General distinctive features of a representative of the flora, tips for caring for a syzygium, steps for breeding, pest and disease control, interesting facts, species. Syzygium (Syzygium) belong to a fairly numerous genus of flowering representatives of the green world, which all belong to the Myrtaceae family. Scientists have counted up to 1,100 varieties of such plants. All of their territories of natural growth are in the African and Australian lands, the island of Madagascar, as well as India, the southeastern regions of Asia and the islands located in the Pacific Ocean. However, the most varied and numerous types of syzygiums are found in Malaysia and northeastern Australia.
Some of the varieties, even until recently, were practically little known to botanists, and a description of some was not even available. Often, the genus of syzygium by taxonomic characteristics (taxonomy is the science of classifying objects, plants or organisms) is mixed with the genus called Eugene, but many species of the latter can be found on the lands of Central and South America.
The plant got its scientific name thanks to the translation of the Greek word "syzygos", meaning "paired". All this is due to the fact that in syzygium, leaf plates are arranged in pairs on branches in opposite order.
Almost all varieties are trees or shrubs that never shed their foliage. The root system of a plant is powerful. There are lateral processes that begin their growth from the very base. The stems are distinguished by erect outlines, have the property of lignification over time, and the bark of a dark brown color begins to cover them. When a plant becomes an adult, its height is in the range of 20-30 m, however, when grown in a room, syzygium rarely exceeds the parameters of a meter and a half. The branches of the first year of life have a rather beautiful and highly decorative reddish shade of the bark.
The leaf plates are attached to the branch by means of a petiole, and their arrangement is opposite (that is, opposite each other), paired. The leaf shape is obovate or oval. The edge of the sheet is pointed and the lateral surfaces are smooth. The foliage itself is leathery, painted in a dark green color, and along the central vein there is a slight concavity, while the leaf looks a little like a book in outlines. The length of the leaf plate grows up to 12 cm with a total width of about 4 cm.
Syzygium begins to bloom in the summer. In this process, the plant is forming large-sized umbrella-shaped inflorescences. They are made up of a large number of flowers of snow-white, cream, lilac or pinkish shades. But the flowers quickly lose their petals, and they continue to show off only in bunches of elongated stamens. It is these filaments that attract the eye. The length of the stamens reaches 10 cm. Both flowers and subsequently the fruits have an intense spicy smell. It is because of this aroma that the plant is usually used in cooking.
After the flowers wither, large fruits, connected in bunches, remain at the ends of the shoots. The berries are pear-shaped and small in size. They are covered with a skin, rather dense to the touch, painted in a yellowish or pink hue. The fruits of the plant are edible.
Syzygium care when growing at home
- Lighting and selection of a place for a pot. Good growth in syzygium is observed only with sufficiently intense lighting. He also needs some time in direct sunlight, so it is recommended to put the pot with the plant on the window sills facing the east or west sides of the world. You still need to hide the bush from direct sunlight, since their excessive contact with the foliage will lead to yellowing and early discharge - sunburn will occur. For the same reason, you should not put a sigisium flowerpot on the windows of the southern location, but if there is no way out, then you will have to hang gauze rods or translucent curtains. Some flower growers stick a thin translucent paper on the glass of windows - tracing paper. With the arrival of the autumn-winter season, the syzygium may not have enough light, since the plant is comfortable when the daylight hours lasts 12-14 hours, therefore it is recommended to carry out supplementary lighting with special phytolamps or fluorescent lamps. The same measures will be needed if the pot is on the sill of a north-facing window. If there is not enough light, then the distance between the nodes on the branches will begin to increase, and the foliage will shrink and turn pale.
- Content temperature when grown, it should be 18-25 degrees in the spring-summer period. But when autumn comes, the column of the thermometer is needed so that it does not go beyond the range of 14-15 degrees. At this time, the syzygium begins a period of rest. In the spring-summer period, you can take the pot with the plant out into the fresh air, a balcony, terrace or garden will do. But you will need to first look after a place protected from direct rays of the sun, wind and rain. If this is not possible, then the room should be frequently ventilated.
- Air humidity. Only in this case will the plant show full growth and will be able to develop well if the humidity indicators are high in the room where the syzygium is located. Therefore, it is required to regularly spray the deciduous mass. However, in winter, especially at low temperatures, such procedures are not recommended.
- Watering. In order to water the syzygium and not harm it, it is recommended to use only soft and well-settled water, the temperature of which is about 20-24 degrees. In the period from spring to autumn, soil moisture should be abundant, the plant should be watered as soon as it is noticed that the topsoil has dried out. When autumn days come, watering is gradually reduced by winter, bringing them to extremely rare or stopped altogether.
- Syzygium fertilizers. When spring days only come and until the very beginning of autumn, it is required to feed the plant. The regularity of the introduction of drugs is once every 14 days. Complete mineral fertilizers should be used. When the autumn-winter months come, this fragrant representative of the flora goes into dormancy and is not disturbed by top dressing. You can use preparations for flowering exotic indoor plants.
- Transplantation and recommendations for the choice of soil. When the syzygium is still young, it is transplanted annually, but as the bush (tree) grows up and grows in size, the pot and soil in it is changed only as needed (about once every 3 years), but sometimes flower growers only change 5 cm of land from above, if the plant is grown in a floor tub. A good drainage layer (about 4–5 cm) is poured into the new container. It is usually represented by medium-sized expanded clay, pebbles or broken shards of ceramics or clay. It is necessary that small holes are provided in the bottom of the flowerpot through which the liquid, which has not been absorbed by the roots, flows freely and does not stagnate.
The transplant substrate is selected with a weak acidity, they are usually composed of the following options:
- turf, humus soil, leaf and peat soil, river sand (in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1: 1);
- equal parts of peat, leaf humus, coarse sand, leafy earth are taken.
Steps for self-breeding syzygium
There are several methods of breeding syzygium: sowing seeds, cuttings or rooting of air layers.
If propagated by seeds, then only fresh material is used. Sowing is carried out in January-February. It is recommended to soak the seeds in a fungicidal solution and plant them in bowls filled with light soil. A peat-sand mixture or combined peat with perlite is used. Then the crops are watered, and the container is covered with glass on top or wrapped in plastic wrap - this will help create conditions for a mini-greenhouse, in which high humidity is maintained. It is important during this period to regularly remove condensation by airing the crops and, if necessary, watering the soil if they are dry. Germination temperature should be in the range of 25-28 degrees. It is recommended to place the container in a well-lit place, but not in direct sunlight, otherwise the young shoots of syzygium will simply burn out.
When the seeds germinate (after 3-4 weeks), then the shelter must be removed, accustoming the seedlings to room conditions. Over time, a pair of true leaves will develop on the plants and then transplantation is carried out in separate containers. Watering young syzygiums should be abundant, the place for their placement is selected with good illumination, but devoid of direct sunlight, and the temperature when caring for them should be maintained at least 18 degrees in the daytime and by the evening it is lowered to 16 units. When a 4th leaf plate is formed on the sprout, it is necessary to pinch to stimulate branching.
Blanks from semi-lignified branches are cut into cuttings. The length of the cutting should be 10–15 cm. The workpieces are processed with a root stimulator. Then the cuttings are planted in pots filled with peat-sandy soil, they are placed under a glass vessel or covered with a plastic bag. When rooting, they try to ensure that the heat indicators do not go beyond 24-26 degrees. When caring for cuttings, regular ventilation and watering of dried soil are required. When a month and a half has passed, the cuttings will take root and they can be planted in containers with a more fertile substrate.
If reproduction is carried out by rooting air layers, then a branch growing from the side is bent to the surface of the substrate and fixed. The soil can be poured into another pot, but if conditions permit, the cuttings take root in the same place where the mother specimen grows. Fixation is done with a stiff wire or hairpin. Then the shoot is sprinkled with soil and watered. Layering care is the same as for an adult syzygium. After a few weeks, the shoot takes root and is carefully separated from the parent bush.
Fight against possible pests and diseases of syzygium
Because of the aroma, the plant is quite resistant to pests, but if the rules of care are regularly violated, then it may be damaged by a scabbard, spider mite, mealybug or aphids. To solve the problems, it is recommended to wash the plant under streams of a warm shower, and then treat it with insecticidal preparations. The second procedure is carried out in a week, if traces of harmful insects are still visible.
When the root system is often in a waterlogged state, brown spots begin to appear on the foliage, it flies around, and the roots will soon rot. In this case, you will need to remove the plant, remove rotten roots, treat with fungicide and transplant it into new soil and a pot.
Interesting facts about the syzygium flower
The plant is not only used as an ornamental evergreen crop, due to the appearance of its glossy foliage, but the syzygium has gained fame as a plant with edible fruits in all countries with tropical climates. Such varieties are considered to be the Rose Apple, Javan Apple, Malay Apple, as well as Jambolan, Water Apple and many others. The fruits of these varieties are used to make jellies and jams. However, the dried unopened buds (namely flower buds) of the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum) are well known in the culinary arts of various peoples.
If the fruits of syzygium are dried, then they are recommended for people with diabetes mellitus, they will also help to stimulate the excretory system and cleanse the liver. When the berries and flowers of this plant are still fresh, they can be added to food and side dishes during cooking.
The essential oil of syzygium is highly valued both in perfumery and in the tobacco industry as a fragrance. But homeopaths recommend using this oil to cure warts and some skin conditions. This oil is also used as an antiseptic.
On the territory of the Australian continent, syzygium wood is recognized as a fairly hard species of wood, and it has a very beautiful texture. There it is called Satinash, which means "satin ash". A variety of Syzygium gustavioides, called gray satin ash, is used in the manufacture of furniture, as well as a variety of structures used in construction.
Types of syzygium
- Transparent syzygium (Syzygium aqueum) also called Jambu, Semarang or Water Apple. A tree-shaped evergreen with low growth rates. Its height will be 3–10 m. The trunk is short with bends. The foliage is leathery, opposite, the leaf shape is oblong-elliptical, cordate. Above, the color is green, on the back - yellowish-green. The length of the leaf is equal to 5–25 cm with a width of about 2.5–16 cm. If the leaves are rubbed, they exude aroma. When flowering, buds are formed with pale yellow, yellowish-whitish or pale pinkish petals. The calyx is four-lobed, it contains 4 petals with multiple stamens, the length of which is 2 cm. They have a faint aroma. The flowers are collected in inflorescences that take the form of bunches. The shape of the fruits is pear-shaped, they are 1, 6–2 cm long and about 2, 5–3, 4 cm wide. They are covered with a thin skin in the form of a wax with a whitish-pink or red color scheme. Inside the berry there are 1–6 small seeds. They are surrounded by whitish or pinkish juicy pulp, which has a somewhat sweet aroma. However, some fruits may be devoid of seeds altogether. Fruit ripening takes place at the end of summer and in November.
- Syzygium aromaticum well known as the Clove tree and its dried unopened flower buds are the spice - cloves. Mostly distributed in the Maluku Islands. It can be an evergreen shrub or tree, characterized by a pyramid-shaped crown with a strong aroma. The height is 8–12 m. The leaf plates are 8–10 cm long and about 2–4 cm wide. The leaf surface is leathery, the color is dark green. The leaves are arranged on the petioles in an opposite order. The shape of the leaf is elliptical. The flowers bloom in a purple-red or white hue. Their size is small, and complex semi-umbellate inflorescences are collected from them. The fruit is a false berry. It is prized for its buds, which contain about 25% essential oil. As soon as the color of the buds turns reddish, they are plucked and dried.
- Syzygium cumin (Syzygium cumini) also bears the name Jambolan, Yambolan or Sizigium yambolan. An evergreen tree, which takes up to 25 m in height, with a trunk diameter of 60–90 cm. Leaf plates are 15–20 cm long and 8–12 cm wide. The color is dark green, the surface is leathery. When flowering, buds with white petals appear, collected in umbrella-shaped inflorescences. The size of the flower reaches 1.5 cm in diameter. When ripe, the fruit grows up to 1–1.25 cm in diameter, with a bright red color.
