Distinctive features of the murraya, recommendations for growing, tips for breeding muraya, methods of struggle that arise in the process of leaving, curious facts, types. Murraya (Murraya) or Muraya belongs to the genus of evergreen representatives of the flora, which have a shrub or tree-like form of growth, attributed to the Rutaceae family. Many murrayas closely resemble plant species included in the genus Citrus. The native area of distribution is in the tropical forests of India, Indochina, as well as the island lands of Java and Sumatra. Scientists claim that there are about eight species of such plants.
Muraya bears its name in honor of the Swedish botanist Johan Andreas Murray (1740-1791), who studied under the famous flora taxonomist Karl Linnaeus and was his closest student and follower, was in active correspondence with him, as many say, was the "apostle" of Linnaeus. Along with the official name of the plant, one can also find the term "Murray", which is more correct from the point of view of etymology.
All murrayas are, as already mentioned, a small tree or shrub that can reach a maximum height of 3–6 meters. When the shoots of the plant are young, they are covered with pubescence, which disappears over time. The branches of the plant are fragile and, when grown in rooms, will subsequently require support. The leaf plates have an odd-pinnate shape, separated by five to seven leaf lobes. Their outlines are elliptical, the surface is leathery, glossy, the color is dark green, there is a pleasant aroma.
When flowering, inflorescences are formed at the tops of the shoots, which are collected from single or grouped flowers. They often have a strong, fragrant aroma. The diameter of the flower at opening is approximately 2 cm. The color of the petals in the buds is white or light cream. The flowering process can take a year and a half. All this is possible due to the amazing property of Murraya - as soon as buds appear and flowering begins, the shoots of the plant stop growing. As soon as the flowering wave subsides, the growth of young branches resumes and their branching begins, it lasts until the formation of new buds at the tops. Therefore, they do not disturb the muraya with pruning, since she is engaged in the "molding" of her crown on her own.
When fruiting, a small berry is formed, which can be eaten. The color of the fruit is red. They resemble hawthorn berries in appearance. Ripening is extended up to four months. It is interesting that on the plant at the same time you can see not only buds and opened flowers, but also ripe fruit. Scientists have proven that murraya berries help a surge of strength and revitalize vital energy.
The growth of this evergreen plant is due to the root system, when it completely fills the provided capacity, then the growth rate in the upper part of the shoots is quite high - several centimeters per day.
Recommendations for indoor cultivation of murraya, care
- Lighting and selection of a place for a pot. Most of all, this plant likes bright, but diffused lighting. Therefore, the place should be chosen in rooms with an east or west orientation. In the southern location of the murray it will be hot and sunburn of the leaves is possible - shading will be required, on the northern windowsill it will be necessary to illuminate with phytolamps.
- Content temperature. It is recommended to maintain heat indicators in the range of 20-25 degrees in the warm months of the year, but when autumn comes, they are slightly lowered to 16-17 units.
- Air humidity. The plant really needs high humidity and loves everything related to water procedures - spraying the foliage crown, wiping the leaves with a damp sponge, “shower” washes. Once a week, you can rinse the murray leaves under the shower with warm water, and spray the foliage daily. You can put a pot with a plant in a tray with expanded clay and water, just so that there is a little of it, and it does not touch the bottom of the flowerpot.
- Watering murayi. The plant is very fond of any contact with water, so watering should be abundant. In spring and summer, watering is carried out in such a way that the soil is always slightly moist (but not swampy), and with the arrival of autumn and all winter months (with a decrease in heat), watering should be slightly reduced. Important to remember! If the substrate dries out too much, the root system will quickly die. For irrigation, use only soft and well-settled water at room temperature.
- Fertilizers. When the plant begins to intensify its growth, it is recommended to apply top dressing from March to September. According to the advice of flower growers, you need to use complex fertilizers with a frequency of once every 2 weeks. Murraya also responds to organic feeding. Alternate mineral and organic products.
- Transplanting and soil selection. If the plant is still young, then it is transplanted annually in the spring months; over time, such operations are carried out only once every 2-3 years. The pot is taken 5 cm larger than the old one. A layer of drainage material is laid at the bottom. When transplanting, the root collar must remain at the same level of deepening, otherwise growth will stop, and flowering and fruiting cannot be expected. The substrate is made up of store soil and ordinary earth, peat and river sand are also added there.
How to propagate muraya on your own?
To get a plant with miraculous fruits, it is recommended to carry out cuttings and sowing seeds.
They are engaged in cuttings with the arrival of spring (in March). Blanks for cuttings are cut from the apical shoots. It is recommended to cut part of the sheet plates in half so that moisture does not evaporate from them so much. Cuttings are planted in pots filled with peat-sandy substrate (equal parts). Some growers replace peat with leafy or humus soil. You can also wait for the rooting of the cuttings in a peat tablet (which will then make it easier to transplant into a pot), in perlite, or put a twig in a vessel with water (a little root formation stimulant is often dissolved there).
The planted stalk is covered with a glass jar or a cut plastic bottle (you can simply wrap it in a plastic bag). In this case, daily spraying and moistening of the soil will be required if it has dried out a little. The temperature during germination is maintained in the region of 26-30 degrees. The rooting site should be light, but free from direct sunlight.
After rooting has passed (new leaves will develop on the cutting), you can transplant into a new container with drainage at the bottom and a more suitable substrate.
When sowing seed material, the time can be any (since the germination period is quite long), but it is preferable immediately after collection. Before sowing the seeds, it is recommended to soak them for a couple of hours in warm water. The seeds are placed in a pot filled with peat-sandy soil or in a peat tablet.
Seeds should be spread out on the surface of the substrate and sprinkled with a layer of 0.5–1 cm. The container with crops should be covered with a piece of glass or a plastic bag. The greenhouse must be ventilated every day to remove condensation. Bottom heating of the soil is recommended - about 26-30 degrees. The seed container is placed in a well-lit place, devoid of direct rays. It is important that the soil in the pot is always moist, but not waterlogged. Moistening is carried out by means of a spray (spray gun) so that the topsoil is not washed out.
Seed germination period is 30–40 days. When 2-3 full-fledged leaf blades unfold on the seedlings, then a pick is carried out on individual peas with a diameter of 7 cm. If the sowing was carried out immediately in separate containers, then the subsequent transplant is not needed.
Diseases and pests of murray when grown indoors
Of the problems that accompany the cultivation of muraya at home, one can single out:
- sunburn of leaves if the plant is in direct sunlight at noon;
- the fall of buds and flowers, as well as the drying out of the tips of the leaf plates, occurs at low humidity in the room;
- if the leaves began to turn yellow, then the plant probably lacks trace elements in the soil or alkalization of the substrate has occurred.
With such violations of the conditions of detention, the murray can be affected by a spider mite, scabbard or whitefly. The appearance of pests is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- black dots on the back of the leaf and a thin cobweb covering the leaves and internodes;
- dark brown plaques on the back of the leaf plate and a sugary sticky bloom (waste product - pad);
- whitish dots on the leaves on the back and the appearance of small whitish midges.
It is recommended for such manifestations to carry out the treatment with a soap, oil or alcohol solution of leaves and stems of Murraya, and if such sparing agents do not help too much, then spray the liana with insecticidal and acaricidal preparations. The operation is repeated with a week break, until the complete disappearance of pests and their waste products.
Curious facts about murray
Since the leaves and berries have a pleasant aroma, in the countries of natural growth (India and Sri Lanka), it is customary not only to eat them, but also to add them to vegetable dishes and meat. They also like to fry the foliage in oil and then use it to prepare other food. It is customary to add it dried as a powder to curry, although this is not required.
Also, for a long time, paniculata marraya is known to folk healers, who prescribe to take its fruits to lower blood pressure. The berries are known to have tonic properties. There are legends that say that they were loved by the great commander Alexander the Great. If you prepare a decoction from the leaves of the plant, then you can heal a cold by gargling it or just chewing the foliage.
When there are long non-healing ulcerative formations on the oral mucosa, it is recommended to chew a couple of leaf plates of Murraya paniculata and apply the resulting substance to the affected area, after which the ulcer will quickly scar.
Even in ancient Egypt, it was customary to prepare a medicinal drink from the leaves, flowers and berries of a plant, which bears the name "elixir of life", and the secret of its manufacture has not reached us. In Japan, muraya was grown only in palace gardens; ordinary people were forbidden to cultivate these plants on pain of death. It is believed that the aroma that is formed during flowering has a beneficial effect on the work of the heart, and also helps to activate breathing and normalize sleep.
Even today, it is customary to use Murraya foliage as an analgesic, it helps meteo-dependent people and serves as the prevention of diseases of the throat, thyroid and pancreas, and diabetes mellitus.
Description of the types of murraya
- Murraya paniculata the most common type in indoor floriculture. It is often referred to as "Orange Jasmine", "Japanese Myrtle" or "Mogra". The native area of growth falls on the territory of South and Southeast Asia, settling in humid forests. It is an evergreen plant that can approach 0.7–1.5 meters in height, but in nature its height is about 5–7 meters. Typically, leaf plates are pinnate and leaf lobes sit on petioles in succession, 3–9 leaflets can form. Each such share of an oval leaf, with a leathery surface, narrows at the top. The length of the leaf is 4–5 cm. When flowering, snow-white flowers with a strong aroma are formed. The diameter at full disclosure is 1.5 cm. From the buds, corymbose inflorescences are collected. The corolla of the bud has five petals, with a fold back at the top. The length of each petal is 12–18 mm. When the flower changes color, its color will change to cream. There is a strong aroma reminiscent of jasmine, but does not lead to headaches. The fruits of this species are berries of a red-orange color, with a diameter of up to 2-3 cm, the shape is oval. Food grade, with edible pericarp. The berries stay on the plant for quite a long time and do not fly around. They have the property of toning.
- Murraya koenigii often referred to as the "curry tree" because it is native to India and Sri Lanka, and also "karivepala" in Tamil, which is short for curry. Its stems reach 3–6 meters in height. The leaf plates are complex-pinnate, but more elongated in outline than in the paniculate species. The leaflets are arranged in pairs of 11–20 pairs along the petiole. The shape of the leaf lobes is lanceolate, with a pointed apex, the edge is crenate. During flowering, small light cream or whitish flowers are formed, which are collected in multi-flowered corymbose inflorescences. The flowers have a rather strong but pleasant aroma. The fruits ripen in small sizes, the berries, when fully ripe, become dark blue or black in color. The fruits can be eaten, but the seeds are poisonous.
- Winged Murraya (Murraya alata) is a shrub with a height of 1–2 m. Branches are yellowish-gray to grayish-white. Leaves 5-9 divided. The petioles are short or the leaves are practically sessile. The shape of the leaves is inversely elliptical, the parameters of the plate are 1–3x0, 6–1, 5 cm. The edge is integral or cornerstone, the apex is rounded or occasionally obtuse. Inflorescences are corymbose, axillary. Corolla is 5-dimensional. White petals with parameters 10-15x3-5 mm. There are 10 stamens. The flowering process is in May-June, and the berries ripen in October-December. The color of the fruit is cinnabar, the shape is ovoid to spherical, reaching 1 cm in diameter. There can be 2–4 seeds. He prefers to settle in sandy areas near the sea in Vietnam, and on the territory of Beihai and Leizhou Bandao.
- Murraya crenulata has a tree-like shape, but small in size. Branches and leaves with a bare surface. Leaves divided into 7–11 leaf lobes. Their shape is oval-elliptical, the parameters are 5-6x2-3 cm. At the base they are obtuse and slightly oblique, the apex is pointed. The flowers are 5-dimensional. The outlines of the petals are oblong, about 6 mm. 10 stamens. Fruits from broadly ovate to elongated, approximately 6 mm. The native area of growth falls on the lands of Taiwan, Indonesia, New Guinea and the Philippines.
- Murraya tetramera is a tree that reaches a height of 3-7 meters. Leaves, divided into 5-11 leaflets. Their petioles are 2–4 mm long. The outlines of the leaf lobes are lanceolate, the parameters in length and width are 2–5x0, 8–2 cm. The color is dark brown-black, when they dry, the tops are pointed. The corolla of the flower is 4-dimensional. Sepals are ovoid, less than 1 mm, joined at the base. The petals are oblong, white, with a length of 4–5 mm. Stamens 4 pairs. The fruit is spherical, with a red tint. The size of the diameter is 1–1, 2 cm. Seeds inside are 1–3 units. The native growing areas are the limestone mountains of Bose and Debao, Yunnan.
More about growing muraya at home in the following video:
