, the formation of several trunks usually occurs, which, in a free state, contribute to the formation of a powerful crown with wide pyramidal outlines. The surface of the bark is cracked, dark gray. Young branches are glabrous, brownish, and the rest of the shoots are grayish-brown in color. The shape of the leaves is heart-shaped, the diameter of the plate can be 5–10 cm. The color from the upper part is dark bluish-green, the reverse side is gray or whitish, with veins of a red tone. As soon as the foliage begins to unfold, its shade is purple-pink, the surface is satin-glossy. With the arrival of autumn, the color of the leaves changes to crimson or golden yellow. It is at this time that an aroma appears that is somewhat reminiscent of caramel or freshly baked bread, gingerbread or vanilla. Because of this, the plant in Germany is called the "Gingerbread Tree".
There is a splendid variety of Bagryannik (var. Magnificum Nakai or Cyrcis magnificum Nakai), which is an endemic (nowhere else in nature does not grow) areas of central Honshu, "climbing" to an altitude of 1000-2800 meters above sea level. The foliage of this variety is larger. The leaf is 8 cm long and 5–6 cm wide. The trunk is usually single, the surface of the bark is smooth. Flowers are present both for women and men, the color is reddish. The flowering process occurs at the beginning of May. The length of the beans reaches 2 cm. It is not stable.
In nature, you can find on the same island Honshu the magnificent weeping form (Cyrcis magnificum f. Pendulum). The height of the tree is 4.5–7.5 m. It was first discovered as a self-sowing plant among typical plantings. Similar seedlings were planted near an ancient temple dating from the 16th century, located in the city of Morioka. During the reconstruction work, the plants were mercilessly cut down, but they recovered from the undergrowth. One of the shoots became the basis of a majestic tree that has survived to this day, whose age is estimated at 180 years, and the crown reaches 313 cm in diameter.
The Canadian scarlet (Cyrcis canadensis) is referred to as Cercis canadensis. The native area of distribution falls on the lands of North America, stretching from New York to the southern regions of Philadelphia and western to Iowa, Nebraska, Texas and northern Mexican regions. In culture, it is found on the Black Sea coast (Caucasus, Sochi, Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi, captures Ukraine and Central Asia). The height does not exceed 18 m. The crown is tent-shaped. The bark on the branches and trunk is black-gray. Shoots with a reddish color scheme. The foliage is broadly ovate, almost rounded. The length is 5–16 cm, the diameter reaches 15–17 cm, the leaf is cordate at the base, there is a sharpening at the apex. On the reverse side there is pubescence, at the very base. The color on the upper side of the leaf is gray-green, on the back - dull-gray. In autumn, the foliage takes on a light yellow tone. Flowering occurs in April-May.
When flowering, bunches of 4-8 are collected from the buds. The color of the petals is light pink or mauve. Corolla length 1–1, 2 cm with a diameter of 10–12 mm. Ripening fruits can measure 6–10 cm in length and up to 2 cm in width. The seed is oval in shape, only 5–6 mm long and 4–5 mm wide. Their color is dark brown, the surface is matte. Fruits ripen in September-October.
The most popular forms:
- "Forest Pansy" and "Ruby Falls" with burgundy foliage, with many branches taking on "weeping" outlines;
- "Pink Pom Poms" is distinguished by pink color of double-shaped flowers.
Video about the crimson root:
