The characteristic differences of the plant, advice on caring for the sauromatum in indoor conditions, reproduction, difficulties and methods of solving them, facts to note, types. Sauromatum (Sauromatum) belongs to the Aroid family (Araceae) and has a herbaceous form of growth with a tuberous root. All its varieties (and there are six of them in the genus) are found on the territory of the lands that fall on the countries of eastern India, as well as in Nepal, Burma and the Himalayas, but such plants are not uncommon in the African expanses. In these places, sauromatum is found at an altitude of about 1, 6–2, 4 km above sea level, where humid tropical forests are common.
The plant bears its scientific name thanks to the translation from the Greek language of the word "saura", which means "lizard, dinosaur". All this is due to the fact that the flower has a rather unusual color of the sheet-cover - spotty, like the skin of a reptile. For such an exotic appearance, the plant is called "Voodoo lily" (probably connecting it with its native places of natural growth and the action that occurs during pollination), "shaman lily" or "cob in an empty glass" - because of the ability to grow without immersing the tuber in the soil.
The external characteristics of the perennial sauromatum are rather bizarre, since above its spherical or slightly flattened tuber, a single leaf plate rises (sometimes their number varies within 4 units), surrounding a narrow rounded ear. The diameter of the tuber does not exceed 20 cm. Its flesh is covered with a peel with a rough texture and light gray color scheme. The petiole is distinguished by its fleshiness, and its contours are very similar to a stem, which stretches a meter in height, with a total width of 2-3 cm. The general shape of the leaf plate is heart-shaped and finger-dissected. Each of the lobes has a lanceolate outline. The leaf part, which is located in the center, has a length of 15–35 cm and a width of about 4–10 cm. The same ones that are placed on the sides are of smaller parameters. In indoor cultivation, the height of an adult sauromatum does not exceed a meter and a half.
At the base of the leaf there is an unusual bedspread, painted in a bluish-olive shade, and it is also decorated with a small spot of burgundy color. Its height is 30-60 cm. Until the flowering process is completed, the leaf plate is also preserved. Sauromatum blooms in springtime, the veil is wrapped around the ear-shaped inflorescence and closes at the base of the leaf. The inflorescence contains a large number of unisexual flowers devoid of perianths. The top of the ear is a sterile appendage, which is about 30 cm high and up to 1 cm thick. The color of the flower is purple and closely pinkish, which is decorated with greenish and brown mottling.
Interestingly, when blooming, sauromatum spreads around itself a rather unpleasant odor, which becomes more saturated under indoor growing conditions due to high temperature indicators. It is also striking that when you touch the inflorescence-cob, it begins to heat up strongly, and the temperature difference in this case is practically in the range from 10 to 25 degrees. After flowering ends, small fleshy berries are formed. The color of the fruit is bright red. A spherical head is assembled from them. A seed is placed inside each berry surrounded by pulp. In natural conditions, pollination of sauromatum occurs by a limited group of insects, so it is almost impossible to wait for the fruiting of the "Voodoo lily" when grown indoors.
If the climatic conditions are mild, then the plant can be grown in the open field, but in our latitudes this exotic representative of the flora is cultivated only in rooms. The plant is fully formed within one season. And although the "ear in an empty glass" is a perennial, but with the arrival of winter, its entire aerial part dies off, and only its tuberous reproductive organ remains.
Growing sauromatum, indoor care
- Lighting. Diffused light or light shading, which can be achieved on the windows of the east or west location, is most suitable for the "voodoo lily". The south window needs curtains to keep out the sun's rays.
- Content temperature. In spring and summer, heat indicators should be in the range of 20-24 degrees, they are not lowered to a minimum of 15 degrees.
- Air humidity with indoor cultivation of "shamanic lily", it is better to be moderate. For this, it is recommended to spray at least twice a week. However, flower growers argue that the plant can adapt to dry indoor air, but then spider mite infestation often occurs.
- Watering the Voodoo lily. With the arrival of spring, sauromatum tubers are planted in the soil and begin to moisten it. In the spring-summer period, it is recommended to moisten the potted substrate 1-2 times a week, preferably in the morning. Irrigation is carried out with soft, settled water with heat indicators of 20-24 degrees. Between watering, the substrate should dry out so that the tuber does not start to rot. At the end of summer, watering is gradually reduced, and when the leaf plates and shoots wither, they stop altogether. No moisture is needed in winter.
- Wintering Sauromatuma takes place from October until the end of winter - the so-called dormant period. The tubers of the plant are dug up, cleaned of the substrate and stored in a dry room, where the heat indicators are about 10 degrees. Then, when flowering is over, planting is required, but you can carry it out when the tubers start to grow.
- Fertilizers. During the period when the plant is activating vegetative growth, it can be supported with a small amount of dressings. In the spring and summer time, you need to apply fertilizer 2-3 times, in a half dose. Apply a complete mineral complex for flowering indoor plants. However, it should be remembered that an overabundance of the drug can lead to the onset of rotting of the tuber.
- Transfer and selection of soil. When February comes, it is noticed that the voodoo lily tubers are starting to grow. The sauromatum inflorescence is clearly visible even before the tubers are planted in the soil, after which planting is required. It is recommended to place an adult tuber in a large container, since the size of the leaf plate will directly depend on this, as well as a replacement tuber will grow in larger parameters. Holes should be made in the bottom of the container through which excess liquid that the tuber has not absorbed will flow out.
It is better that the soil is nutritious, has looseness and good conductivity for moisture and air. The acidity should be within the pH range of 5–7. For a self-made substrate, connect:
- rotted compost, peat and chopped sphagnum moss in a ratio of 3: 2: 1;
- turf, coarse sand or perlite, leafy substrate (in a ratio of 1: 0, 5: 1);
- turf, humus, peat soil, river sand (parts are taken equal to 1: 1: 1: 0, 5).
Reproduction of sauromatum with your own hands in indoor cultivation
To get a new plant, "voodoo lilies" resort to the vegetative method. As the sauromatum matures, daughter nodules - babies - are formed on its tuber. When autumn time comes and the plant is dug up to preserve until spring, the children can be separated from the base of the tuber. During the season, their number can vary within 3–7 units. All winter months they are kept in a dry place with low temperatures, without soil, and only with the arrival of spring they are planted.
After planting, the daughter nodules immediately start growing, release leaves and delight flowering this year. They will be distinguished from adult specimens only by the number of leaf blades and the small size of the flower.
It is recommended to plant in open ground only in March. If the tubers are planted in pots, then the container should be small and the soil fertile. The pot is selected stable so that it does not tip over under its own weight from the leaves and the cob. A layer of drainage material must be laid at the bottom of the container.
As a soil, they acquire a universal garden soil or form a substrate independently from the following components: sod land, peat, coarse sand, compost, leafy soil. Until the flowering is completed, the sauromatum does not need soil, but the tuber needs planting in the substrate to form leaf plates.
Diseases and pests of sauromatum in indoor conditions
If the rules of caring for the "Vidu lily" are violated, then it can be affected by a spider mite. At the same time, a thin cobweb forms on the leaves, petioles and stems, the leaf plate begins to acquire a yellow tint, deform and dies. Small needle punctures are noticed along the edge of the leaf - this pest pricks the leaf with its proboscis in order to suck out nutritious juices and substances. It will be necessary to carry out an insecticidal treatment.
When sauromatum is watered so abundantly and often that the substrate is constantly in a waterlogged state, then rotting of the plant tubers is possible. Since the weight of the sheet plate is often quite large, it begins to bend under its weight and therefore should be tied up.
Facts to note about the sauromatum flower
Important to remember! All parts of the "Voodoo lily" are quite poisonous, so it is not recommended to place the plant in close proximity for pets or small children. Also, any operations (transplant or pruning) should be carried out with gloves, and after the procedure, wash your hands well with soap and water. Often, upon contact with sauramatum juice, not only skin irritation, but also allergic reactions can be observed. It was the process of pollination of the flowers of the plant that gave reason to call it a "shaman lily", since it takes place at night. At the same time, the sterile part of the ear begins to warm up to 37–39 degrees, filling the air with a very strong and unpleasant odor, which is attractive to flies and other insects that conduct pollination. At the same time, pollinating insects penetrate into the lower chamber of the flower and remain there, as if in a "living trap", until the stamens and pistils mature. After pollination has taken place, the "bristles" in the flowers wither and the "captives" can get free.
Since they began to plant sauromatum at the beginning of the 19th century, gardeners noticed that the tubers of a plant can begin to bloom even without any soil. At that time in England it was quite fashionable to keep glasses or other containers with Voodoo lily tubers on the writing table, which was installed in the office of a noble and influential person. At the end of the winter period, guests were even summoned, to whom they were shown an ear-inflorescence, rapidly increasing in size, being wrapped in a brightly colored and unusual sheet-blanket. Some people were even horrified by the "shaman lily", as they considered it a living being. After all, any touch to the cob inflorescence led to the fact that it began to heat up, spreading an unbearably unpleasant odor. Many believed that the sauromatum was beginning to breathe nervously.
It has been noticed that the blooming of a tuber occurs not only in an empty container (for example, in a glass), not filled with water or gel, but also lying on a saucer or in a cup. The main thing is to put it in a bright place. This is due to the fact that for the flowering process there are enough nutrients that are contained in the tuber itself.
Types of sauromatum
Spotted Sauromatum (Sauromatum guttatum) is the most popular perennial variety, often referred to as Guttatum. The native territories of growth are in the lands of India, Nepal and Burma, feeling comfortable at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level. At the base of the leaf there is a tuber, large and angular in appearance, with a total diameter of up to 15 cm. The leaf develops after the flowering process, often it is not one, and their number can reach 4 units. The leaf plates are heart-shaped, slightly rounded in shape, but with a sickle-shaped dissection. The leaves are crowned with elongated petioles with parameters reaching 0.5 m and a thickness of about 2 cm. In the root part, the petiole is spotted. The sheet plate is cut into parts, the number of which varies from 9 to 11 pieces. At the top of the foliage, the lobes are sharpened, their shape is oblong-lanceolate. The length of the central lobe is 15–35 cm with a width of about 4–10 cm. Those leaflets that grow on the sides are smaller, and their parameters gradually decrease towards the edges. The color is dark green, and they are covered with an olive leaf veil. On the surface of the leaves, there is a mottling decoration of a burgundy or purple color scheme.
The height of the flower-bearing stem is 5 cm. The coverlet wrapped around the inflorescence is spacious, its length reaches 30-60 cm. At the base, it differs in a closed and slightly swollen tube, which can grow in length by 5-10 cm, with a width of about 2-2, 5 cm. The plate of the veil is erect, and at the very top there is often a bend, the shape of the veil is oblong-lanceolate. On the outside, the color was covered with olive green, and the inside was cast in a yellowish-green tone, decorated with densely spaced black-purple spots.
The inflorescence has the shape of an ear, composed of flowers with purple petals. The length of the flowering ear is 35 cm. The flowers are unisexual, devoid of perianth, and have a foul odor. Pistillate flowers are distinguished by a single ovary and a pair or two pairs of ovules. Such flowers are located at the bottom of the inflorescence. Anther buds grow above pistillate at a distance of 1.5 cm. In the interval between them, undeveloped flowers with clavate outlines can be observed. At the top of the ear is a sterile appendage, which takes on a cylindrical contour, with a length of about 15-30 cm and a thickness of no more than 1 cm. This part of the inflorescence is colored greenish-brown or dark purple tones. The flowering process occurs at the end of spring.
After pollination, bright red berries ripen, inside which there are single seeds surrounded by pulp. The berries are collected in a spherical head. For the first time the cultivation of this variety occurred in 1815, in the UK. Planting is carried out in a semi-shaded place, to a depth of no more than 13 cm. In winter, it is recommended to keep the tubers in a warm but dry room.
Veinous sauromatum (Sauromatum venosum). This variety is distinguished by thickened long petioles that crown broad-lanceolate leaf plates that have a dissection. The leaves are attached in a semicircle to the petiole in the place that is distinguished by a bend, the color of their lighter tones. It can be seen that the spotting is clearly visible only in that part of the petioles, which is close to the base. When springtime comes, the flowering process begins, in which the opening of the flower is accompanied by a quiet crackle. The tubular part of the bedspread completely hides the base of the cob inflorescence up to a height of 5–10 cm. The bloom lasts up to a month and the flowers, with their unpleasant intense smell, attract flies and other insects.
How sauromatum looks like, see below:
