General features of a plant, places of natural growth, rules for the cultivation of neomortonia indoors, reproduction, difficulties and ways of solving them, types. Neomortonia (Neomortonia) belongs to botanists to the genus, which is part of the extensive Gesneriaceae family. It also includes only three varieties of perennial plants, which are epiphytes (representatives of the flora growing on the trunks or branches of trees) or lithophytes (settling on the surface of rocky slopes or rock formations). All neomortonia have a herbaceous life form and are most commonly found in their natural environment in Central America or western Colombia, as well as in Ecuador, Mexico and Costa Rica. They prefer to grow in forests located in the mountains or on the plains, where these plants choose places on moist and shady rocks or the trunks of tall trees. If the climate is temperate, then neomortonia is grown as an indoor or greenhouse ornamental crop.
The genus Neomertonium got its Latin name due to the combination of the Greek words "neos", which means "new" and "Morton" - the names of the famous American botanist Conrad Vernon Morton, who lived in 1905-1972.
So, all varieties of neomortonia are herbaceous or semi-shrub plants, mainly "settling" on the trunks or branches of trees. The stems are weak, clinging and creeping, which is why this representative of the flora can be used for growing in rooms as an ampel culture. The total diameter of the shoots is 2–3 mm, the branches also have dense branching.
The leaf plates are arranged on the stems in an opposite order, or they can be assembled in three pieces in whorls. The shape of the leaves and their size in some specimens have the same parameters (that is, there is an isophyllia). The surface of the leaf plate is leathery, it can be smooth or slightly pubescent. The leaf petioles are small in size, mainly the contours of the foliage take on an ovoid or elliptical appearance (they resemble small coins, which is why the name of one of the species - Neomortonia nummulatia), along the edge there is serration.
During flowering, which is quite long in neomortonia (takes the period from April to November), single buds are formed, located in the leaf axils. The flowers hang obliquely from the calyx. Sepals are located freely, their edge is solid or with a small fine serration, green color. Also, in flowers, the corolla is divided into two types:
- snow-white in color, funnel-shaped in the form of a tube formed by five lobes with a bend at the top, these blades are widely spaced, cilia run along the edge;
- the color of the corolla is reddish, there is a strong swelling, sagging from the bottom, the pharynx is very narrowed (resembles an unequal pouch in shape).
Often, the color of the corolla can vary from whitish-lilac to bright red, scarlet. There are two pairs of stamens, their length is equal, they have a peculiarity to grow together and form a short tube around the ovary. Anthers are also characterized by splicing and open along grooves along their surface. The nectar glands are whitish, located on the dorsal side of the corolla tube of the bud. The ovary is placed at the top, the pistil is spherical.
After pollination (usually done by bees), oval fruits are formed, which have compression on the sides. The fruit is an orange-colored berry with yellow or brown striped seeds inside.
Indoors, it is customary to grow neomortania in hanging baskets for ampelous plants.
Rules for caring for neomortonia in room conditions
- Lighting and location selection. A place with good lighting, but without direct sunlight, is most suitable for neomortonia. This can be achieved on window sills that face east or west. In the southern location, shading with light curtains or gauze curtains is necessary. If artificial lighting is used in the autumn-winter period (for example, fluorescent or special phytolamps), then the plant will grow year-round.
- Air temperature when growing neomortonia should be in the range of 19-23 degrees, that is, indoor heat indicators are optimal for the plant. During the dormant period, which the plant begins after the end of flowering, the heat indicators are reduced to about 15 degrees.
- Air humidity. Do not spray the deciduous mass of the plant if it is in direct sunlight; spraying is also undesirable if there is pubescence on the leaves. However, in order for neomortonia to feel comfortable, the humidity level must be increased.
- Watering. The plant prefers a moderate moisture content of the substrate, otherwise stagnant water in the pot holder and regular waterlogging of the soil will lead to the release of foliage and buds. When watering, it is necessary to be guided by the condition of the soil in the container. If it has dried out from above (that is, when it is taken in a pinch, it crumbles), then it will be necessary to moisturize. Watering is best done along the edge of the pot in order to avoid moisture droplets getting on the leaf plates, which may have pubescence. Water is used only soft and well-settled. When 5-10 minutes have passed after watering, then the water that is glass in the stand under the pot must be drained, otherwise its stagnation will entail decay of the root system.
- Transfer should be carried out annually using a very loose, nutritious substrate, and at the same time, it should allow air and moisture to pass well to the root system of neomortonia. You can use a soil mixture intended for Saintpaulias, where perlite, chopped sphagnum moss and lime chips are mixed. It is recommended to lay a layer of broken shards or medium fraction of expanded clay on the bottom of the pot. In order to avoid injury to the root system, it is recommended to transplant by the transshipment method - that is, the plant is removed from the old container, but its roots are not cleared of old soil, but in this form are placed in a new pot prepared for planting. The capacity is selected small and not deep, 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. Some growers themselves often make up a substrate for neomortonia on the basis of equal parts of leafy soil (soil from under birches, and a little rotted foliage), humus, peat and river coarse sand.
- Fertilizers it is necessary to bring in for neomortonia during the period of its growth activation - this time falls on the spring and summer months. The regularity should be once every 3-4 weeks. Apply top dressing in liquid form for flowering indoor plants, but the dosage is halved.
- General care. With the arrival of the spring period, neomortonia is recommended to be rejuvenated. This should be done by pruning very elongated stems. The cuttings remaining from this procedure can be used for rooting.
Recommendations for self-propagation of neomortonia
If a florist wants to reproduce a plant with such beautiful and delicate flowers on his own, then he needs to wait for spring time. Then, by planting cuttings or sowing seed material, you can get young neomortonia.
For grafting, ripe stem cuttings are used, which are cut with the arrival of spring. The length of the cutting should be within 8-10 cm. It is recommended to remove the lower leaves and plant the blanks in pots filled with moistened sand or peat-sand soil mixture. For greater decorativeness, several cuttings are placed in one container. For early rooting, you can cover the planted branches with a plastic bag or glass jar. Then it is necessary at the same time not to forget about the daily airing of the cuttings. Also, you need to moisten the soil in the pot as it dries, but complete drying of the soil is not desirable.
You can wait for the formation of roots in the cuttings by placing them in a vessel with water. When the roots reach a length of 2-3 cm, the workpieces are planted in pots filled with substrate.
When sowing seeds, any loose substrate (sand, peat with sand in equal proportions or perlite with peat) is poured into a bowl, you can also mix sheet soil there. Seeds are usually spread on the surface of the soil mixture without covering. It is better when the soil temperature is about 22 degrees during germination. The seed pot is covered with a piece of glass or plastic wrap. At the same time, it is important not to forget about daily ventilation and if the soil is dry, then about moisture.
When the seedlings hatch and grow a little, that is, when a pair of young real leaves are formed, you can pick in separate containers. It is necessary to plant young neomortonia in one pot at a distance of 2 cm from each other. The substrate is used the same as when planting seeds. After the expiration of 1–2 months, another transplant is carried out, but here the distance between the seedlings is doubled. At the same time, it is important to regularly moisten the soil in the pot and not place the plants in direct sunlight. The temperature is maintained at about 20 degrees.
When the next transplant is carried out, the size of the pot should not be more than 5-7 cm. The soil is taken the same as for adult specimens. It is better to transplant by the transshipment method - that is, the root system is not freed from the soil so that the root processes are not injured.
Diseases and pests affecting neomortonia in indoor cultivation
Most often, the plant can suffer due to violations of the above growing rules, among which are:
- prolonged waterlogging of the soil in the pot and frequent bays, stagnant water in the pot holder. Because of this, there is a massive discharge of foliage and buds;
- if the lighting is insufficient, then neomortonia does not bloom, its leaf plates become pale and sparsely located, as there is an ugly lengthening of the stems.
Of the pests that can annoy neomortonia, there are:
- a spider mite, while a thin cobweb can be seen on the stems and leaves, the leaf plates become severely deformed over time, lose their color, turn yellow and fly around;
- thrips, yellowish-brown dots are visible on the back of the leaves and the reverse side is covered with a sticky sugary bloom, which is called padya (waste products of the parasite);
- whitefly, which manifests itself as whitish dots on the dorsal side of the leaf, if measures are not taken, then a large number of white small midges will soon form, the foliage will begin to dry out and fly around;
- a mealybug is determined by the formation of cotton-like lumps on the back of the leaf plate and in the internodes of a whitish color and the release of honeydew.
All of these pests can lead to plant death if not removed. Wiping the foliage with soap, oil or alcohol solutions is used, and then you can spray the leaf mass with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations. Moreover, the treatment is repeated with an interval of 3-5 days until all pests are destroyed.
Facts to note about neomortonia
It is important to draw the attention of gardeners to the fact that during the period when neomortania begins a dormant time (usually after the end of flowering), almost all the foliage can fly around and this should not be an alarming symptom. As the plant begins to grow, new leaves are formed, and the flowering process will also be abundant and lengthy.
A little earlier, all neomortonia were attributed to Nemotantus (due to the similarity of external outlines), as well as to Hypocyrte and the genus Episcieae. But in 1975 the species of Neomortonia, which completely sounds like Neomortonia Wierhler, was separated into a separate and independent genus.
Types of neomortonia
As mentioned earlier, there are only three varieties in the genus:
- Neomortania alba (Neomortonia alba);
- Neomortania monetary (Neomortonia nummularia);
- Neomortania pink (Neomortonia resea).
The last two can be found most often in the flower collections of indoor flora lovers. Let's take a closer look at these representatives.
- Neomortania monetary (Neomortonia nummularia). Previously, this plant was attributed to the genus Hypocyrta. It is thanks to the outlines of its leaf plates, which resembled almost round dense coins, that this variety got its specific name. In diameter, the size of the leaf varies from 2 to 6 cm. The color of the leaves is saturated, green. They resemble real oriental beads (monisto), located on thin stems, like on threads, of a reddish-brown color. The foliage surface is velvety, slightly pubescent. Because of these stems, which usually hang down and have creeping contours, it is customary to grow neomortonia as an ampelous crop. The diameter of the stems can vary from 1–3 mm, there is often a slight pubescence. Flowers of this species do not differ in large size, they have a tubular shape of bright red or scarlet color. The limb of the petal lobes is light yellow or greenish, and in the fauces the color is very dark. The corolla often has a spotted pattern of small yellow sizes. There is an original sag in the lower part of the corolla, which is why the flower resembles an original pouch. The bud petals themselves are compressed into a rather narrow short tube, and resemble miniature sponges. This gives the plant a unique decorative effect. The buds are located in the leaf axils, usually singly. The flower size is 1.5–2 cm.
- Neomortania pink (Neomortonia resea) differs from the previous species in flowers of larger sizes, which are also singly located in the leaf axils. The corolla is white with a mauve shade. The petals in the bud are dissected, with a slight bend back, the corolla has a bell-shaped, five-petal division, resembling a star in shape. There is a thick, elongated fringe along the edge of the petal lobes, reminiscent of beautiful cilia. The petals at the apex of the corolla have a strong narrowing, forming a deep neck. Its color is yellow, inside there is a pattern of darker yellowish brown dots. The leaf plates are cast in a rich green color scheme, their shape is oval, and their size is small. The surface of the leaves is shiny and smooth, shiny. Shoots have drooping contours, creeping, can creep along the soil surface, juicy, often with slight pubescence and rather branched. This species is an epiphyte that prefers to settle on the trunks and branches of trees, but it can also be found on stony slopes in humid places (that is, it is also a lithophyte). This natural variety is endemic to Ecuador, that is, the plant no longer grows anywhere on the planet in natural conditions. Morphologically, it is quite close to the species from the genus Episii.
- Neomortonia alba (Neomortonia alba) or Neomortonia white. In indoor culture, it is a rather rare species. It has large flowers of a snow-white color scheme.
