Distinctive features of the plant, tips for home cultivation of hamerantemum, breeding rules, the fight against possible diseases and pests, facts to note, species. Hameranthemum (Chamaeranthemum) is a herbaceous plant, which scientists attributed to the Acanthaceae family. It is native to South America and Brazil, where tropical climates prevail. Only 8 varieties are ranked in this genus, but when grown at home, only two species have gained great popularity - Chamaeranthemum igneum and Chamaeranthemum gaudichaudii, with the former being the most common.
Under natural conditions, hamerantemum reaches a height of 9–12 cm, and at the same time it cannot "boast" of a high growth rate. Since chamaeranthemum is a perennial, it will reach even such parameters after several seasons. Shoots naturally do not differ in sufficient length.
The most attractive feature of the plant is its leaves, which are decorated with extraordinary ornamentation. The leaves are located on the shoots in an opposite order, above and below they have short pubescence. The color on the upper surface is a rich dark green, while along the veins there is a whitish or yellow tone. The reverse side has a reddish color scheme.
During flowering, small buds are formed in hamerantemum, collected in short spike-shaped inflorescences, in which densely-sitting bracts are present. The color of the petals is yellow or whitish, along the edge there may be a pale pink stripe. In this case, the flower in length can reach 2–3 cm. Its shape is tubular at the base and only at the very top there is a division into petals. The corolla usually has five petals. The flower-bearing stem is brownish and also slightly pubescent. The flowering process takes place from July to September. At the same time, in order to extend this period, it is recommended to regularly remove discolored buds.
It is quite easy to care for chamaeranthemum, only it is important to adhere to some simple rules, so a florist who does not have much experience with indoor crops can grow it.
Tips for growing hamerantemum at home
- Lighting and choosing a place for the pot. Since the plant in nature prefers to settle under the shade of tall bushes or trees, bright, but diffused light is most suitable for chamaeranthemum. The pot can be positioned on the windowsill of the east or west window. If the flower is located in a room in the southern location, then shading from direct sunlight will be required, especially at noon in summer. It is noticed that this representative of acanthus can endure partial shade or live on the windowsill of the northern window without much harm, in this case the color of the leaf plates will lose its saturation.
- Content temperature. In order for the hamerantemum to feel comfortable, the thermometer should be constantly maintained in the range of 20-24 units in the spring-summer period, but with the arrival of autumn, the temperature must be slightly reduced so that it does not drop below 15 degrees. When summer comes, the pot with the plant can be taken out to the balcony, terrace or garden, trying to find a place protected from direct UV streams.
- Air humidity when growing hamerantemum, it is maintained the same as in natural conditions, that is, increased. It should be lifted by any available means. First, the foliage is regularly sprayed with soft and warm water. Secondly, household steam generators or humidifiers are placed next to the pot. Also, a flowerpot with a plant is installed in a deep pallet, on the bottom of which expanded clay or pebbles are poured, then water is poured. An inverted saucer is laid on such a layer and a pot is already installed on top of it. The main thing is that the liquid level does not reach the bottom of the flowerpot.
- Watering. Since chamaeranthemum is a plant in warm and humid areas, it requires that the soil in the pot is always moist. Both the complete drying of the earthen coma and the overflow are strictly prohibited, since in the first case it will provoke the discharge of foliage, and in the second - decay of the root system. In the spring-summer period, it is required to moisturize once every 2-3 days, but when the flowering is over, the watering is reduced to once a week. When the water is drained into the stand under the pot, it must be drained after 10-15 minutes. Water for irrigation is used only at room temperature and well-separated. Collected rainwater can be used or taken from the river. But in these cases, it is important to know that the liquid is clean. Florists often use distilled water. If this is not possible, and tap water is very hard, then it can be softened by passing the liquid through a filter, boiling for half an hour and settling for several days. Then such water must be poured into another container, trying not to capture the part with sediment, bring the temperature to 20-24 degrees and use for irrigation.
- Fertilizers for hamerantemum must be applied during the growing season (which falls from spring to autumn). The frequency of such feeding will be once every 2-3 weeks. Fertilizers released in liquid form are used, but the plant is recommended to alternate organic and mineral preparations. From organic matter, an infusion of mullein is suitable. As mineral fertilizers, you can use complete complexes of fertilizers intended for ornamental deciduous plants.
- Recommendations for replanting and soil selection. For a plant, you need to change the pot every 2-3 years. It is recommended to lay a layer of drainage material in a new container; it is usually medium-sized expanded clay, river or sea pebbles, or pieces of brick of the same fraction sifted from dust, clay or ceramic shards. It is this 2–3 cm layer that will protect the soil from waterlogging. Small holes should be made in the bottom of the pot so that excess water from irrigation flows into the stand. The soil for the hamerantemum must have sufficient air and water permeability to the root system. From the purchased compositions, a substrate that is intended for violets or geraniums is suitable, a little coarse sand is added there for looseness, or sand with perlite or perlite with peat. If the florist has a desire to mix the substrate with his own hands, then it is recommended to use sod soil, river sand (perlite), peat or humus soil, leafy soil (it is collected in places away from the roadway (parks or forests) from under deciduous trees, capturing some rotted leaves) in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 2.
- General advice on care. Most of all, the plant will suffer from the action of a draft, and if it is installed in a room where there is a smell of gas or oil soot (that is, the kitchen for this representative of acanthus will not work). In summer, the pot of chamaeranthemum can be taken out into the open air, but the owner must first take care of shading from direct sunlight or choose a place in a small shade.
Hamerantemum breeding rules
It is not so difficult to get a new plant of this representative of the acanthus; for this, several methods are used:
- Sowing seeds. At the very beginning of spring, chamaeranthemum seeds are sown in a container filled with a substrate of sand and peat, which is thoroughly moistened. Then the pot can be covered with a plastic transparent bag and placed in a warm place with diffused lighting. It is necessary to conduct airing every day and if it is noticed that the soil has begun to dry out, then it is sprayed from a spray bottle. After a couple of weeks, the first shoots can be seen. When 2 leaf plates unfold on the seedlings, then transplant is carried out in separate pots with more fertile soil.
- Rooting cuttings. Pruning a plant usually leaves off shoots that can be used for propagation. Each such blank should have a pair of leaves. Landing is carried out in a peat-sand or peat-perlite moist composition. Before planting, it is recommended to treat cuttings with a root stimulator, for example, Kornevin or heteroauxin is used. Then the pots are placed under cover - it can act as a glass jar, a cut plastic bottle or a transparent plastic bag. The rooting temperature is maintained in the range of 20-22 degrees, and the place should be well lit, but without direct sunlight. With daily ventilation and maintenance of the substrate in a moderately moist state, the cuttings root easily and quickly, and then they are planted in separate pots for 2-3 plants. The diameter of the pot should be no more than 9 cm. The soil is used composed of sod, leafy earth, peat and river sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 1. During the period when young hamerantemums begin to grow actively, it is recommended to carry out abundant watering and frequent spraying with warm and soft water.
- With the help of basal processes. Usually, over time, multiple shoots appear next to the mother chamaeranthemum bush, which, when transplanting, can be carefully separated and planted in prepared pots with drainage and selected soil.
Fight against possible diseases and pests with home care for hamerantemum
Although the plant is not difficult to care for, if the owner does not adhere to the above tips, then this variegated representative of acanthus will quickly weaken, and harmful insects can "attack" it, among which are spider mites, aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, and also a false shield. It is necessary to increase the humidity in the room where the plant is located, to wash the sheet plates under warm shower jets. Then you can wipe the leaves with folk remedies designed to combat pests: soap, oil, alcohol or tobacco, onion, garlic or similar solutions. However, not always such non-chemical agents can lead to the destruction of insects and their eggs. In difficult cases, it is necessary to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations with a wide spectrum of action. You can also highlight the following troubles, which most often arise with violations in care:
if the moisture readings decrease, then the ends of the sheet plates dry out;
very quickly the plant begins to wilt due to the influence of a draft.
Facts to note about hamerantemum
Despite the fact that the main feature of the plant is beautifully decorated leaves, there is also something to see when it blooms. Due to the fact that some varieties have flowers of a pale pink color, they attract the eye of anyone standing nearby. All this is due to the fact that the flowering process for chamaeranthemum (for example, the Beirich variety) occurs at the very beginning of spring, when there may still be snow outside and not much sunlight. It is this flower, like mimosa, that gives the feeling of the eve of warm days and the end of the cold and dark seasons.
Often, hamerantemum is used to refresh the foliage of office premises or rooms with paints, but just remember that the plant is thermophilic and needs enough light.
Types of flowers hamerantemum, photo
- Hamerantemum Beyrichii (Chamaeranthemum beyrichii). The native habitat is in the lands of Southern Brazil. The plant is very low in height, but decoratively colored foliage gives it all its attractiveness. The shape of the leaf plates is ovoid or elongated-broadly oval. The length of the leaf does not exceed 8 cm. The color of its surface is olive-green, there is a pattern on its veins of a white-silver color. Such stripes on the venation are quite wide, which makes it spectacular. From the beginning of spring to the end of May, you can admire the flowering of this species. At this time, a small flowering stem is formed, which bears a spike-shaped inflorescence. The color of the flowers is whitish with a pale pink tint. If the owner removes the discolored buds in time, the process of disclosing the flowers can be extended.
- Hamerantemum Gaudisho (Chamaeranthemum gaudichaudii). Most of this species is common in moist Brazilian forests with a tropical climate. The plant height varies in the range of 10–12 cm. The outlines of the leaf plate are oval. At the same time, the size of the leaves is different: the upper leaf plates are 4 cm long and about 2.5 cm wide, their petioles do not exceed 0.5 cm; the lower foliage in length can grow up to 8 cm with a width of 5 cm. The leaves are painted in a dark green color, and in their middle there is an uneven silver part. When blooming, flowers of a snow-white shade bloom. It is customary to cultivate the plant in warm greenhouses or using wet terrariums; it can be planted both in pots and baskets.
- Hamerantemum fiery red (Chamaeranthemum igneum) may occur under the name Eranthemum igneum. This species of acanthus is not uncommon in the Peruvian Andes, while prefers to settle in mountainous areas at an altitude of 800-1000 meters above sea level. The stem is well branched. The plant does not exceed 5–8 cm in height. Shoots are slightly pubescent. The leaf plates are oblong-oval. They do not exceed 5 cm in width, with a length not exceeding 8 cm. The foliage is attached to the shoot with short petioles. On both sides of the leaf blade, pubescence of short hairs is present. The upper side of the leaf is painted on an olive green background, on which there is a pattern of stripes running along the veins of a reddish or orange hue. The reverse side of the sheet shines with a light red tone. During flowering, spike-shaped inflorescences are formed, which vary in length in the range of 5–8 cm. Small flowers with petals of a dark yellow color are collected in them.
- Hameranthemum venosum (Chamaeranthemum venosum) also referred to as Hamerantemum vein. This variety is a rather rare guest in the collections of florists. The plant does not exceed 1.5 m in height and has a shrub growth. On the shoots, wide-oval or ovoid-elliptical leaf plates unfold. The upper surface of the leaf is glossy, shiny, casts a dark green color, with veins highlighted in a gray or silver tone. During flowering, the formation of short peduncles, crowned with spike-shaped inflorescences, takes place. The corolla of the flower is painted in a white shade, and there is a light pink color around the edges.
