General description of the distinctive features of cryptantus, growing conditions, breeding methods, difficulties and ways to overcome them, facts to note, types. Cryptanthus is a stemless perennial that has been included by botanists in the Bromeliaceae family. The native lands of its growth are in the territory of Eastern Brazil. In the genus, there are up to 25 different species of this specimen of the green world of the planet.
This representative of the flora derives its name from the Greek word "krypto", meaning "to hide" and "anthos", translated as "flower". All this characterizes the location of the flowers of the plant, hiding in the depths of the deciduous rosette, in such a way that it is very problematic to see them. Although, because of the outlines of the foliage, the people usually call this flower "earthen star" or, by analogy with some inhabitants of the seas, "starfish".
All representatives of this genus are stemless with a herbaceous form of growth, their leaf plates form a leaf funnel-shaped rosette with the outlines of a star, lying on the soil surface. The shape of the leaves is xiphoid, the surface is leathery. There are a variety of forms of cryptantus, which differ in the color of the foliage. This includes plants with monochromatic, striped or patterned leaf plates, the colors also vary, including shades of green, red, brown or yellow. It is for this diversity and uniqueness that the "earth star" is valued by flower growers.
When flowering, a flowering stem begins to stretch from the center of the rosette. Like the color of the leaves, depending on the variety, the inflorescence has different outlines: it can be paniculate, capitate, spikelet or racemose. After the flowers fade, the mother rosette (like many representatives of the bromeliad family) dies off, but before that, it gives life to many daughter shoots that form on the sides. In comparison with the effectively painted leaves, the flowers are of no interest, since they are small and do not differ in color. The flower petals are whitish and there can be only three of them. The corolla is bell-shaped, raised upward; from it, elongated filaments with anthers protrude from it. The length of the flower is close to 3 cm, the bracts can be only 1/3 free (further there is splicing).
In cultivation, the "earthen star" is a rather unpretentious plant and can be recommended for growing to beginners in floriculture.
Recommendations for caring for cryptantus at home
- Lighting. These plants feel good at any level of illumination, but the color of the foliage looks brighter in bright light, but the "earth star" should be shaded from the direct rays of the sun. Windows facing east and west are suitable for this plant, shading will be required in the southern direction, and supplementary lighting in the northern direction. In the autumn-winter months, it is imperative to carry out supplementary lighting with the paws of daylight.
- Content temperature cryptantus. For such a plant, in spring and summer, heat indicators should be maintained within the range of 22-24 degrees. With the arrival of autumn, the temperature should be gradually lowered to 20 units. When October-February comes, the "earth star" begins a period of rest, and it is recommended to create conditions in the room under which the thermometer readings will not go beyond 18–20 units. Experienced growers claim that cryptantus is able to endure a decrease even to 15 degrees for a short time without harming itself. But it is important that in any case there are no temperature extremes and the plant is not under the influence of a draft.
- Air humidity when growing "earthen star" should be increased, therefore it is recommended to cultivate cryptantus in a terrarium or humid greenhouse. Everyday spraying or placing a pot with a plant in a tray is required, at the bottom of which a small amount of water is poured and a layer of expanded clay, pebbles or chopped sphagnum moss is poured. At the same time, it is important to monitor that the amount of liquid is such that the bottom of the flowerpot does not touch it. Experts also advise wiping the sheet plates of the cryptantus with a damp sponge - this will help remove the dust accumulated on them. The use of wax-based formulations that impart shine to the leaves is not recommended. If, at low humidity, the tips of the leaves begin to dry out, then they can be carefully cut off, so that a couple of millimeters remain to the living tissue of the leaf.
- Watering the cryptantus. From the beginning of spring until September, it is recommended to moisten the "earthen star" quite abundantly, as the top layer of soil in the flowerpot dries up. In the autumn-winter period, watering is recommended to be carried out in moderation, only after one or two days after the soil layer on top has dried. Since the leaf rosette is rather loose, water is not poured into it (as is done with representatives of the bromeliad family), therefore, conventional moistening is used, directly into the ground. It is important that the water in the sump, which has not been absorbed by the plant, does not stagnate. It is recommended to remove it after 10–20 minutes after watering. Only soft, well-settled water with room temperature is used. When caring for a plant, it is important not to allow both the flooding of the soil and its complete drying.
- Fertilizers for cryptantus. With the arrival of April and until the end of their days, they begin to make top dressing for the "earth star". Regularity of the operation every 14 days. Preparations for bromeliads or other dressings for flower plants are used, in which the level of nitrogen is quite low and there is no calcium at all, the dosage is halved from that indicated by the manufacturer. In winter, the plant should not be fertilized.
- Transplant "earthen star" it is carried out only as necessary, however, if the variety is flowering, then after the withering away of the mother outlet, you will have to change the pot and the soil in it. New containers are used shallow, up to 1/3 of the drainage material from the entire volume of the pot is placed on the bottom.
At the same time, the soil is selected with sufficient looseness and permeability to moisture and air. You can use ready-made compositions for bromeliads or mix such a substrate yourself from leafy and humus soil, chopped pine bark, chopped sphagnum moss, high peat in proportions 1: 0, 5: 3: 1: 1.
It is interesting that such representatives of the flora show their growth well on snags or in "bottle gardens". They can be grown in special flower aquariums.
Steps for self-propagation of cryptantus
To get a new "earth star" sow seeds or propagate the plant by shoots.
The easiest way to carry out the rooting of shoots, which are called "children", appearing on the sides of the leaf outlet. After the mother plant dies after the withering of the flowers, then during this period the cryptantus can be propagated, since renewal buds awaken at its base, giving rise to multiple offspring. After 1, 5–2 months, these “babies” have already formed 3–4 leaves and a small root system. It is recommended to carefully separate such shoots from the parent plant with roots and plant them in pots prepared in advance, filled with chopped sphagnum moss or in a soil mixture based on leafy soil, crushed pine bark and river sand in a ratio of 3: 1: 1. You can use ready-made formulations for bromeliads.
For rooting, the pots are placed in a warm place (at a temperature of about 26-28 degrees), where there is a lot of light, but there is protection from direct sunlight. Above, you need a shelter to create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse - the container is covered with a glass vessel or wrapped in a transparent plastic wrap. Do not forget to remove the bag or vessel for ventilation every day for 10-15 minutes. When young cryptanthuses take root and get stronger, they begin to gradually get accustomed to the conditions of caring for adult plants.
If seed propagation is selected, only freshly harvested material is suitable. Before planting, the seeds are kept in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 24 hours. Then they should be placed in flat containers with a moistened peat-sand substrate, and covered with a plastic bag to increase humidity. Such crops for germination are kept at elevated levels of heat and humidity with sufficient lighting. After 3–10 days, the first shoots may appear, while the seedlings are recommended to be kept in greenhouse conditions for about 14 more days with periodic spraying.
Pest and disease control in cryptantus cultivation
If you do not violate the above rules, then the "earth star" is practically not affected by pests and diseases. It happens that a plant is attacked:
- whiteflies - small whitish midges appear, white specks are visible on the leaves on the back side and the surface of the foliage becomes sticky;
- spider mite - punctures are visible along the edge of the leaves, as if made with a pin, subsequently all the foliage and internodes are covered with a translucent thin cobweb;
- mealybug - on the underside of the leaf plate and in the internodes, white formations are visible, similar to cotton wool lumps, and the leaves can also become sticky to the touch;
- scale - the reverse side of the foliage is covered with small plaques of brownish color.
If the listed symptoms are found, then it is required to immediately carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations. However, with a scabbard, the pest should be cleaned from the foliage, otherwise the preparations do not help, For this, soap, oil or alcohol solutions are used to wipe the leaf plate.
You can also highlight the following problems when growing cryptantus:
- when the leaves are sunburned, a pale brown spot is formed on them;
- in dry air, the tips of the foliage dry out;
- when there is a lack of moisture, the leaf plates become lethargic;
- if the substrate in a pot with cryptantus is often in a waterlogged state, and the root system is hypothermic, temperature fluctuations occur, or the plant has been exposed to a draft, then the decay of parts by an "earthen star" begins.
Interesting facts about cryptantus
Cryptantus is a direct "relative" of the well-known pineapple. However, the "earthen star" differs from the whole abundance of representatives of the bromeliad family in the way of watering. Ehmey, Guzmania and the like, you can pour water directly into a leaf outlet, and if this is done with cryptantus, then its rapid decay will begin.
Types of cryptantus
Stemless Cryptanthus (Cryptanthus acaulis) is a herbaceous perennial. Its stem is short enough or the plant is completely deprived of it. The leaf plates have a narrow-lanceolate shape with a pointed apex. The length of the leaf reaches 20 cm with a width of up to 3 cm. A spreading rosette is assembled from the leaves. A fine sharp jaggedness may be run along the edge of the sheet. The surface on top of the leaf plate is leathery, painted in a green color, scaly is present on the bottom. When flowering, an inflorescence appears, collected from a small number of buds, with bracts with a bare surface of broadly oval outlines. The flowers are small in size, the color of the petals is whitish.
Cryptanthus bivittatus (Cryptanthus bivittatus) has a long life cycle and a herbaceous form. A dense small rosette is assembled from linearly pointed sheet plates. The length of the leaves varies within 7–10 cm, while the rosette of them can reach 15 cm in diameter. The edge of the leaf is decorated with fine serration and waviness. The color is light greenish, on the surface there is a pattern made up of two light longitudinal stripes. The flowering process is quite rare and during it nondescript flowers with whitish color of petals are formed.
Cross-striped Cryptanthus (Cryptanthus zonatus). Herbaceous perennial with a spreading rosette shape. Leaves are leathery, lanceolate, 20 cm long and about 2–3 cm wide. The edges are wavy and thorny, they are green on top, there is a pattern of multiple whitish or yellowish scales, from which transverse stripes are collected. The length of the flower reaches 3 cm, the sepals are spliced more than 3/4 of the entire length. Their shape is keeled, the surface is covered with a few scales. The color of the petals is whitish, they are also less than half free (most of them have grown together), the length of the stamens is slightly less than the petals. From a small number of flowers, a head-shaped inflorescence is collected, complex, it is made up of three-flowered spikelets. The outlines of the inflorescences are leaf-shaped, and the bracts have an oval-lanceolate shape, thin and their length is comparable to sepals.
The following varieties are most popular in culture:
- Viridis leaf plates are green with a bare surface;
- Fuscus, leaves are reddish-brown with a pattern of grayish-green stripes.
Foster's Cryptanthus (Cryptanthus fosterianus). This perennial has a herbaceous growth and forms a rosette of dense and fleshy leaf plates with a rounded sheath with a swelling. The leaf is distinctly tapering at the base, along the edge it can be either wavy or serrated. The upper surface is painted in a dark brown tone, on which there is a pattern of zigzag stripes of bright silver color, while the lower side is densely covered with scales. The length of the leaf plate ranges from 30–40 cm with a width of about 4 cm.
In the process of flowering, capitate inflorescences of a complex shape are formed. Outside there are flower spikelets containing 3-4 buds, and inside the spikelets have only a couple of flowers. The inflorescences have leaf-like outlines, there is a sharpening at the top, and the contours of the heart at the base. Bracts are oval, thin, not exceeding sepals in length. In the lower part of the sepals they are distinguished by splicing, the color of the petals is whitish.
Cryptanthus bromeliodes. A plant with a long life cycle and a herbaceous form. Unlike other varieties, there is a stem, which is covered by leaf plates with a rigid surface, covered with hairs. The edge of the foliage is finely serrated, the length of the leaf reaches 20 cm with a width of about 4 cm. The color of the leaf plate can vary from bronze-green to copper-red color. The top of the leaf is smooth to the touch, and the reverse side is decorated with pale scaly.
When flowering, a multi-flowered inflorescence is formed, with a spike-like shape, each spikelet consists of 4-6 flowers, with linear whitish petals.
There is a variety of Tricolor, in which the leaves are brighter in color, on the surface there is a pattern of stripes of three colors: greenish, white and red.
For more on growing cryptantus, see below:
