Description of the appearance and etymology of the name, agricultural technology when growing coritoplectus, breeding rules, pest and disease control, species. Corytoplectus is a rather rare plant that has been attributed by botanists to the genus of flowering plants belonging to the Gesneriaceae family. It also included up to 15 varieties of these perennial specimens of flora, taking a herbaceous or semi-shrub form of growth. If you want to see these flowers in the wild, most of the territories in which coritoplectus grow are located in the highlands of Guyana, the western regions of the Cordillera, Bolivia and Panama, and they are also settled along the coast of Venezuela. Most of all, they like to settle in the shade of high-mountain forests.
This green inhabitant of the planet bears its scientific name thanks to the Greek word "korys", meaning "helmet", but there are versions (although they are unlikely) that the Greek derivative "korytos" (in Latin, sounding like "corytus") is still involved, which was translated as "leather bag or quiver", as well as "plectos" in the same language meaning "folded". The latter directly indicates what form the sepals of the plant take - they are similar in outline to a helmet or a quiver for arrows.
Coritoplectus is a perennial, terrestrial type, which can reach 60 cm in height. The stems have a herbaceous or semi-lignified appearance. Sometimes they spread over the soil surface. Shoots are devoid of branching. The leaf plates are located opposite, isophyllic (that is, certain specimens are able to take the same foliage shapes and sizes). Their surface is velvety to the touch, the color is quite varied, the pattern of pinnately placed veins is clearly visible.
When flowering, inflorescences are formed located in the leaf axils, thick. They sit almost at the very stem, are collected from a large or small number of buds, often the inflorescences take the shape of an umbrella. The sepals are equal in size, the shape is variable, the color is quite bright, after the flower withers, the sepals do not fall off. The corolla in the bud is tubular, as if it rises from the calyx, with swelling and a narrow bend, obtained in equal shares, the throat of the bud is narrowed. There are usually two pairs of stamens, they usually have a length equal to the corolla, nectaries are formed from one to four units. The ovary has an upper location, the shape of the corolla is capitate or with two lobes.
When the fruit ripens, berries appear with spherical contours, which have a black color or they can be translucent. The pulp of the berry surrounds the seeds of a black color with a fleshy layer.
Tips for growing and caring for coritoplectus
- Lighting and location selection. For this plant, it is recommended to choose a place with bright but diffused lighting or with a little shading. Coritoplectus is placed on the windowsills of east or west windows.
- Content temperature for this South American plant, it must be kept between 18 and 20 degrees.
- Humidity when growing coritoplectus, it is maintained elevated, however, due to the fact that all parts of it have pubescence, spraying is practically not carried out. To do this, next to the pot, plants are placed humidifiers or a flowerpot is installed in a deep container, at the bottom of which a little liquid is poured and a layer of drainage material is laid (expanded clay, pebbles, incised sphagnum moss or peat).
- Watering for a representative of the Gesneriaceae family, a regular, but moderate one, is needed in the spring and summer. The condition of the soil can serve as a guide here for the owner - when it is dry and watering is necessary, then if you take a pinch of the earth, it easily crumbles. However, both the complete drying of the earthen coma and its bay threaten the death of coritoplectus. It is necessary to remove the water, which is glass after moistening in a stand under the pot, otherwise its stagnation will lead to the onset of putrefactive processes. Only soft and warm water is used for irrigation. You can use river, rain or distilled, with a temperature of 20-24 degrees. Water the plant carefully so that drops of moisture do not fall on the pubescent parts. In winter, watering is reduced.
- Fertilizers for the "helmet flower", they are introduced when it begins to activate after the winter respite. In the spring months, the regularity of fertilizing once every 14 days, with the arrival of summer, fertilizers should be applied less often, and when autumn comes and throughout the winter months, coritoplectus is not disturbed with fertilizing. Complex fertilizers are used for indoor flowering plants in a liquid consistency.
- We transplant coritoplectus. In order for the plant to please with its appearance and flowers, it is necessary to change its substrate annually at a "young age", an adult specimen is transplanted every two years. The new container is selected 2–3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. A layer (no more than 4 cm) of drainage material should be laid on its bottom - this will save moisture in the pot from stagnation. Also, small holes are made in the bottom to drain excess moisture.
You can use any soil for Gesneriaceae, and flower growers themselves make it up from leafy and humus soil, peat and river sand - parts of the components are taken equal. Sometimes they mix leaf soil, perlite and chopped sphagnum moss. It is better to carry out the transshipment, that is, the earthen lump is not destroyed at the same time, so the coritoplectus will more easily transfer the transplant. Before the process of changing the pot, the plant is not watered for several days, and then, gently tapping on the walls of the pot, the bush is carefully removed from the container. After the drainage has been laid, a small layer of soil is poured into a new container and slightly moistened (but not until waterlogging). Then the plant is set in a pot, but so that it is not deeply buried. A substrate is poured on the sides and when its volume reaches the middle of the container, then a lightly moistened one is again carried out. The soil is then poured to the top and also watered. Then the transplanted coritoplectus is placed in shade for a while so that it undergoes adaptation after transplantation.
Steps when breeding coritoplectus with your own hands
If you want to get a new plant with bloated flowers, then sowing seeds or cuttings is carried out.
With the arrival of spring, you can use leaf or stem cuttings, propagating this descendant of the Gesneriaceae family. It is recommended to cut the sheet across, so that 2-3 parts are obtained. Next, the seedling box is filled with sand, and the blanks are planted with their base or lower part into a moistened substrate. The temperature is maintained at about 24 degrees. The container with cuttings should be in a shaded place. You will need to remember to spray the soil with a spray bottle if it dries up. When 40–45 days have passed, you can see how small nodules form on the cuttings. When autumn comes, then watering should be reduced, and the thermometer should be lowered to 20 units. With the arrival of spring, transplantation is carried out into a new container and soil (into a more fertile soil), which is suitable for Gesneria, and then the plants are looked after as usual. Only when a year has passed will the young coritoplectus delight with the first flowers, but the next season the flowering will be truly abundant.
If a decision is made to sow seeds, then this operation should fall in the spring. Soil is poured into the container from sheet earth, peat and coarse sand (parts are mixed equal). The seeds are placed on the soil and are not buried. The container is covered with glass or wrapped in plastic wrap. The germination temperature is maintained within 22-24 units. When the bores appear, the planting is carried out in such a way that the distance between the seedlings is kept 2x2 cm. The composition of the soil does not change. After a month, the dive is repeated, with an increase in the distance between the coritoplectus. After 2-3 years from the moment of planting, young plants will be able to reward with flowering.
Coritoplectus pest and disease control methods
Like many plants from the flowering Gesneriaceae family, this representative of the flora is susceptible to attacks by spider mites, aphids, thrips, whiteflies and scale insects. Each of the pests is characterized by different signs, but the main ones are the appearance of a cobweb on shoots and leaves, small bugs of white or green color, the formation of a sticky plaque on the leaf plates and on the back side they can be covered with whitish or brown specks. In any case, the presence of harmful insects is reflected in the state of coritoplectus - the leaves turn yellow and dry out, new ones grow deformed and quickly fly around, the flower stops growing.
It is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal or acaricidal preparations (depending on the presence of the pest). It is not recommended to wipe the foliage, as is done when pests appear on other plants, since pubescence is present here, and when wet, this can provoke the onset of rotting.
Among the problems that connoisseurs who cultivate coritoplectus highlight are:
- Sagging and drying out of foliage can be triggered by excessive drying of the earthen clod in the pot, or when the moisture readings have dropped too much.
- If a pot with a plant stands in direct sunlight, which falls on the leaves at noon, this can provoke the appearance of a spot of whitish or yellowish color, the same can be observed when the flower was watered with very cold water or if drops of moisture fall on the pubescent surface of the leaves …
- Some owners recklessly pour soil in a flowerpot, and then coritoplectus can get a fungal infection, this is observed with increased humidity in the room, especially at low temperatures. In this case, it is recommended to remove all damaged parts of the flower, treat the plant with a fungicide and transplant it into a new container with fresh and disinfected soil.
Facts about coritoplectus to note
Despite all its rarity, coritoplectus is usually grown in temperate climates as a room or greenhouse crop.
Coritoplectus species
Corytoplectus capitatus is a herbaceous perennial. With its native landmarks, the plant reveres the lands on which the cloud forests of South America grow. The height to which a plant can stretch its stems varies between 60–90 cm. Its shoots are tough and thick, which are cast in a red tone. The length of the leaf plate is from 15 to 30 cm, as already mentioned with pubescence. But even devoid of flowers, this flora specimen attracts the eye with its large, fuzzy leaf plates with a luxurious velvety texture on the surface. This provides the parts of the flower with pubescence with dense hairs, which densely cover the stems, leaves, corolla from the outside and even fruit of a blue tone. The leaves have a dark emerald color, but the central vein is distinguished by a light green color, on the reverse side the foliage is red-purple.
When flowering, this representative of the Gesneriaceae family can form flower clusters, which will resemble in their outlines the head of broccoli cabbage, sometimes of a reddish color. The location of the inflorescences is apical, axillary. The length of the inflorescences is about 5 cm, they are like inflated flowers of a yellow aphid of red color, which peep out between pinkish-red bracts, as if hanging from a calyx with a horizontally placed cavity. The shape of the flower is tubular, with a narrowing to the edge, there is a small limb, which is formed by five separated lobes. After the flowers, the plant is decorated with bluish berries, which animals feed in nature.
This representative of the flora is a rather rare guest in home floriculture and is kept only in some botanical gardens.
Corytoplectus speciosus is sometimes called Corytoplectus speciosus. The native habitat is in the lands where the tropical Ecuadorian forests are located, namely the provinces of Morona-Santiago and Zamora-Chinchipe, they are also found in Peru - in Amazonas, Cajamarca, Haunuco, Loreto and other areas.
The stems are tetrahedral in cross-section, can reach a height of 60 cm. The shoots have pubescence with raspberry-purple hairs. The foliage is quite spectacular, with a rough surface and a velvety dark emerald or blue-green tint. The shape of the leaf is broadly ovate, it can measure 15 cm in length and up to 7 cm in width. The leaf has a pattern of contrasting stripes in the center, casting with mother-of-pearl, and the same main veins. On the reverse side, the leaf blade has a colorful purple-violet color. This variety also has tubular flowers, nestled in the bracts of a reddish tone. The calyx is large. The corolla has a light yellowish tint. The arrangement of the buds is axillary, at the tops of the stems, inflorescences are collected from the flowers in the form of bunches.
A little earlier, Coritoplectus graceful was attributed to the species Alloplectus striped (Alloplectus vittatus Andre).
Corytoplectus congestus (Corytoplectus congestus). This dicotyledonous plant was first described by Jean Jules Linden and Jonnes von Hanstein. The exotic has spectacular foliage of a dark green color with a well-defined lighter tone of the central and lateral veins. Leaves, like flowers, have a velvety pubescence. The arrangement of the leaf plates can be either opposite or whorled.
The size of the flower reaches 15 mm in width. Its rim is painted in a golden-orange color, while the rim itself is convex-tubular, with a narrowing at the calyx. Bracts are shaded with a reddish tint. The diameter of the ripening fruit is equal to 7 mm. Its surface can be either translucent or cast blue, through which black seeds are clearly visible. The berry is very beautifully located among the open bright red bracts.
Corytoplectus deltoideus (Corytoplectus deltoideus) is a terrestrial herb specimen of the Gesneriaceae family, which can be measured in height in the range of 0.6–1.5 m. At the base, the stem is woody, and closer to the apex it takes a succulent appearance. Shoots are upright, at the top there is a dense pubescence of light reddish glandular hairs. The arrangement of the leaves is paired. The petiole is 3–7.5 cm long. On the surface there is a pubescence of compressed hairs. The length of the leaf plate can vary in the range of 11–22 cm with a width of up to 4, 5–8, 9 cm. The apex is pointed, sharp to oblique.
Inflorescences are collected from 2-3 buds with a peduncle up to 0.2 cm, but it happens that the flowers are completely devoid of it. The peduncle is also pubescent. The corolla is tubular, located in the calyx, its color is yellow, up to 2 cm in diameter.
The native territories of growth are in the lands of tropical America: in Venezuela and Guyana.
