General signs and types of takki, interesting facts, advice on care, on independent reproduction and transplantation, problems arising during cultivation. Tacca belongs to the Dioscoreaceae family, but recently it has been isolated into a separate family with the same type of green representatives - Taccaceae. It includes about 10 varieties of flowers that grow in the tropical regions of the Old World, namely, the forest areas of India and Malaysia, can be found in the countries of South America, where the tropics are rampant, or in Southeast Asia. As soon as the people do not call it plants because of the association of its extraordinary flowers. The most beautiful is the "white dove", if the flower has a color in whitish tones, but takke with black colors is not very lucky in this regard, it is called a "bat" or even a "devil's flower", but there is also a more melodic name - "black Lily".
The takka flower can be compared in appearance to orchid flowers, although it does not even come close to this family. It is a perennial herbaceous plant. The height of this unusual exotic can vary from 40 cm to almost a meter mark. The root system of the plant looks like tubers with creeping roots. Leaf plates begin their growth directly from the rhizome, attaching to long petioles with pronounced ribbing. The leaves of the plant are usually not many; they have a glossy surface of a beautiful dark emerald color.
But there is a real giant among these plants - this is the pinnate tacca (Tacca leontepetaloides) or, as it is also called, the leontepetaloides takka. Its height may approach 3 meters. Among the plants of this family there is another species that amazes with its extraordinary strongly dissected leaf plates and is called Tacca palmatifida.
And yet, takka won its popularity by the appearance and color of flowers, since there are very few plants in the green world of the planet, whose flower buds are painted in such extraordinary ink-black shades. But, by the way, not all takka flowers are found like that, and the black color of the buds itself is not that black. It's just that these are the most diverse variations of fairly dark shades: dark brown, deep purple, purple with a green undertone, dark purple or burgundy black. And also in the territories of Asian regions you can find this "bat" of the green world with flowers, in which the upper pair of bracts can be snow-white (Tacca nivea), milky or creamy green (Tacca intergrifolia), can be green-brown variegated coloring, yellow-greenish or with purple marks and strokes.
The structure of the inflorescences is no less original than the color variations. A flower arrow begins to grow among the leaf rosette. At the top of the peduncle there is an umbrella inflorescence, in which flowers are collected, which have appendages in the form of threads drooping to the ground. It is they who create the association of a flower with a fantastic "flying rodent". The process of flowering and fruit formation in takka is year-round. Flowers of both sexes are attached to short pedicels. The plant flower is actinomorphic, that is, its symmetry is radial or radial. The inflorescence usually contains from 6 to 10 units of buds. They are surrounded by four cover plates (a pair of small and large). And the filaments-appendages that hang so decoratively to the ground are the sterile pedicels of the plant. The perianth itself is assembled from six segments, which resemble petals in their outlines. They are placed in the form of two rings of three pieces. There are 6 stamens, and there is only one column with a branched stigma. Takka bears fruit in a box in the form of a berry.
The most interesting thing is that in order for pollination to take place, not ordinary pollinating insects fly to the plant, but the most prosaic dung or carrion flies. This is logical, since the flower has a completely inaudible smell of spoiled meat, and insects are also attracted by shiny cells at the very bottom of the flower inflorescence. The bracts of the plant serve as a great place to spend the night for arriving insects, but juicy flower appendages that resemble threads are also an unusually desirable delicacy for them.
In the wild, takka likes to settle on the shores of the seas and oceans, in mountainous areas, where it is warm and humid, and the soil is rich in nutrients and humus. But there are plants that want to grow, where on land, and choose areas of savannah for their growth. When the dry season comes to these areas, then the entire above-ground part of the plant, dries up, dies, but at the first raindrops, the takka begins to recover again. Therefore, in order to cultivate this exotic plant in your home or office, according to the rules of care, it is necessary to create warm and humid conditions for it. Naturally, this is easiest to do in greenhouses or greenhouses.
Indoor Takki Tips
- Lighting. The plant requires a good degree of light, but with shade from direct sunlight. The east or west directions of the windows will do. On the north window, you will have to illuminate it with special phytolamps, but on the south window, you need to put a pot either in the back of the room, or hang curtains on the window for shading.
- Content temperature. As a resident of the tropics, takka loves indoor heat indicators, in the summer period 20-24 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn, it can be lowered only to 20. The minimum at which the plant will not suffer is 18 degrees Celsius.
- Air humidity for the comfort of the flower, it should be maximum and for this any ways to increase it will do: put a humidifier next to the pot, spray the flower with soft water at room temperature, wipe the leaf plates with it with a moistened sponge, put the flowerpot in a tray with expanded clay or pebbles and poured a small the amount of water. Arrange a "steam room" periodically for takki - leave the plant overnight in a bathtub filled with hot air.
- Watering. It is necessary to water the "bat" abundantly from spring to mid-autumn, but make sure that the soil is not swampy and does not dry out completely. And with the arrival of the end of autumn, the moisture is gradually reduced and on winter days it is necessary to water carefully only when the soil in the flowerpot on top has dried out by a third. Water for humidification is taken distilled or well-settled. The moisture temperature should not be lower than 20-24 degrees. You can use rainwater or melted snow.
- Fertilize takku should not be much, especially if the soil has been changed. Choosing top dressing for indoor flower plants and maintain the regularity every two weeks, with half the dosage of the solution.
- Transplanting and soil selection. This operation must be carried out with the arrival of spring and not too often - only once every 2-3 years. The root system, which has completely mastered the soil provided to it, will become a sign for transplantation. The pot is chosen a little larger than the previous one, only 3-5 cm in diameter. Do not increase the capacity too much, as this can lead to flooding and acidification of the substrate. At the bottom of the container, it is imperative to make holes for the drainage of water that has not been absorbed by the root system. And also pour a 1-2 cm layer of material such as expanded clay or pebbles, with their help the water will be retained in the pot, preventing the soil from drying out quickly.
The transplant soil should be light enough, loose, with good air and water permeability. A soil mixture composed of the following components is suitable:
- leafy soil, turf soil, peat soil, hand sand (in proportions 1: 1/3: 1: 1/2);
- peat substrate, perlite, vermiculite (in the ratio 6: 3: 1);
- leafy soil, peat soil, perlite, carefully crushed pine bark (in proportions 3: 5: 2: 1).
Chopped sphagnum moss can be mixed into the substrate, this will further lighten the soil.
Bat Flower Breeding Tips
You can get a plant by planting seed or dividing the rhizome.
When it is necessary to transplant takki, it is possible to perform the division of the rhizome, so as not to disturb the plant once again. In this case, it is necessary to carefully cut the rhizome system into three parts using a sharpened and sterilized knife, and carefully sprinkle with activated or charcoal crushed into powder. Then you need to dry the slices within 24 hours. After that, you can plant the dividers in pots that will suit them in volume and size. It is recommended to select a suitable substrate for growing an adult takka. Before planting parts of the plant in a pot, it is required to pour a layer of about 2 cm of medium expanded clay (pebbles) and a layer of substrate on top of it, it is slightly moistened with a spray bottle. After immersing the divided plant in the pot, sprinkle along the edges of the same soil and moisten it a little again. Try not to flood the soil. After that, the planted takka should be placed in a warm and humid place, with an average level of lighting. This will help the plant adapt faster. As soon as the takka shows signs of strengthening and growth, it can be placed in a permanent growing place indoors.
If seeds are planted, then they are soaked in very hot water for a day (its temperature should be at least 45 degrees). To keep the water cool, experienced florists use a thermos for this operation. After that, the seed material is planted in special pots or seedling boxes with a moistened sand-peat substrate (it is possible in a mixture of equal parts of leafy soil and sand) to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. After that, it is necessary to create greenhouse conditions and it will be necessary to improve the germination of the lower soil heating (at least 25-28 degrees). The seedlings are covered with glass or plastic wrap, this will help to maintain the necessary heat and humidity. But the seedlings will have to wait for a long time - as much as 9 months! It is recommended to regularly ventilate and spray seedlings from a spray bottle, the main thing is not to flood the soil with water.
After the leaves of the second tier of seedlings appear, they are dived into separate pots. The substrate can be used the same as when planting seeds, it is important that the sand is well washed and sterilized, as excess salts can destroy the seedlings. In the pots, you also need to pour a little drainage material (small expanded clay or pebbles). Fertilization should be started during the period of increased growth (from May to August). As soon as the plant develops well, it can be made another pot change using the transfer method - without destroying the earthen ball, so as not to injure the roots.
Young takki obtained in this way will bloom only for 2-3 years of life, subject to all the rules of care.
Problems growing takki
The plant can be affected by the red spider mite at low air humidity. In this case, the leaf plates are covered with dots, like pricks from a pin, and later all the leaves begin to wrap themselves up with a thin translucent cobweb. It is necessary to treat with a systemic insecticide.
If the conditions for watering and humidity are violated, then the takka can be affected by various fungal rot, which appear in brown spots on the flowering arrow or leaves. Then it is recommended to remove the affected parts of the plant and carry out the treatment with fungicides.
If you adhere to the above rules for caring for an exotic tacca, then it is quite resistant to diseases and pests.
Interesting facts about the "bat"
In those areas where takka grows in natural nature, it is appreciated not only for its exotic type of flowers, but also for its beneficial properties. Since the tubers of the plant have a lot of starch in their composition, they are used for the manufacture of confectionery, for example, when preparing puddings, or cooking pastilles, and when baking baked goods. But there is also a poisonous component in the plant - the substance of toccalin. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully process the tubers of the flower. The berries that ripen from the takka are also suitable for food, but fishing tackle (nets) are weaved from the stems. And traditional healers are actively using the "bat" for medical purposes. But only experienced healers, who have thoroughly studied the properties of the tacca parts, use it in the manufacture of medicines.
Types of takki
- Tacca leontepetaloides … It can be found under the name tacca pinnatifida (Tacca pinnatifida) … The homeland of historical growth is the Asian, African and Australian territories, where a tropical climate prevails. The leaves correspond to the name of the species. They are in the shape of feathers, with cuts on the canvas in such a way that five blades are obtained, at a width of 30-40 cm, a length of from 70 cm to a mark of 3 meters is reached. The flower has two petals-bedspreads, their width is close to 20 cm, they are painted in light greenish colors, and the edge has a slight pinkish tint. The flowers of this species are deep green in color, arranged, as if hiding under the bedspreads. Bracts, which grow to a length of 60 cm, are thin, similar to cords. Their color is purple or maroon. After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a berry.
- Tacca chantrieri - so she bears such ambiguous and dissonant names "black bat" or "devil's flower". Usually found in tropical forests in southeastern Asia. It can grow in highlands of about 2000 meters absolute height (altitude above sea level). The plant is an evergreen representative of the flora, with a herbaceous form of growth. Its height can vary from 90 cm to 1 meter 20 cm. The leaf plates are large, wide and have folds at the very base, located on long petioles. This flower is considered by flower growers to be the most charming and exotic. In Malaysia, it is with this plant that many terrible legends and stories are associated. The flowers of this variety are framed by bracts so maroon in color that they seem black from a distance, and they somehow resemble the open wings of a bat or a huge butterfly with elongated antennae like thick threads. In natural conditions, this species is quite rare in our time, as it is considered endangered.
- Tacca whole-leafed (Tacca intergrifolia), which in those areas is called the "White Bat". You can find this plant in literary sources under the synonym of Tacca nivea. The flower has two bedspreads that grow up to 20 cm wide and cast in a snow-white shade and purple strokes are applied on it like a brush. Flowers of this variety take on black, deep purple and dark purple colors, located under the bedspread. Bracts, like other varieties, are cord-like, long and thin, reaching 60 cm in length. The fruit ripens in the form of a berry. The plant requires high levels of heat, light and humidity.
Learn more about growing takki from this video:
