The characteristic differences of the plant, tips for growing erantemum at home, steps for reproduction, difficulties arising in the process of cultivation and ways to overcome them, curious notes, types. Eranthemum (Eranthemum) belongs to the botanical classification of the Acanthaceae family. Its native territories of distribution fall on the lands of the southeastern regions of Asia, the Malay Archipelago and India - areas with a subtropical and tropical climate. In this genus, there are scientists, according to various sources, from 15 to 30 different species.
The scientific name of this representative of the flora is made up of two Greek words: the first is "erranos" meaning "beloved" and "flower", which in Greek sounds like "anthos".
The plant can take both herbaceous and bushy forms. The sizes of erantemum in nature are quite large, not even particularly branching, its shoots can reach meter sizes. But in the conditions of rooms it is recommended to give it about 40-50 cm in height with the same diameter, since compact plants will look more attractive. The branches in the section have angular outlines. The bush does not lose foliage throughout the year, being an evergreen representative of the flora. When the shoots are young, their color is green, but over time they begin to lignify, becoming covered with light brown bark.
The leaf plates have petioles. The foliage can be elliptical or ovoid, and the size is quite large. There is a sharpening at the top. The edge of the leaves can be either solid or serrated. The color of the foliage is dark green and all the veins appear on the surface in a lighter tone.
During flowering, the formation of apical inflorescences takes place, but occasionally they are located in the leaf axils. The shape of the inflorescences is in the form of a panicle or spikelet. It often happens that the bracts are colored. The outlines of the flowers are tubular, the size is small. The rim is divided into five lobes. Flower petals can take on whitish, blue, pinkish or dark purple hues. Whitish filaments usually peep out from the corolla, which are crowned with anthers of light brown color, which have a longitudinal cleft. Sometimes the color of the anthers is slightly lighter or darker than the color of the flower petals. The flowering process takes place during the winter months.
However, flowering can be expected if the plant is under bright light, otherwise the flower buds will not form. After pollination of the flowers, the fruit ripens in the form of a capsule containing seeds inside. Their shape is disc-shaped, with pubescence on the surface.
At the same time, Erantemum has a very high growth rate, so its shoots can lengthen by 10-15 cm, and sometimes more in just a year. Therefore, when leaving, the owner will have to restrain the growth rate by cutting off the shoots. Also, despite this procedure, it is recommended to regularly rejuvenate this "favorite flower" with cuttings.
Eranthemum is quite easy to care for and not capricious plant, which can be advised for novice growers who do not have much experience in growing indoor flora. However, it is worth paying attention to minor difficulties, which are described below, and failure to follow the rules can ruin this unpretentious "green resident".
Tips for growing erantemum at home
- Lighting and selection of a place for a pot. For the plant, bright, but diffused lighting is most suitable, but not direct sunlight. Better to put the pot of Eranthemum on the sill of the window of the east or west location. The plant does not need additional lighting, but in the northern direction the shoots will be very elongated. If the bush is on the windowsill of the south window, then at lunchtime it is shaded from the sun so that the leaves are not burnt. As this, thin tulle are used or the plant is placed at a distance of several meters from the window.
- Content temperature. For erantemum in the spring-summer period, it is recommended to maintain heat within 20-24 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn, the column should not fall below 18 units. It is important to remember, however, that cooler temperatures will help extend the flowering period.
- Air humidity. For a resident of tropical and subtropical regions of the planet, it is good when humidity indicators are about 50% or more. But there is evidence that Eranthemum can adapt to the relatively dry air of the home. However, experienced flower growers say that then this shrub ages faster, so it is recommended to increase the humidity by any means. You can spray the foliage daily with soft water from a spray bottle with a fine spray of liquid. It will also help to install a pot with shrubs in a deep container, at the bottom of which expanded clay is poured and a little water is poured, but it is important to ensure that the bottom of the flowerpot is not immersed in it, otherwise root decay may begin. A good solution is to use household steam generators or humidifiers. You can just put a vessel with water next to the plant.
- Watering. To make the shrub feel comfortable, it is recommended to water it abundantly, but at the same time, the substrate should dry slightly on top between humidifications. Do not worry if the foliage of the erantemum withers slightly. With the arrival of winter time, watering should be reduced, their frequency should be only once every 7 days. It is important to keep the soil in a moderately moist state at all times. Water is used only warm and soft, with a temperature of about 20-24 degrees. You can use bottled water or distilled water.
- Fertilizers. When the plant begins to activate growth, then fertilizing should be applied with a frequency of once every 20-30 days. Liquid preparations with a high potassium content are used, but there should be little nitrogen in them. Eranthemum will also like organics (like mullein solution). The main thing when fertilizing a shrub is not to overdo it with the dosage of the agent, as this will harm it.
- Transplantation and recommendations for choosing a substrate. Since erantemum has an increased growth rate, the pot is changed annually with the arrival of spring. It is recommended to double the size of the new container. Better to use pots made of clay. A drainage layer should be laid at the bottom of the new flowerpot. To slightly limit the growth of the shrub, it is necessary, after it is removed from the old container, to cut off the root processes a little. The soil for Eranthemum is selected with an acidity of pH 5, 6–6, 5, it should be light and fertile. You can compose the substrate yourself from equal parts of sod and humus soil (peat), leafy earth and river sand (perlite).
- General advice on care. It is important to carry out regular pruning of fast-growing shoots to give the shrub a compact shape. To increase branching, branches should also be shortened after flowering (in May). As soon as daylight hours begin to decrease, this serves as a signal for the erantemum to begin opening the buds. At the same time, it is important that in the period from mid-autumn onwards this evergreen representative of the flora does not receive additional lighting - it does not need backlighting.
Steps for breeding erantemum
If you want to get a new evergreen shrub, then you should use the cuttings method. Blanks are cut for this in early spring from the tops of the shoots. In this case, it is necessary that the length of the cutting be at least 5–8 cm, as well as a pair of knots on it. Before planting, it is recommended to treat the cut with a rooting stimulant, for example, Kornevin or heteroauxin. Planting is carried out in containers filled with peat-sandy substrate.
When rooting erantemum blanks, it is necessary to create greenhouse conditions. To do this, the cuttings are wrapped in a plastic transparent bag or they are placed under a glass cap (you can use a cut plastic bottle). Temperature readings are maintained in the range of 20-25 degrees. Ventilation should be performed every day and if the soil begins to dry out from above, then it is watered with warm and soft water.
When the cuttings take root, you can transplant into pots filled with more fertile soil with a drainage layer at the bottom. In each container, several cuttings are placed at once, so that the future bush is more luxuriant. As young plants grow, it is necessary to pinch - this will be the key to subsequent branching.
Difficulties in growing erantemum and ways to overcome them
The main pests that attack Eranthemum are spider mites or mealybugs. They usually attack the plant when it weakens due to regular violations of the above-described maintenance rules. The first pest manifests itself by the formation of a cobweb, which begins to cover the foliage and shoots, and the symptoms of the second are whitish cotton-like lumps located in the internodes and on the back of the leaf plate. Aphids and whiteflies can also be seen.
To solve the problem, it is recommended to spray the foliage with insecticidal preparations, with repeated treatment in a week, until the harmful insects and their eggs disappear.
The following problems of growing erantemum are distinguished:
- If erantemum has a massive discharge of leaves, then the substrate should be dried in a pot, perhaps a flood has occurred.
- With insufficient lighting, the shoots of the plant begin to stretch out strongly, flowering is either weak or does not occur at all.
- When the pot with Eranthemum is exposed to direct sunlight all day and the humidity in the room is low, the tips of the leaves dry out, and dry patches of brown color form on the surface of the foliage.
- The color of the lower foliage turns yellow and it gradually flies around when the plant is in a viscous waterlogged soil - an urgent transplant is needed with cutting off rotten root shoots. Before planting, it should be treated with a fungicide.
- If watering is carried out with very cold water, then the foliage becomes mottled.
- When the humidity in the room is too high, small droplets of moisture form on the surface of the leaves, but this should not cause concern to the owner.
- The edge of the leaf plates becomes black with a waterlogged substrate or if a small amount of dressing is applied.
Curious notes about erantemum, photo
Erantemum roseum has many synonyms such as erantemum blue, erantemum pink, or jangali aboli (in Indian). And also due to the fact that the plant has tuberous roots and the number of nodules reaches 10 units, then in "Marathi", it is called - diasmuli.
Types of erantemum
Despite the large number of varieties of this plant, only a few are used in home cultivation.
- Eranthemum wattii. The native territories of this species are in the territory of northern India. It has been cultivated as a culture since the beginning of the 20th century. Its growth form is shrubby, shoots can reach a height of about 1 meter. The leaf plates on the branches are arranged in opposite order and have petioles. Fora of leaves is ovoid, with a pointed apex. The length of the leaf reaches 15 cm. The surface is rough from above, there is a pronounced venation of a light shade on a dark green background of foliage. From the flowers, spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, growing on the tops of the branches. There are five lobes in the corolla of the flower. As soon as the bud opens, its color is pink, but over time it takes on a dark purple color. Its differences from the pretty variety of erantemum are large bracts of a snow-white shade.
- Eranthemum pretty (Eranthemum pulchellum). The plant is a "native" of the Himalayas. In height, this shrub does not exceed 1, 2 m. The foliage is oppositely located, petiolate. The shape of the leaf plate is ovoid or elliptical, with an apical sharpening. The length of the leaves can reach 20 cm. Their surface is rough under the toes. The flowering process occurs in the winter, and then delicate multiple flowers appear, collected in spike-shaped inflorescences. They are located at the tops of the shoots. The bracts are whitish, but not so large. The corolla of a flower with five petals is asymmetrical in shape. The length of the flower does not exceed 2.5 cm. The color is usually blue or bright blue, but it happens that pinkish flowers appear, gradually becoming lilac. The flowers have no smell.
- Eranthemum roseum can often be found under the name Rosy Eranthemum, and the local population calls it diasmuli. Growing areas are also found in India. The difference between this plant and its "counterparts" is that the flowers have a rather strong aroma. The size of the shrub can vary in height in the range of 1, 2–2 meters with a diameter of 30 cm to 0.9 m. The arrangement of leaves is opposite, their length can vary within 10–20 cm, there is a pointed tip at the top. The shape of the leaf plate is ovoid, the color is deep green, but the veins are distinguished by a lighter color. There is a vague serration on the edge. The foliage surface is rough. Flowering occurs between February and April. In the leaf axils or on the tops of the branches, spike-shaped inflorescences are formed, which are collected from flowers with petals of bright blue or blue-violet color. The large bract is painted in a whitish shade, and a pattern of bright green venation runs along its surface. The length of the flower usually does not exceed 2.5 cm. Its shape is asymmetric, there are five petals in the corolla, and two stamens peep out of it. When wilting begins, the color of the flowers changes to pinkish.
- Eranthemum tetragonum can be found in forests and thickets at an altitude of about 400-800 meters above sea level, growing lands are found in Yunnat, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The growth form is herbaceous, while the height of the plant approaches a meter in size. Stems are 4-sided in cross-section. They can be either pubescent or bare. The shape of the leaf blade is from lanceolate and linear-lanceolate to oblong. Its length is 6–20 cm and a width of about 2–4 cm. The leaf surface is bare. The base of the leaf gradually decreases into a petiole. The leaf has 5 secondary veins on each side, and they follow from the central one. The edge of the sheet can be solid or serrated, there is a sharpening at the tip. Flowering occurs from December to March. At this time, the formation of a spike-shaped inflorescence is taking place. It is made up of flowers with petals ranging from blue to light purple in color. A pair of stamens with anthers can be seen from the corolla. The length of the corolla can be about 3 cm. The petals take an obovate shape with parameters 6x5 cm. Filaments reach about 3 mm. When ripe, the fruit appears in the form of a capsule in length, varying within 1–1, 4 cm. The seeds inside it are from golden to reddish brown, often reaching black. The size of the seed is 3–3.5 mm long and about 2, 2–2, 7 mm wide.
