Distinctive features of barleria and characteristics, creation of conditions for cultivation, transplantation and reproduction, pests and diseases, interesting facts and types. It's nice to have a green bush on the window, which at the same time pleases with eye-catching bright colors. But this is not a simple violet, however, the representative of the green world of the planet, Barleria, looks like it. So what is this exotic plant, and what interesting things can you learn about it? Like many green "apartment dwellers", barleria is also a medicinal plant, and not just an element of green room decoration. So, in more detail.
Barleria (Barleria) is an evergreen plant belonging to the Acanthaceae family with a shrub form of growth. Its native range is in Southeast Asia, Africa, America and East Indian lands. The genus includes about 250 varieties.
Barleria is popularly called the "Filipino violet", although it has nothing to do with the Philippines. The plant bears its name in honor of a botanist with a French origin - Jacques Barrelier. He was a monk of the Dominican order, serving as secretary to General Tommaso and accompanying him on many trips, studying flora. Almost all of Barrelier's work was destroyed by fire. Charles Plumier, describing the plant world, named a delicate wonderful flower in honor of this scientist, and then Carl Linnaeus, creating his own classification system for famous plants, left the already accustomed name Barleria.
The stems of the plant are soft, growing at a high speed, reaching a height of 60–120 cm. In natural nature, this shrub or semi-shrub representative has very flexible shoots and they can lean towards the soil, therefore Barleria is often grown as an ampelous crop. And also the stems often have creeping outlines, which, when in contact with the ground, take root with ease. However, there are many types of Filipino violets that have powerful, upright branches. The stems may have thorns.
Barleria leaf plates are colored in a dark emerald hue and are located opposite each other on the stems, sometimes in pairs. In some varieties, the petiole is framed with spines or hairs, and the leaf itself is so hairy that it seems velvety and its shade is gray from afar.
In the leaf axils or at the ends of the shoots, inflorescences appear, which have the shape of a dense spikelet. They collect small flowers with rounded petals that grow from the bracts. The bud has 5 petals, and its shape is tubular or bell-shaped, there are two lips, which are surrounded by bracts, like bristles. The flowers have no pedicels, they seem to sit in an inflorescence. The color of the boots is very diverse: from whitish to blue-violet, there are types with stripes on the petals. Only green and orange colors are missing.
However, the delicate flowers of Barleria are not at all durable, they can please the owner only for one or two days. But since the Philippine violet has a lot of buds and they do not open at the same time, the feeling is that the bush is constantly blooming. In some species, flowering lasts a month, and some are pleasing to the eye all year round.
After flowering, the pods or capsules begin to ripen, filled with seeds with a bare and shiny surface. The size of the capsule rarely exceeds 1.8 cm in length and up to half a centimeter in width, and the number of seeds in them is 4 units.
Agrotechnics for growing barleria, care
- Lighting and selection of a place for growing. For the Philippine violet, the window sill is best suited, where there will be a lot of lighting, but direct sunlight will not damage the bush. You can put the pot on east or west orientation windows. If the barleria grows on the window of the southern location, then its foliage will turn pale and the bush will appear faded. Therefore, shading with gauze curtains or translucent curtains will be required.
- Content temperature. The plant is thermophilic, in the spring-summer period it will be necessary to withstand 18–20 degrees of heat, and with the arrival of autumn, reduce the temperature to 12–15. Barleria does not withstand low temperatures and it is necessary that their indicators do not fall below 10 degrees. In winter, a period of dormancy begins, during which a decrease in the thermometer column will be required - this will be the key to further successful flowering.
- Watering. Regular moistening of the soil is necessary, however, a slight drought is not a problem for barleria. Watering is carried out with soft water, as soon as the top layer of the soil has dried up; in winter, moisture is rare.
- Fertilizers begin to make with the arrival of spring and until the end of active growth. Regularity - every 14 days. Apply complex feeding. Can be alternated with organic matter (manure tincture).
- Barleria bush shaping will stimulate the formation of new shoots and branching of old ones. You can form it as an ampelous plant or in the form of an upright bush. Do not cut the shoots too much, as this will damage the flowering.
- Transfer and selection of soil. With the arrival of spring, the barleria is transplanted. A layer of drainage material should be poured in the pot (usually moisture-retaining composites are taken - pebbles, expanded clay or broken brick). Holes are made in the bottom of the container to drain excess liquid. With each transfer, the container volume increases by 4–5 cm in diameter.
The planting substrate should be loose and nutritious. You can use the usual mixtures for indoor flowering plants, they are mixed with crushed wood ash.
Reproduction of Filipino violets at home
You can get a new barleria bush using vegetative propagation or by planting seeds.
Under natural conditions of growth, the plant reproduces successfully through its seeds. But in this case, the barleria will have flowers only for 2-3 years of life. After flowering, pods with seeds ripen, which must be collected before they are fully ripe, since the capsule will dry out and open, and the seeds will scatter and can get into neighboring pots, where their life will begin. They germinate well and are planted in ordinary pots with a substrate for flowering indoor plants. Seeds are sown with the arrival of spring in loose soil (you can take peat-sandy soil). A container with crops is placed under glass or plastic wrap (this will create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse). The germination temperature is maintained within 18–20 degrees.
The appearance of the first shoots can be expected after 2 weeks. As soon as the seedlings are strong enough, and a couple of leaves appear on them, then picking (planting) is carried out in separate pots with a diameter of 6-7 cm. When the barleria grows larger, then another transplant into a large container is carried out by the transshipment method. The substrate is used the same as for adult specimens and regular pinching of the tops of the stems is performed - this will make it possible to start branching.
With the help of cuttings, reproduction is also carried out in the spring. The cut branches should be at least 8-10 cm in length (you can use the remnants of the shoots after pruning). They root perfectly even without the use of a root stimulant. The cuttings are planted in moistened river sand, then wrapped in a plastic bag or by placing branches under a glass vessel. Instead of sand, some growers use light loamy soil. As soon as the plant takes root and begins to show signs of growth, they are transferred to large pots with a suitable substrate. Young Barlerias grow very actively and flowers may appear in the first year of their life.
If you take cuttings in the summer, then the Philippine violet will bloom much earlier than plants grown from seeds.
Difficulties in cultivating barleria
Spider mites, scale insects, or whiteflies can harm Philippine violets. Pests can be detected by the following symptoms:
- leaves on the plant begin to turn yellow, deform and subsequently fly around;
- barleria slows down its growth;
- on the leaves on the reverse side, shiny specks of brown color or dots of whitish color are visible;
- many leaves and stems begin to envelop a white, almost imperceptible cobweb;
- leaf plates and shoots are covered with a sugary sticky substance (pest secretions);
- there are many small whitish midges on the plant, which, if you touch the leaves of the bush, rise above it.
If the above symptoms are present, then it will be necessary to treat with solutions based on soap or oil, and also use alcoholic tinctures (for example, calendula). Pests are removed by hand, with cotton wool dipped in a solution. In case of severe damage, you will have to spray the barleria with a systemic insecticide.
According to the growers, the plant is resistant and often remains healthy by being near already infested flowers.
When the lighting in the room is weak, then the flowering of the Philippine violets stops, and the foliage becomes smaller and the distances between the nodes are extended. In the case of constant abundant watering, the root system may begin to rot and an immediate Barleria transplant will be required.
Interesting facts about Barleria
The plant is considered medicinal, but most of all used in folk medicine is a variety of wolf Barleria. On its basis, many balms are made that are popular in Thailand and China. For example, the composition "Thai Green" is used to treat colds, soothe the skin after abrasions and bruises, and also treat insect bites. Since in its parts the plant has substances that serve as a powerful antioxidant, which quickly copes with burns, helps to cure chickenpox and the consequences of shingles. If you use such a balm for inhalation, then tension in the body and meteorological dependence decrease, a person can easily resist bacterial and viral infections (this includes herpes and flu).
Types of barleria
- Barleria cristata (Barleria cristata). It is a shrub with upright dense shoots, the height reaches 90–120 cm with a total width of 45–70 cm. The stems are covered with thorns and villi. The leaf plates are distinguished by elongated elliptical shapes with a color of medium or bright green. Their length is measured 10 cm. In the leaf axils, a small stalked spike-shaped inflorescence appears, which is made up of flowers with a light violet-blue, pinkish or white color. The flowering process takes place in the summer.
- Barleria creeping (Barleria repens). A small shrub with creeping shoots. The leaf plates are placed rather densely, bushy. They are painted in a dark green tone. Flower petals have a red or purple color scheme. The buds last only one day, however, due to the many stems, the plant constantly looks decorated with flowers from spring to November.
- Barleria trap (Barleria prionitis). A shrub that is small in size and has bright yellow flowers that stay on the plant for only one day. The flowering process will last for almost a whole year. The number of flowers is large.
- Barleria lanceolata (Barleria lanceolata) is a perennial with a shrub growth. Shoots reach a height of 80 cm. The native habitat is the territory of Namibia. The leaf plates on the stems are opposite, according to the name, have a lanceolate shape and are colored in light greenish tones. The flower petals are bright yellow.
- Barleria wolf (Barleria lupulina) is a shrub with straight, densely spaced stems, which can reach 60 cm in height and 40–60 cm in width. The shape of the stems is slightly flattened, they are covered with thorns. The lanceolate leaf plate with a pronounced narrowing, the color is bright green, it reaches 10 cm in length. There is a vein in the center of the leaf, shaded with a pink or red color scheme. The flowering process begins in the summer. Spikelet-shaped inflorescences are formed on the terminal stems. Their length is 4–8 cm, and they have oval bracts. The color of the petals of the buds is yellow.
- Blunt Barleria (Barleria obtusa). The plant, reaching a height of 80 cm, has a long life cycle, and multiple stems are very densely located, so that the shape of the shrub becomes rounded. The leaf plates are elliptical, green in color and have a solid edge. At the edges, they are slightly raised, the entire surface is covered with small translucent hairs. The flower petals are cast in a bluish-purple tone, their diameter reaches 2–3 cm. Inflorescences located at the ends of the stems are collected from the buds. Fruit-capsules lignify by the time of full ripening.
- Barleria donkey (Barleria oenotheroides) is a shrub of medium size, its height indicators reach 120 cm. Looks very gentle. The leaf plate has broad-lanceolate outlines and depressed veins, which are placed parallel to each other. The color of the leaves is dark green, the arrangement is opposite in pairs. The growing inflorescence has the shape of an ear with thorny bracts, tubular flowers with petals, casting a golden-yellow color scheme.
- Barleria gray-leaved (Barleria gray). It is a large-sized plant with a shrub growth. Possesses beautiful white tubular flowers. The flowering process stretches from early autumn to mid-winter. It differs from other varieties in leafy plates of a grayish-green color and a velvety surface to the touch due to the hairs covering it.
- Barleria bristly (Barleria strigosa). A semi-shrub plant with height indicators reaching 80 cm. It has stems of cylindrical outlines, painted in a brown tone, with rough grooves on the surface. The leaf petiole measures 0.7–2.5 cm in length, also furrowed with a brownish-yellow tinge. The shape of the leaf blade is ovoid or elliptical. Sizes in length vary in the range of 5, 5–15 cm with a width of up to 2, 2–5, 5 cm. At the base, the leaf shape changes to wedge-shaped and seems to run into a petiole, while the tip of the leaf is pointed. Inflorescences can be located, as in the leaf axils, or be finite. The form of the inflorescence group is in the form of a dense spikelet, its length reaches 5 cm. The lobes of the calyx located on the outside are ovoid with a purple color. Those inside are cast in a yellowish brown color scheme. The corolla of the bud is purple-red, reaching 5–6 cm in length. At the base, the tube of the bud becomes cylindrical (its length is 3.7 cm). Matured capsules with the shape of an ellipse, measuring 1, 4–1, 8 cm in length and up to 0.5 cm in width. The surface is bare, glossy.
- Barleria elegant (Barleria elegans). A highly decorative plant with evergreen foliage, with a shrub form of growth. Snow-white flowers bloom in the autumn. The shape of the bud is tubular, from which long spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, which are fully formed in November, and bloom by mid-December.
For more about Barleria, see this video:
