Signs of chamelacium, places of its growth, tips for cultivation, recommendations for the transplantation and reproduction of wax myrtle, interesting facts, types. Chamelacium (Chamelaucium) belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which sounds in Latin as Myrtaceae. Representatives of this family are angiosperms, since they have flowers that play the role of reproductive organs and a closed container at the ovule, from which the seed grows. This family includes about 14 more species of the planet's flora, although in some sources this number reaches 30, but these are just closely related plants that resemble chamelacium, which never sheds its color-invariable dark emerald foliage. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the territory with a tropical climate in the southwest of the Australian continent, and it can also be found on the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico and Guatemala. It can settle both in woodlands and in wastelands, in sandy or rocky areas.
Previously, this plant was called Geraldton, but people call it wax myrtle, wax flower or wax flower. This genus was first described by the French botanist, member of the National Academy of Preventive Medicine and President of the French Academy of Sciences Rene Luis De Fontaine at the beginning of the 19th century (1819). But the exact origin of the name of this myrtle plant has not been established.
Chamelacium is a shrub, the height of which can reach from 15 cm to 3 m. Its rhizome is sufficiently branched and goes deep into the ground, so the dry weather is not too scary for the plant, since water and nutrients are swayed from great depths. Shoots located on the surface also have multiple branching. When the twigs are still young, they are smooth and are covered with a grayish-green skin, and in the process of growth it lignifies and changes towards a light brown color scheme, becomes rough to the touch.
The peculiarity of wax myrtle is that it has reduced leaf blades that more resemble spruce needles. Their shape is narrow and linearly elongated. The size of these needle-like leaves ranges from 2.5 cm to 4 cm in length. They are located opposite on the stem, painted in rich emerald or solid bright green shades. There are glands over the entire surface of this leaf, through which the plant secretes essential oils. Even if the smell of the gorse is not audible enough, you can rub a needle leaf in your fingers, then you can fully feel the charm of the myrtle aroma.
The flowering process usually occurs in the early summer months and ends in November. The buds are small, rarely exceeding two millimeters in diameter, have five petals of various colors: from snow-white to reddish-purple. The petals are distinguished by rounded edges, in the middle of the bud there is a single pistil, which is surrounded by a corolla of 10 stamens. Many varieties have a delicate sweetish aroma with lemon and almond notes.
The plant not only serves to decorate rooms, but also to compose phytocompositions or bouquets. This is characterized by the fact that the cut branches of the bush with flowers stand, without fading, for a long time - up to two weeks.
Chamelacium care at home
- Lighting and location selection. The plant is very fond of bright sunlight, which is very similar to rosemary. Therefore, windows with a south, east and west orientation are suitable. However, at noon, it is still necessary to slightly shade the bush from too harmful ultraviolet fluxes. With the arrival of constant heat, it is recommended to arrange an "air vacation" for your gingerbread man by taking him out to a balcony, terrace or loggia. You can move the plant pot to the garden in a suitable location. The sill of the northern window is not suitable for chamelacium, because if the plant does not have enough light, it will immediately begin to shed needle-leaves and buds.
- Content temperature. It is necessary to maintain constant room temperatures when growing wax myrtle, as the plant is very thermophilic. They are 20-25 degrees in the summer, and in the autumn-winter period the temperature should not be lower than 8-15 degrees. If the heat indicators began to increase in the summer, then a constant supply of fresh air is needed, but it is recommended to protect the bush from the effects of drafts.
- Air humidity does not play a significant role in the care of chamelacium, since it perfectly tolerates the dry air of urban areas. But the increased indicators of moisture in the environment can lead to the development of various putrefactive processes.
- Watering the wax wax. As soon as spring time comes, and until autumn itself, it is necessary to moisten the soil in the chamelacium pot regularly and abundantly. Overdrying of the earthen coma should not be allowed, since even short-term drying out of the soil will lead to the loss of leaves and then to the death of the entire bush. The most interesting thing is that the root system will die first, and the leaf mass can give the impression of the normal state of the plant for some time. The signal for watering is the drying of 1 cm of soil deep into the pot. But there should be no gulf of soil, as soon as the water drains into the pot holder, it must be removed immediately. With the arrival of autumn, watering is reduced, but it is important to ensure that the substrate does not dry out - the soil should always be slightly moist. For humidification, only well-settled soft water at room temperature is taken. In this case, you can add either a little vinegar or citric acid to it (1/5 teaspoon per liter of water). It is also recommended to use distilled water or rainwater, you can melt the snow. Excessive watering can also cause foliage and buds to be dumped. If the owner is afraid of waterlogging of the substrate, then it is worth pouring a larger layer of drainage into the container.
- Fertilization for chamelacium is carried out from the beginning of spring days to the beginning of autumn. Regular feeding once a month or 3 weeks. Fertilizers should be free of lime impurities. When the gristle has just begun to activate growth, it is required to make nitrogen-potassium fertilizers, and as soon as the buds appear, then a fertilizer with an increased content of phosphorus and potassium is used. However, the dose still needs to be halved from the manufacturer's recommended dose. There is information that if fertilizers are not applied during flowering, the buds dry out. In winter, you can stop feeding or make them extremely rarely.
- Pruning and shaping the crown is carried out from the moment the flowering process has ended. It is necessary to remove not only the buds that have wilted, but also parts of the branches. You can cut off shoots up to 2-4 cm. Since old stems become bare during growth, pruning them will stimulate branching and the appearance of young branches. It is also recommended to pinch young shoots so that they later branch out densely. Chamelcium easily tolerates cutting branches, so you can give the crown any shape you choose.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. It is recommended to transplant the wax vine by the transshipment method - without destroying the earthen coma, so as not to injure the root system of the bush. The process is required to be carried out when the root system has already mastered the soil provided to it. If you cannot remove the wax myrtle carefully from the pot, then the container can be broken or cut (depending on the material). In the pot, it is necessary to pour a layer of 2 cm of high-quality drainage material (expanded clay or medium-sized pebbles). Holes are also made in the bottom of the flowerpot for moisture outflow.
The soil for transplanting is selected with sufficient moisture and air permeability, it should be light and loose, with a slightly acidic reaction. You can make up a soil mixture based on the following components - sod, leafy soil, humus, peat, river coarse sand (in proportions 3: 1: 1: 1: 1). In order for the soil to retain water better, chopped sphagnum moss or hydrogel is also added to it.
Tips for self-propagation of gruel
Chamelacium reproduces only vegetatively and this process is unpredictable, therefore it is recommended to root all cut cuttings, maybe something will develop. To do this, take a cutting from the top of the shoot and preferably semi-lignified, at least 5 cm in length. The cut is required to be treated with any stimulant of growth and root formation. The twigs are planted in containers with a sand-peat mixture or a substrate based on universal soil, perlite and a root formation stimulator. The rooting temperature should always be in the range of 20-25 degrees. It is recommended that the cuttings be wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a cut plastic bottle to maintain constant moisture and heat readings. Do not forget to air the planted twigs and make sure that the substrate does not dry out.
After young chamelaciums have root processes, you should not immediately remove the film, it is necessary to gradually accustom to the air in the room.
Difficulties in growing chamelacium and their solution
Due to the fact that the plant has a sufficient amount of essential oils in its leaves-needles, multiple harmful insects bypass it. However, some owners notice the defeat of aphids, which is manifested by the appearance of yellowness on the leaves-needles, the plant begins to lag behind in growth or stops growing altogether, clusters of larvae and adult bugs form on the leaves themselves, stems and internodes. In this case, it is necessary to treat the plant with a soap, oil or alcohol solution. But since the leaves are needle-shaped, it is not worth wiping them, it is necessary to spray the bush. If such gentle preparations do not help, then insecticide treatment is required.
If the conditions of detention are violated, then the gristle may be affected by late blight - the appearance of dirty brown spots on the leaves, and later a light gray bloom will become visible (these are fungal spores). Then the leaves will begin to dry out and fall off. It is required to carry out processing with solutions of Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate. You can use drugs such as "Ridomil Gold", "Oksikhom" and the like.
If the foliage began to crumble in the chamelacium, it means that the conditions of detention were violated, the plant reacts very quickly to some factors - air humidity, temperature indicators or the degree of illumination. Then the leaves-needles can begin to fly around on one side of the bush or in the middle of it, for this it is necessary to immediately analyze what the problem is - perhaps watering is only on one side of the pot and the roots on the other do not have enough moisture, or if the lighting is uneven, then turn the plant along its axis.
Interesting facts about chamelaceum
Hamelacium has the ability to cleanse the air from harmful microorganisms, due to the specific smell of foliage. This aroma has the most beneficial effect on the respiratory organs and also soothes the nervous system. Wax myrtle leaves contain a record amount of aromatic oils that will help get rid of harmful insects. It is also used for medical purposes - being a good anti-expectorant agent, and generally affects a wide range of microbes.
It is recommended to keep chamelacium on a windowsill in a house where people suffer from frequent bronchitis, pneumonia, throat problems, runny nose and is also used for asthma. It is used in the treatment of cystitis if it is of an infectious nature. Also, the plant has an antibacterial effect and improves human immunity.
Hamelacyum has an extremely positive effect on a person, acting on him in a relaxing way, helps to establish relationships between family members. And if your myrtle has already bloomed, it means that the energy of the inhabitants of the apartment is in complete harmony.
Wax myrtle can help remove insects such as fruit flies, which like to live on fruits or vegetables in the kitchen. It will also drive away root midges if they appear on other plants. Even with mosquitoes, he copes quite effectively, but the action on cockroaches has not been fully proven, although, according to many owners of this plant, he also resists them.
The flowers of a plant, if they reach 2 cm in diameter, then how the barometer reacts very much to the change of weather - if it is going to rain, then they close.
Types of chamelacium
- Chamelaucium Darvinia is an ornamental plant with a shrub form of growth, reaching a height of half a meter, so they love to grow it indoors and decorate balconies, loggias and terraces. Flowers of this species are very similar in shape and color to apple blossom. Their shades range from pale pink to bright garnet, and even purple tones are mixed in. Twigs with flowers from florists are used, when drawing up bouquets, they are wonderfully combined with lilies or pink buds of similar colors. Often grown in seaside gardens. Likes to grow on sandy soils.
- Chamelacium Matilda (Chamelaucium Matilda) has a special kind of colored flowers. At the moment when the bud is just opening, it is distinguished by a white color and only the edge of the petals is a rich garnet color. Over time, with full disclosure, the color of the petals begins to change - it becomes brighter and more saturated, until the entire surface of the petal turns purple, with a purple undertone. There is a delicate pleasant aroma. The plant has a bushy form of growth, but has a compact size. This is a fairly frost-resistant variety.
- Chamelacium hooked (Chamelaucium uncinatum) … It is often found under the name Geraldton's gristle. This variety of wax myrtle is especially loved by flower growers, and is most often grown in rooms or offices. However, in the natural environment, the shrub can reach up to four-meter height indicators. His growth rate is quite high. When grown in rooms, it needs to regularly prune branches and form a crown. The leaves of this wax myrtle are very reminiscent of the needles of a spruce, they have a needle-like appearance, a very narrow shape and a small bend in the form of a hook, for which they got their name. The flower buds are very small, they do not exceed one and a half to two millimeters in diameter, they consist of five petals. Small inflorescences are collected from the flowers, or they can be located singly. Terry varieties of buds can also be found. The color of the petals is very extensive: white, scarlet, lilac, yellowish or bright pink shades. They have a fragrant sweetish and pleasant aroma. It is especially often grown on the Australian continent, since chamelacium blooms there for a long time.
- Chamelaucium Dancing Queen differs in the presence of double, very similar to rosebud flowers with a delicate pinkish-lilac color. Its flowering is quite lush. The budding process stretches from the spring months to mid-summer. The foliage has a scent of lemon and almond.
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