Distinctive features of a fokea, rules for growing a plant in a room, advice on reproduction, possible difficulties in leaving and ways to solve them, curious notes, types. The content of the article:
- Description
- Instilling cultivation
- Breeding tips
- Difficulty leaving
- Curious notes
- Types of fokea
Fockea is a botanically classified plant in the Asclepiadaceae family. The native range where this representative of the flora is found falls on the lands of the eastern and western parts of the African continent, as well as the western regions of the Cape Province of South Africa. In the genus, scientists have counted up to 10 species that prefer to settle in open places under the sun, but there are also such specimens that are used to growing in the shade of shrubs or trees.
Description of fockies and photos
In the photo, a fokea tree in nature The first mentions of these plants date back to the beginning of the 19th century (1838). But there are sources that make it possible to understand that the foquea was known a little earlier, since a similar sample of the green world was delivered to the court of the emperor of Austria in order to decorate the garden with such an exotic. But the very name of the plant was given in honor of the famous physiologist and doctor - Gustav Voldemar Fock.
The plant is a succulent, that is, in its parts it is able to accumulate water, which will help to survive high temperatures and lack of precipitation. If you look at the fokea, then its shoots represent one of the bright and exotic features. Growing in natural conditions, the branches of a plant can reach 4 meters in length, which is very similar to a vine or vine. The dimensions of the fockea kept at home are much more modest - they rarely exceed half a meter and require support or to be tied to it, since they are rather thin and have the property of lignification over time. If there is any damage to the shoot, then milky juice begins to ooze from it, as in those representatives of the flora that belong to ficuses or euphorbia.
The lower stem is often hidden under the surface of the soil and over time it lignifies, taking the form of caudex (formations in which plants collect moisture to survive arid climates). As the fokea grows, the caudex begins to bare and takes on the most bizarre outlines - in some it resembles a ball, in others it takes the shape of a bottle. When the plant is still young, then its caudex develops at a high rate and can soon be equal to 60 cm in diameter. But the older the succulent becomes, the slower the growth of its basal thickening becomes and may eventually stop growing altogether. It is curious that with age, such a caudex formation begins to possess a rather interesting structure of the cortex, which makes the foke even more spectacular.
The foliage of the plant is attached to the branches with petioles of short length, its arrangement is in the opposite order. The number of leaf plates is small. Their shape is oval with a slight sharpening at the very top, waviness is present on the edge. The color is a bright green color, and the central vein is clearly visible on the surface due to a slightly lighter color and it seems to be pressed into the surface of the leaf.
The flowering process occurs at the end of summer time, while small buds are formed, which open into flowers, the diameter of which does not exceed 1.5 cm. The petals have a white-green tint and are distinguished by a fragrant aroma. In shape, the flower is similar to the contours of a five-pointed star. Phocaea blooms for 2 months, but it has no decorative value.
The fruit of the fockea is a pod, with a light green color, which is formed in the place of a flower, there are seeds inside.
Despite its exotic outlines, this succulent is quite easy to care for, and it can be recommended for beginner lovers of indoor flora, but it is worth adhering to certain growing conditions, which are given below.
I instilled in the cultivation of fockies at home
Lighting
it is necessary to be bright, but with protection from direct rays of the sun, otherwise burns or slight partial shade may appear on the caudex until the deciduous mass grows. Can be placed under the leaves of taller plants.
Content temperature
… For fokea in summer, heat indicators should not exceed 35 degrees, in winter, rest and a temperature of 12-13 units (at least 5) are needed. The plant can even withstand frost, but then watering is prohibited.
Air humidity
when nursing is maintained moderate.
To water
Fockea is recommended abundantly in the summer, but you need to monitor the state of the topsoil, if it is dry, it's time to water. The plant is not afraid of drought. Moisten the succulent every 3 weeks with 1-2 glasses of water. A waterlogged substrate will lead to decay. In November and February, watering is reduced to once a month, and the 1st and 2nd months of winter are carried out practically without moisture. But here the signal is the state of caudex - if you squeeze it with your fingers, you feel a loss of turgor and it has become soft, then it's time to water.
Fertilizers
for fokies, they are introduced 2-3 times during the summer period. Apply liquid products or preparations intended for cacti and succulents. In order for the caudex to grow faster, it is recommended to feed with a large proportion of nitrogen.
Transplant and advice on soil selection
… It is better when the plant is young, then the pot and soil are changed annually with the arrival of spring. In order for the caudex to grow rapidly, a spacious container is needed. Better in the first couple of years, so that it is under the surface of the ground. When the fokey becomes an adult, the roots and base of the stem are “exposed” to her as much as possible. At first, the skin on the caudex will be light in color, but over time it will become lignified and darkened. There should be a drainage layer on the bottom of the new pot.
A substrate for succulents is used, where a little river sand is added. If the mixture is prepared independently, then it is made up of garden soil, humus (leafy soil), river sand (perlite), crushed charcoal and bone meal (in a ratio of 2: 2: 3: 1). A little crushed egg shell and lime are also mixed there.
Fockeys breeding tips
Most often, such a succulent is propagated by sowing seeds, since there is information that even if the cuttings can be rooted, then such a plant will not be able to form a caudex.
Since the fockea is a dioecious plant, a female and a male specimen will be required to obtain seeds. With a soft brush, pollen from the flowers of the male Fockea is transferred to the female ones. But this process is not always crowned with success, so it is recommended to purchase ready-made seeds.
For such reproduction, you should first soak the planting material if it is stale. When there are only harvested seeds, then this operation is not carried out. Then the container is filled with a substrate of peat, river sand and perlite (equal parts), which is moistened and the seeds are buried in it. The seed pot is placed in a warm place shaded from direct sunlight, but with sufficiently bright lighting. A piece of glass is placed on top, or you can wrap the container in a transparent plastic bag. When using such a shelter, you will need to remove it daily for 10-15 minutes so that the crops are aired and the drops of condensate are removed.
If all the rules are followed, then the seedlings will appear in 7-14 days and will immediately begin to "inflate" their bases, which by the age of one year will reach five centimeters in diameter. When a pair of leaves develops on the seedling, then you can transplant into a prepared deep pot with a drainage layer at the bottom and a suitable soil.
The main condition for obtaining a spectacular specimen of fokea is regular transshipments during the period of active growth (that is, transplanting without destroying the earthen coma) and the introduction of a sufficient amount of fertilizer. Also, from the first transplants, a support should be provided in the pot and try to make sure that the shoots curl only along the support, and not the stems of nearby plants. It has been observed that caudex thickening on the trunk develops rapidly, it will require Fockea to build up greenery on the branches as much as possible. And only when the plant reaches the required size, it is possible to trim the shoots to form a neat outline of the crown.
Difficulties in caring for fokea and ways to solve them
More often than not, all the troubles with this succulent occur due to violations of the owner's care rules. If the air in the room is too dry, then Fockea begins to weaken, and it can become an easy "catch" for any harmful insects that settle on the leaves and begin to suck out its vital juices. Such pests are whitefly and aphids - insecticidal preparations are used to combat them. If the substrate in the pot is often in a waterlogged state, then fungal diseases can begin. Then an urgent transplant with fungicide treatment is required.
You do not need to put the plant in a place where midday direct sunlight will shine in the summer. And although under the conditions of nature, fockea easily tolerates heat and drought, when growing in a room there will not be a constant movement of air masses that will protect the plant from high temperatures, and it will wither.
Curious notes
The genus was first described in 1838 based on the Fockea capensis variety. However, it is known that in 1786 this plant was brought to the Imperial Garden of Schönbrunn, located in Austria. From the Cape province, to surprise the Austrian ruler Joseph II, the fokea was brought as an exotic species of flora with an unusual trunk and roots. Some parts of this particular plant can be seen today (!).
Under the surface of the soil, in natural conditions, a caudex thickening is hidden, in which moisture accumulates, and thin shoots snake along the surface of the soil, which, having found support, begin to "climb" along it. In especially dry periods, the entire aboveground part can die off, and only the roots with accumulated moisture hidden under the ground remain alive. But as soon as the first drops of the long-awaited rain fall on the ground, all shoots with leaves quickly resume and take on their usual outlines.
With home care, this "withering away" does not occur, so the fokey will continue to lengthen its branches and the owner will need to restrain their growth by pruning. The caudex part of the plant (roots and trunk) can calmly rise above the ground surface, surprising with its outlines, without the slightest harm to the succulent. But nevertheless, it is this part of the fokea that is the most vulnerable and it will be necessary to shade the caudex from direct sunlight, a decrease in temperature or stagnation of moisture in a pot during cold months.
Types of fokea
Fockea edible (Fockea edulis)
also bears the name Hottentot bread, and the Afrikaans are called Berbaro, Bergkambru, Kambara, Cambra, Cambro or Hotnotvaatlemoen. In Khoi he is called Koo, Ku, or Kuu. All because of the milky and slightly sweetish taste that the edible root possesses. It is usually collected by the local population. Although the juice that comes out of the stem, shoots and roots is poisonous. The species is native to the southern regions of the African continent and Namibia.
It is a perennial caudex plant with few foliage. Its roots and base of the trunk are thick and twisted. In the wild, caudex is partially or completely buried in the soil and tends to grow very quickly in this state, reaching 60 cm in diameter. Thin branches similar to vines can approach up to 4 meters in length. And if there is a support, then they can rise quite high along it. The leaf plates are solid, green in color, their shape is oval-oblong.
Since the plant has the formation of female and male flowers (it is dioecious), then for reproduction it is necessary that phokeas of different sexes grow nearby. The flowers are whitish-green, they owe their spectacular appearance to the shape of an asterisk (five petals), they have a mild pleasant aroma. They are 0, 6-1, 5 cm in diameter. The petals are surrounded by a high and thick calyx. Several flowers can be located on one peduncle. Pollination takes place by means of fruit flies. After that, the plant forms grayish-green pods with seeds.
Fockea multiflora
found under the name Pineon vine / creeper. This plant is native to the territories of Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, can be found in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Angola - areas located south of the equator on the African continent.
It is a large succulent liana, the shoots of which can reach 15 meters in length, with a caudex diameter of about 60 cm. twine over any available support. Caudex varies greatly in shape and contains a large amount of a rather toxic milky sap.
The leaf plates are large with a size of 100 mm x 80 mm, their shape is broadly elliptical, the arrangement is opposite, on the back there is a tomentose pubescence. The leaves, as well as the fruits and seeds of this variety, are much larger than that of other species of fockeys.
The flowering process can take place even in the absence of foliage. The buds are tied on a young growth and their number is small. The diameter of the flowers is 15 mm, the petals are yellow-green. The plant is dioecious, the flowers are arranged regularly, have 5 petals, and there is a slight aroma. The peduncle is measured in length 5-13 mm, the shape of the sepals is lanceolate, the length is 2.5 mm. The corolla tube is bell-shaped, 15-25 mm long.
Pod fruits with a smooth surface, grow in pairs, horn-shaped. Their dimensions are 10-22 cm x 1.5-3 cm. When ripe, they open, releasing several winged seeds. The shape of the seeds is ovoid, flattened, reaching 10 mm in length and 7-8 mm in width. The wings are short.
Fockea crispa (Fockea crispa)
or Cape Fokeya, is the most popular type. The shoots of the plant are thin, they can both lie on the surface of the soil and be creeping, or grow in the form of vines, wrapping around any support. On them, elliptical-oval leaf plates grow in opposite order, decorated with curl along the edge. The color is deep green, but when the leaf is young, then on the reverse side it has a purple tone, and over time this color brightens and remains light purple or light lilac. During flowering, the formation of unattractive star-shaped flowers of a greenish hue takes place.
Caudex appearing above the surface of the substrate is lignified, uneven, as if a lot of warty outgrowths are located along it. Its color is light, beige.
Fockea capensis
grows in the western regions of South Africa (Western Cape). The succulent plant prefers to settle on rocky ground. It can reach a height of 60 cm with vine-like shoots. Its tuberous roots are often tightly sandwiched between stones. The foliage is gray-green in color, its shape is elliptical, and has fine pubescence. The leaf has a strong fold on the sides. When blooming, flower-like small flowers are formed, with twisted petals of a greenish tint, flattened petals. After pollination, the pods with seeds ripen.
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