Distinctive features of homalogena, recommendations for home plant cultivation, breeding rules, tips for combating diseases and pests, curious notes, species. Homalomena is often referred to as Homalomena and belongs to the Araceae or Aronic family, which combines monocotyledonous representatives of the flora. The native area of natural growth falls on the lands of Asia and South America, where a tropical climate prevails, and on Chinese territory, including 4 species, a couple of which are endemic plants (not growing anywhere else on the planet, except for this region). Also, according to some data, this exotic is not uncommon for the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean. There are up to 150 varieties in the family of botanists.
The plant apparently bears its scientific name from an incorrect Malay folk name translated as "homalos", which means "flat" and "mene" meaning "moon" - the moon or moonlight. This is probably due to the shape and color of the plant's leaf plates.
Homalomena is an example of a green world with a herbaceous form of growth. Many varieties have a strong anise-like odor. The rhizome of the plant is distinguished by strong branching and this makes it possible to obtain many daughter processes in a short time. The stem of Homalomena is creeping, or it can grow straight or ascending. A basal rosette is often formed from the leaves, which varies in diameter within 35–40 cm. The leaves are attached to the petioles, casting a greenish or reddish tint. The height of such petioles can reach 20-25 cm.
The shape of the leaves is heart-shaped, lanceolate, elliptical, deltoid, or arrow-shaped, it all depends on the variety of this representative of the aroid. The leaf plate is whole-edged, characterized by a leathery surface, on which all the veins are clearly visible. The apex is usually pointed, and the tip is tubular. The color of the foliage is quite diverse, it can include a pure green saturated shade or a darker (lighter) color scheme, against the background of which there are spots of a varied contour of a lighter or darker tone.
During the flowering of homalomena, very miniature flowers are formed, devoid of petals, from which a dense cob-shaped inflorescence is collected. This inflorescence, like that of many arum, is surrounded by a green-colored sheet. The color of the flowers themselves is greenish-whitish or creamy-greenish. The cob-shaped inflorescences of this plant are inferior in beauty to the anthurium or zantedeschia, since its size is small. The flowers are bisexual, but the female is separated from the male by a ring of staminodes (modified and underdeveloped stamens that lack anthers and no longer have the ability to produce pollen), very rarely by a bare or almost bare internode. Male flowers (fertile) have 2-6 stamens, which are pubescent. When fruits ripen, longitudinally striped ovoid seeds are formed.
Homalomena grows rather quickly on different sides (all because of the rhizome) and can delight the owner with its "camouflage" leaves for many years. The plant is not considered difficult to care for and can be recommended for beginner lovers of home flora, only it is important not to violate the maintenance requirements listed below.
Recommendations for home cultivation of homalogena
- Lighting and choosing a place for the pot. Homalomena is a light-loving plant, especially variegated varieties. But still, you should not put the pot in direct sunlight, it is better for the sun to illuminate the bush at sunrise or sunset, so the east and west window will do. Homalomena will be able, in principle, to transfer partial shade (northern direction), but then her growth will slow down, and on the windowsill of the southern location the leaves will fade and turn yellow.
- Growing temperatures in the summertime, they are maintained within the range of 23-25 degrees, but by winter the thermometer is reduced to 16 units. Since the plant is thermophilic, it will not tolerate lower temperatures, it is also afraid of drafts.
- Indoor humidity, where homolomene is contained, is maintained quite high. In the spring and summer, it is recommended to spray at least twice a week, as well as increase the humidity by any available means. You can put the pot with gomalomen on a deep tray with expanded clay and a little water at the bottom. The main thing here is to ensure that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch the liquid level. Also, vessels with water, household humidifiers or steam generators are placed next to the flowerpot. You can wipe the foliage with a damp cloth. In the autumn-winter period, it is better to move the flowerpot in Homalomena away from the central heating batteries and heating appliances. If this does not work out, then you can put a moistened towel on them and moisten it when it dries.
- Watering. When homolomena begins to activate growth or it is in the flowering phase, then abundant moisture is recommended, amounting to 2-3 times a week. In the winter months, it is necessary to gradually reduce watering, bringing their frequency only up to once every 7 days. The best guideline here is the state of the substrate - it should always be moderately moist. If, at low temperatures, the water stagnates in the pot, then the foliage will turn yellow and further rotting of the roots will occur. It is recommended to use only warm and soft water, you can use distilled water, from bottles or collect rainwater (river). Also, if necessary, you can pass tap water through a household filter, boil for half an hour and then stand for at least a couple of days. After that, such a liquid can be used to water the plant, but first it is "drained from the sediment."
- Fertilizers for homomens, they are introduced quite rarely, only once every 2-3 months during the period of vegetation activity (spring-summer). It is recommended to use complex mineral preparations intended for plants from the aroid family or for decorative deciduous plants. Well, when they are in a liquid form, then the product dissolves easily in water for irrigation. Organic matter (for example, mullein solution) also acts well on gomalomen.
- Repotting and advice on soil selection. Since the plant grows too quickly due to its rhizome, a transplant is necessary as needed. Most often, such an operation is carried out in the middle of spring, although there is information that at any time if the roots become cramped in the pot, then it will need to be changed. When the bush is taken out of the container, it is recommended to cut off a certain number of lateral shoots so that thickening does not occur and the leaf plates do not shade each other. But the bottom of the new container will need to be laid with a layer of drainage material. The substrate is recommended to be slightly acidic, with a large amount of humus in it. You can use ready-made soil mixtures for arum (for example, for dieffenbachia) with the addition of perlite (sand) of peat or humus to it, or prepare the composition yourself. Its components will be: coniferous or leafy soil, top peat, coarse sand - the parts of the components should be equal.
Homalomena breeding rules at home
To get a new shrub with a "camouflage" color of the leaves, it is recommended to divide the rhizome, planting daughter formations (children).
In the spring or summer period, when a homalomene is transplanted, it is possible to divide an overgrown rhizome, in which the lateral processes themselves began to have their own roots. This operation is performed with a sharpened knife, while trying to make a section into not too small parts, each plant must have a developed root system. It is recommended to sprinkle the sections of all the cuttings with crushed activated charcoal or charcoal. Each such part is planted in a pre-prepared pot with drainage at the bottom and a selected substrate. At first, pots with homalomena cuttings must be placed in a slightly shaded room for the plants to adapt.
If daughter rosettes have formed in the mother bush over time, then it is recommended to carefully cut them off from the common root system and put them in a vessel with boiled water so that over time the young Homalomena will develop their roots. Only when such shoots reach a length of more than one centimeter can such children be planted in the soil.
Disease and Pest Control Tips for Homalomena Care
The greatest difficulty in caring for a homalomen is harmful insects, which appear when the conditions of keeping the plant are constantly violated. Of the pests, spider mites or whiteflies are most often isolated. In the first case, a thin whitish cobweb is formed on the plant, which, if not taken measures, can spread to all branches and leaves, and lead to the death of Homalomena. The second pest is well distinguishable because of the white specks that cover the foliage on the back side, then from such specks, which are insect eggs, small whitish midges appear. There are so many of them that when you touch the bush, a whole cloud of them rises above it.
In any case, when the above symptoms appear, it is recommended to wash the plant under a shower with water at room temperature. Then all the foliage is to be processed. First, you can use gentle agents, for example, soap (based on laundry soap), oil (from a dilution of a couple of drops of rosemary essential oil in a liter of water) or alcohol (pharmacy alcohol tincture of calendula) solutions. Then, to consolidate the effect, spraying with insecticidal preparations should be carried out - Aktara, Aktellik, Fitoverm or similar means.
If the tips of the sheet plates have become brown, it means that the humidity in the room has very lowered. If the homalomena is constantly exposed to direct sunlight, this will lead to yellowing of the foliage and the formation of dried spots on it. In the opposite case (when the plant is kept in strong shade), the petioles are stretched, the color of the leaves becomes pale, the size is small, in general, the bush is completely weakened. If the transplant has not been carried out for a very long time, and the pot has become too small for the root system, then the growth of gomalomena slows down, and the size of young leaves becomes very small. The same symptoms indicate an insufficient amount of fertilizer. When the substrate is constantly in a flooded state, then not only the root system begins to rot, but also the base of the petioles, the foliage turns yellow.
When the old leaf plates begin to turn yellow and dry out, for no apparent reason and violations of the conditions of detention, then you should not worry, as this is a natural process.
Curious notes about homalomen, photo
Homalomene is very reminiscent of several representatives of the flora with its outlines and colors of foliage. Comparing it with dieffenbachia may be such a mistake, but the plant is distinguished by lower parameters in height and a lower growth rate. Confusion also arises due to its comparison with aglaonema, but in this case, the differences are the color of the leaf plates, the glossy sheen of their surface, texture and size, as well as different degrees of curl. Also an important feature is the increased demand of Homalomena to higher humidity.
Important to remember! All parts of this representative of aronnikovykh are poisonous, therefore, after the operations with the plant have been carried out, you should thoroughly wash your hands with soap or work with gloves. Tamils have known about this plant for over 3000 years. They called it "merugu" and used it for several purposes, including the treatment of diseases of the stomach, intestines (upset and inflammation), hemorrhoids, etc. which have been cured of various types of similar diseases.
Homalomena species
- Homalomen rubescens represented by a plant with rather large leaf sizes, their diameter can reach 35–40 cm, their color is sparkling green, often with a reddish tint. Leaf-shaped heart-shaped. The leaf plate is crowned with a long reddish-brown petiole. The inflorescences are unattractive, they are formed on a bush quite rarely, but it is recommended to remove them immediately so as not to bring the plant to exhaustion.
- Homalomen Wallis (Homalomena wallisii). This representative of the aroid is the most adapted to the low humidity of living quarters. Its second name is Curmeria. The shape of the leaf plates is broadly oval, the leaves are painted in an olive-green color, against its background there are multiple yellowish-silvery specks, the edge has a silvery sheen. The most common variety of this species is Harlequin. A plant characterized by a very low growth rate and short red stalks with a bend. The surface of the leaf plate is compacted, the shape is oval, varying in length within 15–20 cm. On the surface there is velvety pubescence and a rather decorative pattern: spots, specks and streaks of different sizes of light green color adorn the dark olive-green background of the leaf. Over time, the colors become more intense, and the velvety finish is more pronounced.
- Homalomen squat (Homalomena humilis). Elongated leaf blades.
- Homalomen aromatic (Homalomena aromatic). It is a herbaceous strong plant, devoid of stems, but at the same time it reaches 60 cm in height. There is a strong smell of camphor. The leaf rosette can reach 1–3 cm in diameter. It has only a few leaves, the petiole is pale silver with slightly darker longitudinal striae up to 3.5 cm. The petiole length reaches 4–7 cm. The leaf plates are greenish ovoid, elliptical or lanceolate. The dimensions of the leaf are 20–30 cm long and 10–17 cm wide. The surface is thin-skinned, there is a rounding at the base, and the tip is pointed. The native area of distribution is in deciduous tropical and subtropical forests, as well as seasonally partly deciduous perumid forests, but always associated with permanent water; growing height 200-1000 m. The territory covers the lands of Guangxi, Yunnan (Xishuangbanna), Bangladesh, India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam.
Today there are also numerous hybrid species that can be bred for their outstanding characteristics. They can include:
- "Emerald Gem" - has dark green leaves, shiny, heart-shaped.
- Leaves "Purple Sword" - differs in green foliage with silvery spots with a burgundy reverse side.
- Selby - has a light green spot, the leaves are bordered with a dark green stripe.
- "PEWTER Dream" - on offer has a powdery gray sheen on its green foliage.
- "Lemon glow" - decorative oval leaves of bright greenish-yellow color.
