Characteristics of the plant, recommendations for growing ankhusa in a personal plot, how to breed a bullock, fight against possible pests and diseases, facts to note, types. Anchusa (Anchusa) or Volovik belongs to the Boraginaceae family and all species take on a herbaceous form. In the genus, there are up to 40 varieties, which worship the lands stretching from the western regions of Europe to Asia as their native habitat. There are varieties that grow only in the south of the African continent.
| Family name | Borage |
| Life cycle | Annuals, biennials or perennials |
| Growth features | Herbaceous |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (bush division) |
| Landing period in open ground | May June |
| Disembarkation scheme | 20-25 cm between plants |
| Substrate | Loamy, fertile (with humus) neutral acidity |
| Illumination | Brightly lit place |
| Moisture indicators | Moderate |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 0, 1-1 m, there are instances of 1, 5 m |
| Color of flowers | Snow white, yellow, cyan, blue, purple |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Racemose or paniculate |
| Flowering time | May-July |
| Decorative time | Spring-summer |
| Place of application | Curbs, rockeries can be used for cutting or as a balcony decoration |
| USDA zone | 4, 5, 6 |
The people call the plant a volovik, but due to the fact that in the root system of this representative of the flora there is a pigment that is responsible for the scarlet color, in Latin the ankhuza has a name that translates as "make-up" or "cosmetics".
All varieties of the genus can have either a one-year or two-year cycle, or grow in the form of a perennial. The roots of Anchusa are fibrous in shape. Shoots have strong branching, while forming bushes, which vary in height in the range of 25-100 cm. Stems are erect, differing in density and color in brown or reddish tones. The leaf plates have a sharpened apex, their shape is lanceolate, narrowed can even be linear. The color of the foliage is light green. The leaves are located rather densely on the stems, but there are few of them along the entire length of the shoot. On the surface of stems and veins in the lower part of the leaf blade, there is a cover of short and rather rigid hairs.
During flowering, inflorescences of racemose or paniculate outlines are formed, which crown the main and lateral branches. Such sparse inflorescences are collected from leafy curls, inside which there are flowers. At the calyx, all the leaves have splicing, there are five lobes in it with an elongated or lanceolate shape and a rounded top. The length of the calyx is 1.5 cm. The core of the flower is distinguished by its relief and effectively rises in the form of a small cylinder. The corolla is funnel-shaped or can be funnel-wheel-shaped. Its color includes shades of blue, blue or yellow. There are species with snow-white or purple flowers. The flowering process takes time from May to June.
After flowering, fruits ripen, which look like nuts. Such fruits can be formed straight or have a bent shape, oblique or oblique in shape, their entire surface is covered with reticular wrinkles. Fruit color is light brown or grayish. The size of the nuts is almost 5 mm in diameter. Volovik fruits ripen from May to mid-summer.
When disembarking on a personal plot, it is recommended to decorate borders or rockeries with ankhuza. Such plants can be successfully planted in containers on balconies, or shoots with inflorescences can be used for cutting.
Growing ankhusa: planting and care in the open field
- Choosing a landing site. A flower bed is selected in the garden, which will be illuminated by the sun all day, that is, a southern location is recommended. As a last resort, weak partial shade will do. You can not be afraid that drafts or wind will harm the bullop, but for tall varieties it is better to create support when planting.
- Councils for the choice of soil. The soil for anhuza must be nutritious and loose. The acidity indicators are maintained in the pH range 6, 1–7, 4. At the same time, a loamy or humus-filled substrate is recommended. You can mix leafy soil with river sand. Also, the soil must be constantly warmed up.
- Landing. The plant is afraid of waterlogged soil, so it is recommended to take care of drainage. So in the hole, you can lay medium-sized expanded clay or pebbles, or small pieces of broken brick. When planting a cut or seedlings, it is recommended to maintain a distance between plants of about 25, if the bullock is large, then all 30-35 cm.
- Watering. Although the plant is famous for its drought resistance, if there is no rainfall for a long time in the summer, it is recommended to moisturize. It is important to remember that waterlogged soil will lead to decay of the root system and damage to the bushes with powdery mildew.
- Fertilize ankhuza begins a few days after planting, or if the variety is perennial, then immediately when the activation of vegetative processes begins. Apply complete mineral complexes or organic matter (humus or manure).
- General advice on care. Although the plant is cold-resistant, you need to focus on the amount of snow that has fallen out. When it is not enough, then you need to build a shelter from spruce branches or dry foliage. You can use agrofiber. If the volovik variety is one-year old, then with the arrival of October it needs to be cut off at the root. The remains of foliage and shoots are laid in compost. To make the Anchusa bush look neater during flowering, it is recommended to remove all faded inflorescences and dried shoots. This, by the way, can prolong the process of bud formation and stimulate re-flowering.
- Application. Ankhuza is recommended to be used for decorating borders and rockeries; such compact bushes look good on balconies and in containers. The best "neighbors" in the flower garden are thujas and plantings of primroses, daffodils, flax and beds of marigolds or Iberis. Bullock flowers have a pleasant aroma and serve to attract multiple butterflies and honey insects.
If in the country it is necessary to create group plantings from plants with a blue color scheme of flowers, then types of oxen are also used. When choosing a low-growing variety, then from such plants you can create "carpets" that will effectively decorate the hills or high bank of the reservoir. It is only important to plant flowers in a southern or eastern location.
How to breed a bullock?
You can grow ankhuza by sowing seeds and dividing an overgrown perennial bush.
For seed propagation in the southern regions, the material is sown on prepared beds in open ground. They breed in March or with the arrival of autumn. The first shoots can be seen in mid-spring, and in May they are transplanted to a permanent place in the garden. The distance between the plants is kept about 20-25 cm. Such bullocks begin to bloom from the middle of July days to late autumn.
If the decision is made to grow Anchusa seedlings, then for this the seeds are sown in seedling boxes at the very beginning of spring. Moistened peat acts as a substrate. Before sowing, you can spray the seeds with zircon or epin for better germination. After sowing, the container is covered with a transparent plastic wrap or a piece of glass is placed on top. The room temperature is maintained at about 18 degrees. When germinating, make sure that the soil does not dry out.
After 14–20 days, the first bullocks will appear. When two real leaf plates unfold on the sprouts, then you can pick into separate pots made of peat. At the end of May or the beginning of June, when the return frosts take place, they are planted in a flower garden.
It is important to remember that only pure varieties of ankhusa can be propagated with the help of seeds, since varieties and forms obtained through selection (hybrids) show very weak maternal characteristics.
If the species has a long-term life cycle, then vegetative propagation can be carried out by dividing the bush. This operation is performed in April-May. It is necessary to carefully remove the plant from the soil using a garden pitchfork, and then divide the rhizome into parts. Each of the divisions must have a piece of root and aerial shoots. Sections for disinfection should be sprinkled with wood or activated carbon, ash or chalk crushed into powder. The planting of the cut is carried out immediately into the open ground at the chosen place. Then the planting of the bullock is thoroughly moistened. After that, you can start feeding Anchusa with humus in a week. All further care consists in watering (but the main thing is not to overmoisten the soil) and fertilizers.
Fight against possible pests and diseases of anchusa
From harmful insects that can infect a bullock, aphids are emitted, which begins to cover the stems and leaves of the plant. If you want to use non-chemical preparations, it is recommended to spray with a solution based on laundry soap - 200 grams of finely grated soap is diluted in a 10 liter bucket of water. Also, any dishwashing detergent diluted in water can serve as such a preparation. If we talk about alcohol solutions, then use a pharmacy tincture of calendula. In a liter of water, dissolve a couple of drops of rosemary essential oil and use a spray solution, but in extreme cases, insecticidal preparations are used.
If the weather is very humid and the substrate is very saturated with moisture, then a disease such as powdery mildew and downy mildew may appear. Here, to heal, you need to cut off and destroy damaged shoots. Ankhusa bushes are sprayed with fungicides.
With the arrival of autumn, the entire above-ground part of the bush must be cut, if the variety is perennial, then a shelter is prepared for it for the cold season using spruce branches or mulched with dried fallen leaves.
Facts to note about ankhuz, photo of a herbaceous plant
Since there is a substance in the rhizome of ankhusa that is responsible for the red (scarlet) color, the plant has long been used both in cosmetics or when dyeing delicate tissues. But besides that, it contains wax resins and anhuzic acid. Because of such substances, volovik is considered medicinal, but poisonous. The latter factor is due to the presence of alkaloids, therefore, internal intake is prohibited without medical supervision. The roots are commonly used because of their expectorant and anti-inflammatory effects. A variety of Anchusa officinalis or Anchusa officinalis (Anchusa officinalis) is usually used.
The fruits of the plant are rich in vitamin E and essential oils, as well as carotene. When used, wounds heal quickly and if you grind them into powder, then they can be used as an antiseptic.
Important
It must be remembered that the juice of the bullock is poisonous and any operations with it should be carried out with gloves, and after work, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
Types of ankhusa
Cape Ankhusa (Anchusa capensis). The native lands of growth are in South Africa. The plant has a one-year life cycle. The stem is distinguished by increased branching right from the very base and there is a pubescent surface in the form of hairs. Narrowed leaf plates. The root system is compact in outline and consists of small root processes. Therefore, the plant can be grown as a pot or container crop. The height to which the stems reach is 25 cm.
During flowering, an inflorescence of buds with a sky-naked shade of petals is formed. There is a whitish or pinkish eye inside the corolla. The size of the flowers varies between 13-15 cm. At the same time, the length of the panicle inflorescence reaches 16-18 cm. Due to the large number of flowers, this process is especially lush and stretches from mid-summer to frost. On its basis, there are a large number of hybrid varieties:
- Alba differs in flowers of snow-white color;
- Blue Bird and Blauer Vogel may approach 45 cm in height, the color of the flowers is blue-violet;
- Blue Angel with shoots varying in height within 20–25 cm, the shade of the inflorescences is blue;
- Blending Blue dissolves flowers of a sky-blue color, which abundantly cover a bush, in height not exceeding 45 cm.
Ankhusa officinalis (Anchusa officinalis) is also called Medicinal Volovik or Medicinal Blush. In ancient times, it was called the "Constantinople Red Root", if you rely on the article of the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. The territories of the European part of Russia and the Caucasus are considered to be the native lands of growth.
Herbaceous perennial with a hard-rough surface. The stem is well branched, varying in height within 20–100 cm. Shoots are covered with narrow foliage with lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate outlines. The length of the leaf plate is 5–12 cm with a width of up to 1 cm. Those leaves that grow in the lower part of the stems differ in petioles, while the upper ones are sessile.
From the flowers, paniculate inflorescences are collected, consisting of curls. The calyx has five lobes, the corolla has five petals. First, their color is purple, then they acquire a blue tint, while whitish scales are present in the pharynx. There are 5 stamens inside the corolla. This variety blooms from May to late summer. The fruits are gray-colored nuts. Their shape is ovoid, oblique, the surface has tubercles and is distinctly reticulate-wrinkled. Nuts begin to ripen in June.
Ankhusa field (Anchusa arvensis) can be found under the names Volovik field or Crooked flower field. Basically for growth "chooses" wastelands and roadsides, can feel good on littered areas or fields. Annual, herbaceous. Its upper part can be either simple or branched. The surface of the stems is coated with long, stiff bristles. The height of the plant can vary in the range of 10-60 cm.
Ankhuza Italian (Anchusa azurea) is also called Anchusa italica. It grows naturally in the southern regions of Russia and on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. A perennial plant, can form bushes not exceeding 80 cm in height. The foliage has a covering in the form of pubescence of bristles. In the upper part of the shoots, the leaves are sessile, the lower ones have narrowed outlines. During flowering, loose inflorescences are formed, composed of blue flowers. Flowering begins towards the end of May and can last until mid-summer.
Became the basis for breeding many hybrid varieties, and of greater interest due to its decorative effect is "Dropmore". Its height is almost 1.5 m. The color of the flowers is bright blue. Since the plants are distinguished by high shoots, it is recommended to create a support for them.
There are many hybrid forms, among which the following are distinguished:
- LoddonRoyalis the height is 90 cm, the color of the flowers is blue or blue, they begin to bloom in the middle of the first summer month;
- RovalBlue when flowering, inflorescences with a pale blue color are formed;
- Opal reaches a height of 1, 2 m, flowers have a pale blue color.
