Characteristic features of the microorum: the etymology of the name, advice on care, breeding rules, pests and diseases, interesting facts, species. Microsorum (Microsorum) is a genus of plants classified in the family Polypodiaceae and takes a life form - fern. These representatives are most common in Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Australian continent, microsorums are not uncommon on the Pacific Islands, there are up to 20 species of them, and the rest of the "inhabitants" of Africa and New Zealand. That is, they like to settle in warm, humid tropical forests, but some of the species can exist in cooler conditions.
These plants bear their generic name because of the translation of the word microsorum, which means "little sorus", that is, it completely describes the structure of the organs of regeneration (asexual reproduction), which all ferns possess - namely, soruses located on the back of the leaf.
Almost all microorums grow on the soil surface or settle on branches and are attached by roots to tree trunks, that is, they lead an epiphytic lifestyle. However, there are also species that are lithophytes, that is, they prefer rocky crevices to the soil surface. Most of all, these ferns are a favorite place for areas near waterways or waterfalls, but some species can grow completely submerged in the aquatic environment.
The appearance of microorums is striking in its diversity. These are mainly perennials with a herbaceous form of life, with creeping or ascending rhizomes, with long or short sizes. Their surface is covered with scales, and there are also adventitious roots buried in the substrate. The leaves of fern representatives are called vayas. They originate from the rhizomes straight up and reach in height from several centimeters to meter sizes. Petioles of leaf plates may be deprived, but there are varieties in which they are pronounced. The surface of the wai is solid, the outlines are lobed or with a deep dissection (usually 3-5 lobes).
Leaves usually perform two of the most important functions in a fern - they are involved in the process of photosynthesis and spores are distributed on them. When the leaf is young, its shape resembles a snail, which unfolds over time. The surface of the wai is hard, glossy and uneven. The edge of the leaf with a slight waviness, there are species in which the texture is quite colorful - due to the protruding parts of the surface between the veins, it resembles the skin of a crocodile or a lizard. Sori (groups of sporangia) are located on the reverse side along the central vein, or they may have a chaotic distribution. They are in the process of maturation of spores.
The life cycle of ferns (including microorus) is very different from the life cycles of flowering plants. Here there is an alternation of asexual and sexual generations, which are called sporophyte and gametophyte, respectively, but the former with a great predominance. After the sporangia open up, the spores spill out onto the soil surface and begin to germinate. In this case, a small plant is formed - an outgrowth, or as it is also called a gametophyte. Its appearance is quite different from the usual fern. The gametophyte is the site of the formation of gametes - these are sperm and eggs. Usually, their fertilization should take place in an aquatic environment, and then a new plant, a sporophyte, starts from the resulting embryo. However, despite this, microsorums are able to reproduce through parts of rhizomes. And the old leaf plates of some of the species have the ability to form small children (daughter plants).
Rules for the care of microorum in indoor conditions
- Lighting. For a fern, a bright, but diffused level of lighting is suitable. You can put a pot with microorum on the windowsills of the windows "looking" to the east or west, in the south you need shading.
- Content temperature. Heat values for a fern should be in the range of 20-28 degrees year-round, but in winter it is important to ensure that the root system does not overcool.
- Air humidity. It will be more comfortable for the microorum if the moisture readings are increased, and many varieties require terrarium conditions when cultivating. To reduce dryness in the room, the pot with the fern itself is placed on a deep tray, where a layer of expanded clay or pebbles is poured and a small amount of water is poured. It is important to ensure that the water does not reach the bottom of the pot. Also, in the summer heat, you can spray the leaf plates of the microorum from a spray bottle with warm and soft water.
- Watering. It is important not to overflow or overdry the substrate. In the summer, the frequency of watering is once a week, and with the arrival of winter, moisture is reduced to once for 10 days. The water is soft.
- Fertilizers. During the growth period, once every 2-3 weeks, fertilizing is carried out with a mineral preparation (the dose is reduced by 2 times) or a special fertilizer for ferns. You can use organic matter.
- Transplant and soil. Since the microorum's root system does not differ in its large size, the fern is rarely transplanted, as it fills the volume of the pot - about once every 2-3 years. The time is selected at the end of February or at the very beginning of spring. The plant is planted at the same depth at which it grew. It is better to transplant by transshipment without destroying the earthen lump. The pots are wide and low. Drainage holes are made in the bottom, and a layer of drainage material (1–2 cm) is placed in the pot itself in front of the substrate.
The soil can be taken from the store, intended for ferns, with good looseness and air permeability. You can mix the soil mixture yourself from leaf and garden soil, peat and river sand, in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1. A little chopped sphagnum moss and crushed charcoal are also introduced there.
How to multiply microorum with your own hands?
The easiest way is the reproduction of this fern representative by planting parts of the rhizome, and the reproduction operation is combined with a transplant so as not to injure the plant once again. The microsorum is removed from the pot, the rhizome is divided with a sharpened knife and the cut is allowed to dry out a little. After it is sprinkled with a powder of crushed activated or charcoal. The planting of the plots is carried out in pre-prepared pots with a substrate, while the neck is not deepened. At first, the planted plants must be kept in shade, covered with a plastic bag for adaptation.
Reproduction by spores is usually difficult. For this, it is recommended to use a mini-greenhouse with bottom heating of the soil. The spores are collected from the wai and put in a bag to dry. Then you need to lay a brick in a plastic container and distribute moistened peat on its surface. Water is poured into the container to a height of about 5 cm. Spores are poured onto the top of the substrate, and the container itself is wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with a plastic transparent lid. The water level must remain constant at all times, the container is placed in a shaded place. After several months, green moss will grow on the peat surface, and then leaves will appear. The deposition of young microorums is carried out when they reach a height of 5 cm.
Diseases and pests when growing macroorum, difficulties in leaving
Spider mites and mealybugs are isolated from pests. If harmful insects or products of their vital activity are detected, it is required to treat the leaves with insecticides.
The following problems are distinguished when growing microorum:
- when the earthen coma dries up, the tips of the wai dry out;
- if the lighting is intense, then the foliage turns yellow;
- when the plant is constantly in direct sunlight, then it stops growing;
- at low air humidity, sheet plates dry out;
- if the fertilization of the microorum is carried out incorrectly, then the color wai loses its saturation and becomes pale, and the leaves themselves become lethargic;
- in low light, fern growth is very slow.
Interesting facts about the macroorum flower
For the first time microorum was described in the 30s of the XIX century. Today, after DNA research, the genus of these ferns is polyphyletic, that is, all the species that are attributed to it descended from different ancestors, and because of this, it is necessary to change the classification.
Macroorum fern species
- Microsorum punctatum has a creeping rhizome with a short size. Leaf blades have narrow elliptical outlines and a hard surface, petioles are short in size. Curtains are formed from the leaves, reaching a height of 30 cm, and in appearance they resemble sorrel.
- Banana microsorum (Microsorum musifolium) a variety that is not very popular among gardeners. It is often found under the name Polypodium musifolium. The native habitat is in the Malay Archipelago. For the first time, the scientific world met him in 1929. The color of the creeping rhizome is dark brown. Its location is slightly below the soil surface. Over time, the plant begins to form frond leaves, which reach a height of up to one meter, they are devoid of petioles. On the rhizomes, the arrangement of the leaves is rather dense, which creates a leaf rosette into which organic debris is collected. On the leaf surface, mesh veins are clearly visible, due to which the foliage resembles crocodile skin - this is due to the strongly protruding central vein and branched lateral ones. With age, the pattern becomes more and more distinct. But some people compare the leaves with banana leaves, which is why the specific name comes from. The color of wai is light green, the shape is belt-like. The edge of the leaf is uneven, the surface is wavy, between the veins it is convex, which resembles the skin of a lizard or crocodile. Spore-bearing and sterile fronds do not differ in shape, sori with a cream or brown color, rounded, their number is large, they are densely scattered on the back of the leaf between the veins.
- Microsorum diversifolium sometimes found under the name Bladder microsorum. Similar to parts of New Zealand and the Australian continent. The leaf plates are quite rich in color; they are divided into segments, the number of which varies from 3 to 5 units. The surface of the leaf is wavy, the shape is oval. When you touch the foliage, a pleasant aroma is well felt.
- Pterygoid microsorum (Microsorum pteropus). This plant has gained a lot of popularity among aquarists in recent years. Often, the pterygoid species is usually placed in aquariums and paludariums intended for the cultivation of ferns. It is used to decorate the contents of aquariums, or rather, it is planted in the sand in the background or in the middle.
- Microsorum scolopendria is also a recently popular variety. Today this plant is usually referred to the Phymatodes scolopendra family. The reason for this was the shape of the wai themselves (leaf plates) and of the entire plant species, which very much resembled nephrolepsis, and not a representative of the genus microorum.
- Microsorum howense found only on the territory of Lord Howe Island. The most common habitat is a shaded forest surface. The fern begins its growth from the ground or can settle on plants as an epiphyte or as a lithophyte on rocks. Often seen on rotting tree stumps or moss-covered rocks. The leaf plate is divided into many segments (on average, 10-15 lobes). The leaf lobes have elongated lanceolate outlines, the color is rich green. Sporangia are clearly visible on the edge of each of the lobes.
- Microsorum pustulatum widespread in New Zealand, as well as in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, on the lands of the Australian continent. Often the local population calls this species "kangaroo fern" or "dog tongue". All this is associated with leaf plates, divided into separate lobes. Each of these lobes has a green color, on which a net of dark green color is visible.
- Microsorum insigne has a rhizome with parameters 2–11 mm in diameter, its shape is flattened or cylindrical, waxy, but not white. It adheres closely to the substrate. The leaf plate is simple or pinnate, simple - narrowly ovate or narrowly obovate, with parameters 2.5–65 x 0.5–6.5 cm. The color is herbaceous, the surface is smooth. Plates of dismembered lobes with dimensions of 8-110x3-55 cm. There are blades in the range of 1-14 units. Veins appear on the surface, simple or with bifurcations. The plant grows on rocks (epilitic) or epiphytic, in primary or secondary forests, near streams or waterfalls, can be located in the undergrowth of shrubs or on rocky surfaces and shaded areas, in rather humid places. Growing height 600-800 meters above sea level. Basically, the growing areas fall on the lands of China, Nepal, the Philippines, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, Vietnam.
- Microsorum membranaceum it is distinguished by a creeping and thick rhizome with a diameter of 3–10 mm, it can be flattened or cylindrical, waxy, but not white. The petiole is 15 cm long and 3–5 mm in diameter. The leaf plate is simple, ovoid to elliptical or narrowly linear. Their parameters are measured in length 25–110 cm with a width of up to 5–15 cm. Membrane sheet, narrow-sized base, pointed tip. On the surface, the veins are prominent and distinct. A plant growing on inclined rock surfaces, occasionally epiphytic or terrestrial. Found in evergreen or deciduous deciduous tropical or subtropical forests, often in valleys or ravines, at an altitude of 500-2600 meters above sea level. The territories of distribution fall on the lands of Bhutan, India, Kashmir, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam or Thailand.
- Microsorum steerei. The rhizome has a cylindrical shape, it has a diameter of 3-5 mm, often white waxy, covered with scales. The leaf plate is narrowly elliptical, narrowly obovate to linear, simple. The parameters can vary within 10–40x1, 5–5 cm. At the base, the lite is narrowed, at the apex it is sharpened. Veins - obvious on the surface and indistinct, or obvious, but quite distinct. Sporangia are mostly irregularly distributed, sometimes they form 2–8 rows between the veins, their shape is round, they are superficial or slightly submerged into the surface. The species prefers to settle on limestone rocks in low-lying forests at an altitude of 300-1000 meters above sea level. The native area of distribution is Taiwan.
