Distinctive features and recommendations for keeping eupomation at home, advice on breeding, interesting facts, types of eupomation. Eupomatia belongs to the family of the same name Eupomatiaceae of the order Magnoliales, considered flowering representatives of the flora, which includes only three species. For their place of growth, these specimens of nature "chose" the territory of the Australian continent, starting from the Cape York Peninsula and further, following south to East Victoria, as well as in the eastern lands of New Guinea. They love to grow in tropical wet forests, in wet ravines and eucalyptus forests.
The eupomatia got its name from the Scottish botanist and traveler Robert Brown, who lived in the late 18th - first half of the 19th century. He not only studied botany, but also applied his knowledge in the field of morphology and taxonomy of plants, and also became the discoverer of the "Brownian motion". Traveling through the lands of Australia from the period 1802-1803, the scientist found an unknown flowering plant and gave it the name of Bennett's Eupomatia. Often among the people it is called Eupomation.
These representatives of the green world most often take the form of small shrubs or trees that combine primitive signs of high specialization (soil quality, moisture conditions, volume and frequency of precipitation, total temperature indicators, as well as socio-economic, scientific and technical factors) …
In trees or in the subcortex of the rhizome, soft starchy basal tubers are present; the covering with fine hairs or bristles (indumentums) is absent or is present only on the branches. The height of the trunk often fluctuates within 3-5 meters, but there are specimens reaching 15 meters in size. If a plant with a shrub growth form, then its stems rarely exceed 1–1, 4 meters. The outlines of the bush are spreading. The shoots are flexible and resemble the branches of griselines.
The leaves have a simple shape, a solid edge, the surface is smooth, glossy. There is a small petiole that goes to the leaf blade in its central vein. Leaf shape - elliptically elongated, opposite arrangement on shoots. The color from the upper part is rich, dark green, and the reverse side is slightly lighter. The surface has a silky sheen.
When blooming, buds of bisexual flowers are formed. The shape of the flowers is quite beautiful, they have whitish, cream or reddish-yellow colors. When opening, the diameter of the flower reaches 3–4 cm. The arrangement of the petals in the bud is spiral, the outlines are actinomorphic (the flower has several planes of symmetry), the buds are epiginal (supra-papillary), placed singly, in the leaf axils or at the tops of branches. They can gather in bundle inflorescences of 2-3 buds, with 1-2 spliced bracts. The calyx is formed in the form of a tube. Sepals and petals are missing. The number of stamens varies in the range of 20–100 units. Those that are placed inside are often reborn in staminodes - this is a stamen that does not have an anther, and it has lost the ability to produce pollen, it has become sterile. The smell of flowers is pleasant enough and attracts weevils for pollination.
When fruiting, a berry is formed, sweet and aromatic, small seeds are placed inside. These seeds have a very small embryo and endosperm, with a surface characterized by irregularities, deep grooves and folds. Berries when eaten by birds and animals are carried over long distances. It is often used in cooking, in the manufacture of jams, drinks or fillings for baked goods.
Rules for the care of eupomation, cultivation
- Lighting and location selection. The plant feels great together with good bright lighting, but it is important that it is diffused. For this, the eupomaty pot is placed on the windowsills of windows facing east or west. If there is no way out, and your green beauty is in a room with a southern location, then you will either need to put it a meter or two deep into the room, or attach tracing paper (thin paper) to the glass, you can hang thin translucent curtains - all these tricks will dissipate harmful solar rays at noon hours. With the arrival of spring heat and when the threat of morning frost has passed, you can take the pot with the plant out into the open air, having previously taken care of protection from the sun and draft.
- Content temperature. For eupomation, you will need to constantly maintain the thermometer readings, which fluctuate in the range of 20-25 units, and it is important that the temperature does not drop below 17 degrees.
- Air humidity. Eupomatia can easily tolerate dry air of residential premises, but for its comfortable growth, it will need to withstand moderate humidity levels. If it gets especially hot on summer days, it is recommended to spray the deciduous mass of the plant. Also, some growers use a warm shower, but during this procedure it is necessary to cover the soil in the pot with plastic wrap so that tap water does not get onto the soil. After a shower, it is better for the plant to dry out in partial shade, since when exposed to direct streams of ultraviolet radiation, a sunburn of the leaf plates can occur. Spray water is also taken, soft and warm. If this is not done, then in the first case, whitish traces of calcareous compounds in the water will appear on the foliage, and in the second case, brown spotting may form on the leaves.
- Watering. Since the plant does not have a pronounced rest period, the irrigation regime does not change throughout the year. It is important that the substrate in the pot is constantly moistened and must not be allowed to dry. Rain or river water can be used, but in urban conditions it can be polluted, so it is recommended to use distilled or distilled water. Although the latter does not guarantee the absence of harmful suspensions and substances. It is also important that the water is at room temperature with indicators of 20-24 degrees. You can pass tap water through a filter, boil and only then settle it for several days. The signal for watering is the drying out of the top layer of the soil - if you take it into a pinch, it easily crumbles. It is also important to avoid stagnation of water in the pot holder, as soon as the glass liquid, then after 15–20 minutes it must be removed.
- Fertilizers for a plant, they are introduced from the beginning of the growing season, apply dressings for decorative deciduous indoor flora in liquid form. The frequency of feeding is once every 2-3 weeks. It is recommended to use the preparation LTA-2, which has good nutritional properties, eupomatia reacts very well to it. In the winter months, the plant continues to be fertilized, but the frequency is halved - that is, top dressing is applied every 4–6 weeks.
- General care for eupomation. Pruning the branches of the plant is not too much required, except to give a compact form to the bush. If this is not done, then the growth and loss of decorativeness are inevitable.
- Transfer and selection of soil. The change of the pot and the substrate in it for eupomacy is carried out every two years. In the new container, it is necessary to make small holes through which the liquid that has not been absorbed by the root system will leave, and a layer of drainage material is poured, which can be medium fraction expanded clay or pebbles, broken shards or crushed and sifted bricks. This will prevent stagnation of moisture in the pot and rotting of the plant roots. The substrate is mixed from leafy soil, humus soil, river coarse sand and raised sod. All parts of the components are taken equal, with the exception of sand - it should only be used half of the part. Also, perlite or well-detailed foam can act as a baking powder.
Self-breeding tips for eupomation
You can get a new eupomatia bush by grafting or sowing seed.
If the seeds are fresh, they will sprout after 3-5 weeks. The level of seed germination is quite high. When a plant is grown by cuttings, then it begins to bear fruit after two years from the time of planting, with seed reproduction the same result will have to be expected only after 4–6 years.
When grafting, a young leaf cutting is used; it is cut off at the time of budding of eupomation. You can put the stalk in a vessel with water and so wait for the appearance of root shoots, and then place it in the ground or plant it in a peat-sand mixture right away. Cuttings are placed under a cut plastic bottle or covered with plastic wrap.
The seeds are placed in the springtime in a container with a sandy-peat substrate and slightly powdered with the same soil. Then you will need to cover the container with crops with a plastic lid or a piece of glass. It is necessary not to forget to carry out daily ventilation of crops and, if necessary, moisten the soil. When a pair of true leaf plates appear on the sprouts, you can pick out in separate containers with a more fertile substrate suitable for the growth of eupomation.
If sowing is carried out in open ground in the summer, then seedlings will appear in a month.
Difficulties in growing eupomatia
The plant is quite resistant to pests and diseases. Provided that the rules of care are not violated, then there are no problems in growing.
In the case when the soil is often flooded, the root system may decay. The plant does not like to be in the midday summer hours under direct streams of ultraviolet radiation - because of this, brown spots appear on the leaves, the consequences of sunburn.
Interesting facts about eupomacy
This genus owes its discovery to the famous botanist Robert Brown, who, while traveling across Australia from 1802 to 1803, came across an unknown primitive flower, which was named Eupomacy laurel. After almost fifty years, a new species was discovered, called Eupomatia bennettii. And although at first Robert Brown attributed this genus of flowering plants to the Annonaceae family, the Austrian botanist Stefan Ladislaus Endlicher (1804-1849) decided to separate it into an independent family with the same name - Eupomatievs, which was recognized by the world botanical community.
Parts of the plant contain alkaloids and unusual lingans. Of the alkaloids, sampangin, eupolauridine, lyrodenenin and lanugosinone can be isolated, and eupomation is also used for the manufacture of antimicrobial or antifungal drugs. If we talk about flavonins, iridoids and ellagic acid, then they are absent.
Due to the massive deforestation of tropical forests, the eupomatia is on the verge of extinction and is currently protected in the territory of Queensland National Park, which covers about 1200 square kilometers. Every year many tourists come there to admire the flora and fauna, which has become a relic on our planet.
The insects that pollinate eupomacy flowers are weevils, the body of which is covered with small thin hairs. It is sterile stamens that attract them in flowers. The beetles gnaw a hole at the base of the staminodes and get inside. There, the edges of sterile stamens, which are covered with papillary hairs and food bodies with pads, become food for them. The Bennett species does not have such a closed cavity, but in any case, the insect finds itself in a kind of trap.
Types of eupomation
Eupomatia laurina can be found under the name Eupomatia laurina. It is a shrub with evergreen deciduous mass. The native habitat falls on the lands of the Australian continent. In terms of height, indicators can vary in the range of 3-5 m, but it happens that some large specimens reached 15 meters with a trunk diameter of up to 30 cm. If the plant takes a bush form, then the contours are spreading and the height does not exceed one and a half meters.
The leaf plates are very decorative, with a leathery surface and beautiful outlines. The upper side of the leaf is shiny with a green tint, the lower side is slightly lighter, but it has a beautiful silky tint. The leaf petiole is short and simple. It goes to the central vein on the leaf, which has a clear ornament. The shape of the leaf plate is elongated-elliptical at the top is sharpening.
When blooming, small white flowers are formed, although they are completely unattractive. The fruits appearing on the tree are yellow-green in color and can reach 15–20 mm in diameter, they have a sweet taste and a pleasant aroma. Most often, drinks, jams or desserts are prepared from the fruits.
The Eupomatia barbata is also found under the name Small Bolwarra or Bennett's Eupomatia. Often it can take a shrub growth. The homeland is the lands of Australia, an endemic plant - that is, it is not found anywhere else in natural growth except in these places. They are found in tropical rain forests in northeastern Queensland, settling in areas between Cooktown and Ingham region, at an altitude of 1100 meters above sea level. Most often they like to settle in eucalyptus forests and humid ravines.
In height, the branches of these shrubs reach meter sizes, and flowering begins even before the plant fully grows. The stems are well leafy. The leaf plates are located on zigzag branches and can reach 16–20 cm in length and up to 5–6 cm in width. Their petioles are short, only 0.2–0.4 cm long. Lateral veins are in the amount of 16-22 units and form loops inside the edge of the sheet. If you take a lens, you can see oil dots on the surface. The surface of the leaf is bare, the shape is obovate, it can be simple or feathery.
When blooming, buds are formed with whitish, creamy or reddish petals, which, when opened, reach 4 cm in diameter. After the bud opens, you can see the petals arranged in concentric rings. Flowers are located at the tops of the branches. Inside the flower there are stamens, which are very fragrant and have a bright color, this eupomacy attracts weevils, which carry out pollination.
When fruiting, a berry ripens, with dimensions of 20 mm by 30 mm, elongated scars appear at the top when ripe. The seeds are embedded in an opaque pulp. The embryo is small. The color of the fruit is greenish at first, and then it becomes with a yellow tint. The berry is edible. To the north of Queensland, there are small shrubs of this variety, which were collected in the 1800s or earlier. The plant was officially described in 2002 by botanist Laurie Jessop. Due to the fact that natural conditions and climate change, eupomation is ranked as relict flora and is considered an endangered species.
