Distinctive features of the plant, recommendations for growing acantholimone in open ground, advice on reproduction, possible difficulties in care, note for flower growers, species. Acantholimon belongs to the Plumbaginaceae family, which is often referred to as Plumbagaceae. In the embryo of such plants, there are two cotyledons (dicotyledons), which grow opposite each other. Basically, all members of the genus are owners of woody outlines. They can be found in nature in the Mediterranean and Asian lands, which include the steppe and mountain regions of Armenia, Central and Southwest Asia, as well as Chinese and Pakistani areas. In this genus, you can count up to 90 varieties, but there is evidence indicating that this number reaches two hundred.
| Family name | Pig or plumbagovye |
| Life cycle | Perennial |
| Growth features | Evergreen, shrub or subshrub |
| Reproduction | Seed and vegetative (cuttings or division of the rhizome) |
| Landing period in open ground | In spring, immediately after frost or summer |
| Substrate | Dry, lime, alkaline |
| Illumination | Sunny place without shading |
| Moisture indicators | Drought tolerant, moderate watering |
| Special Requirements | Unpretentious |
| Plant height | 0.3-0.4 m |
| Color of flowers | Purple, pink (light to hot pink), or red |
| Type of flowers, inflorescences | Spike or paniculate |
| Flowering time | July August |
| Decorative time | Spring-summer |
| Place of application | Curbs, stone garden, rock garden, rockery |
| USDA zone | 4, 5, 6 |
Its name acantholimon is due to the merger of the Greek words "acanthos" and "leimon", which translate as "thorn" or "thorn" and "meadow", respectively. As a result, we get a "meadow thorn".
Acantolimon is a perennial with a thorny bushy form of growth. Its shoots are very branched and can create almost spherical or hemispherical pillows or "green carpets" of large sizes. The plant does not exceed 12 cm in height. Since its root system is well developed and of a mixed type, this allows shrubs to grow well on stony or gravelly soil and extract moisture from a great depth. Stems grow, rising above the soil surface, while their lignification begins right from the base.
The branches have thorny leaves that resemble elastic needles. Their outlines are linear-trihedral, subulate, sometimes they are flattened with rather large parameters in width. But they always have a pointed tip. The foliage is painted in an intense dark green color.
During flowering, a simple or branched inflorescence is formed, which has the shape of an ear. Sometimes it is paniculate or with spike-shaped heads. The buds in it are located one-sided. The flower's calyx takes the form of a tube or funnel. Petals at the base of the corolla with slight splicing. In the central part of each of them, a depressed vein is clearly visible, which is painted in a darker color than the general tone of the petals. The size of the flowers is relatively large, their tint can take on a purple, pink or red hue. Sometimes their color ranges from light to bright pink. Inside, lighter stamens are visible, which make the flowers seem very delicate. The flowering process for Acantholimon is from July to August.
Recommendations for growing acantholimone outdoors
- Choosing a landing site. In order for the plant to feel comfortable, as well as to grow and bloom in the future, it is important to choose the right site. The sun's rays should constantly fall there and where the soil warms up well. The best location would be a rock crevice or rock crevice in the open sun and on the south side. If the place is chosen incorrectly for the "meadow thorn", then the bush will never bloom. The flowerbed on which it is planned to plant must be dry, away from groundwater, since the root system of Acantholimon will quickly rot in dampness. The bush is planted in rock gardens or near a retaining wall.
- Growing temperature. Easily copes with fluctuations in heat indicators during the day. This is due to the fact that, when growing in the open air, the "meadow thorn" forms such dense cushion thickets that the required temperature will remain inside them for a long time.
- Humidity. As with temperature, this is also the case with humidity indicators. The dense thickets of this shrub themselves maintain the necessary microclimate for successful growth, and even in the heat, spraying is contraindicated for it.
- Watering. Acantolimon is resistant to dry weather conditions, as it has a rather elongated root system, capable of extracting moisture from very deep soil layers. Therefore, they moisten the substrate next to the plant moderately, and rarely and little by little, trying to avoid flooding the soil - this can destroy the bush. Heat indicators and chemical (physical) properties of water do not play a role in use.
- Fertilizers it is not recommended to introduce a representative of the lead for this, since under natural conditions the plant prefers depleted soils. Only once a year, with the arrival of autumn days, it is recommended to carry out top dressing, which contains lime.
- Soil for acantholimon. This specimen of the plumbago family grows well on very poor soils. In such a soil composition, a lime component (crushed limestone) and coarse sand are also mixed. That is, in any case, there should be a lot of calcium in the substrate.
- Landing. When a hole is being prepared for a bush, a drainage layer is necessarily laid on its bottom. Usually gardeners use expanded clay or crushed stone as it, but you can take crushed brick or ceramic (clay) shards. It is necessary to engage in planting at a time when the last frosts recede. It is necessary to correctly determine the location, since adult plants tolerate subsequent transplants extremely negatively. This is due to the fact that the roots of acantholimone are fragile and easily damaged during transplantation, which will lead to long-term illness and even possible death of the bush.
- General care. When growing Acantholimon for the winter, it will need to build a shelter that will keep out moisture, such as occasional winter rains. It is recommended with the arrival of autumn to mulch the soil around the shrub - this will protect the root system.
Acantholimone breeding tips
You can get a new thorny meadow plant by sowing seeds or rooting cuttings. Sometimes the method of rooting layers is used.
If a decision is made to carry out seed reproduction, then the end of summer is suitable for this. Seeds immediately after ripening are recommended to be sown in the ground or, with the arrival of February, to grow seedlings by placing the seed material in seedling boxes. But it should be remembered that in the culture Acantholimon practically does not give seeds, but if they are formed, then they have a very low germination capacity. Therefore, vegetative propagation should be carried out.
This method is the rooting of cuttings or cuttings. In the first case, with the arrival of the autumn period, the bushes are sprinkled with soil a little, and with the arrival of spring, the stems are carefully separated, on which root processes have already formed. They are then transplanted to a place prepared in advance. Acanthalimon is sometimes vaccinated on the roots of Kermek. Kermek is also a member of the Plumbagovye family, characterized by a long life cycle and a herbaceous form of growth. At the same time, it has been a medicinal plant for a long time, which has analgesic, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic effects.
When doing cuttings, the best time for this is mid-summer. The length of the cuttings should be 8–10 cm. After the blanks are cut from the tops of the shoots, they are placed in a vessel with water before planting, in which the root formation stimulator is dissolved. The exposure time in such a solution is several hours. After that, the cuttings are planted in pots filled with moistened river sand. Near the cuttings, the soil is slightly crushed. When the twigs take root, the young seedlings are transplanted to a chosen place with an alkaline or sandy substrate.
Possible difficulties in caring for acantholimone
The plant (to the delight of flower growers) is not susceptible to any diseases, and harmful insects do not show interest in it. However, when growing on a personal plot of Acantholimon, it should be remembered that while it grows not only to the contours of the pillow, and even more so to a dense deciduous rug, many years will pass. At the same time, a waterlogged substrate and water that accumulates next to the root system becomes a big problem. When planting a plant, it is important not to forget about a good drainage layer, and strictly follow the advice regarding watering. All this is due to the fact that it is not recommended to spray acantholimone even on hot days.
Also, the flowering intensity will be directly affected by the intensity of the lighting of the bush. If its level is insufficient, then the formation of buds, and even more so, their opening cannot be expected. When growing outdoors, it is better to immediately choose the most illuminated place, and when caring for a plant, like a potted crop, you will have to carry out additional lighting.
To flower growers a note about acantholimone, a photo of a plant
Of the plants that are part of the acantholimon genus, 14 species grow on the territory of Kazakhstan, and three of them are listed in the Red Book of this country, namely: Acantholimon titovii, Acantholimon linczovskii and Acantholimon tarbagataicum.
When buying such a plant, you do not need to carry out quarantine maintenance, since it never gets sick and does not present problems with the detection of pests. After the acquisition, if the acantholimone is young, it is recommended to transplant by the transshipment method. At the same time, the earthen lump does not collapse, and the bush rolls over, observing accuracy in a new pot, or is planted in a flower bed. If the plant is adult, then it is better not to injure it and leave it in the transport container.
Due to the fact that seed germination is low, some growers, sowing them in seedling boxes, grow seedlings and only after the seedlings grow up, transfer them to the flower bed.
Acantholimone species
- Acantholimon alatavicum (Acantholimon alatavicum). It prefers to grow in nature, ranging from the steppes and desert areas to the Central Asian highlands, while climbing to an altitude of about 1200-1300 meters above sea level. It is a semi-shrub with stems covered with triangular leaves. Over time, it can form rather dense cushions that take on a hemispherical shape. Their diameter is 30–40 cm. The plant has both spring and summer foliage. The first is slightly smaller in size, and the second reaches 3.8 cm in length and about 1.5 mm in width. The color of the needle-like leaves is light green, often with a bluish tint. The shape of the leaf blade is linear subulate, with slight flattening. To the touch, the leaves are rigid, devoid of pubescence, at the top with a hard pointed. Sometimes small cilia are present from the lower part. When flowering, which occurs between July and August, flowering stems are formed that slightly exceed the leaf cushions or may be at the same level with them. That is, their height parameters are 3–6 cm. On the surface of the peduncles there is a short dense pubescence. The flowers are arranged in single-flowered compounds, spike-shaped, the length of which is 11-14 mm. Those, in turn, are collected in 5–8 pieces in low, dense spikelets with two radii. Bracts are pubescent. Their shape is oblong-ovoid, with a gradual sharpening at the apex, but the point is very short. A narrowed webbed rim runs along the edge. Those bracts that form in the inner part are slightly larger than the calyx tube height or may be on a par with it. The membranous border is wide along the edge. The calyx is 10–13 mm long, and a funnel is formed from the sepals. The entire surface of the calyx has pubescence, which sometimes occurs only on the veins. The color of the petals can vary from pinkish to bright pink. In this case, the bend of the petals is whitish.
- Armenian Acantholimon (Acantholimon armenum) occurs under the synonyms Acantholimon balansae or Acantholimon hausknechti. The territories of the Caucasus and Asia Minor are considered native lands. The plant prefers dry stony or stony-gravelly southern slopes, which are numerous in the lower and middle belt of the mountains. The leaves of this species have a saber-lanceolate or saber-linear shape. They have a firm point, a rigid and bare surface, along the edge there are small and short cilia. The length of the foliage can vary from 2 to 4 cm, with a width of 1–1.5 mm. During flowering, 20 centimeter peduncles are formed, which can crown one shoot in a pair. The spike axis and peduncles are covered with small, rarely placed calcareous scales and hairs that are hard to the touch. The spike axis is distinguished by pubescence on only one side (inside), which is adjacent to the spike-shaped inflorescence. Single-flowered spikelets not exceeding 14–15 mm in length. The surface in them at the bracts is bare. The one that is located outside is 6-9 cm long and is always smaller than the inner ones. Its shape is ovate-lanceolate, gradually sharpening from its base part, forming a rather long tip. It is green at the base and brown at the top. The petals are painted in a bright pink tone and their size exceeds the calyx almost twice the length of the limb. The parameters of the calyx are 13–15 cm long, the tube reaches 7–9 mm, and the bend can be 5–6 mm wide.
- Acantholimon curly (Acantholimon glumaceum) has synonymous names Acantholimon hohenackeri and Statice glumacea. The native lands are Armenia, while the absolute height of the species growth is 1500-1900 meters. This plant is the most resistant of the genus and therefore the most popular. The leaf plates are assembled into a root rosette. The foliage is dark green. The length of each needle-leaf is 15-30 cm. The rosette forms the basis for the formation of a flowering stem, which in length varies in the range of 7-9 cm. It is crowned at the top with an inflorescence in the form of a spikelet, into which pinkish flowers are collected. The flowering process occurs in mid-summer, but can begin in August. The fruits are distinguished by their original and decorative shape.
- Acantholimon olivieri is also called Acantholimon venustum or Acantholimon laxiflorum. In nature, it can be found in Asia Minor. During growth, the formation of pillows of a greenish-blue color occurs, not exceeding 10 cm in height. They have even more prickly leaves than the pillows of Actantolimon curly. During flowering, a large number of pink flowers are formed. This species in our winters will require a more reliable shelter that should not conduct moisture. The variety practically cannot reproduce both by seeds and by rooting cuttings.
