Description of corynocarpus, how to grow at home, do-it-yourself breeding rules, facts to note, types. Corynocarpus (Corynocarpus) scientists refer to the genus of dicotyledonous plants, in which there is a pair of cotyledons in the embryo, located opposite in it. Also, this representative of the flora is included in the monotypic family of Corynocarpaceae, consisting of the order Pumpkinaceae. The lands of New Zealand, New Guinea and the island territories located in the western region of the Pacific Ocean are considered to be native growing areas.
Often in literary sources, you can find that corinocarpus is called karaka or New Zealand laurel. From the very beginning of its life, the plant has a straight-growing species with bushy shoots, and then acquires tree-like forms. In height, the trunk reaches 11 meters with a width of up to 3 meters. The leaf plates are distinguished by ideal elliptical outlines, the surface of the leaf is shiny, the edge is very even, and the central vein is clearly visible. Pointed tips. Because of this ideal foliage, corynocarpus is often compared to ficus by growers. And since the leaf is attached to the branches with elongated petioles, this also serves as an effective addition to the view.
The color of the foliage is dark green, the size is small. To date, karakas have been bred with a rather original pattern, which is similar to the veins on marble, and bright yellow spots flaunt on the surface. It is these varietal forms that are the hallmark of New Zealand laurel, for example, atropurpurea and argerantea species, as well as the Algavre Sun variety. It is with such a variegated color of foliage that this laurel from New Zealand looks like a rather graceful and airy plant.
During flowering, quite effective flowers also appear, the petals of which are cast in a bluish-whitish, green-cream or light green-yellow color scheme. From the buds, inflorescences are collected in the form of panicles. However, the flowering process in corynocarpus begins only when the plant reaches a venerable age, but adult specimens quite rarely please owners with flowers, due to the fact that it is not often possible to arrange cold conditions in a room. When grown naturally, flowering occurs during the autumn and winter months.
Fruiting in culture is not observed, but in nature there are orange-colored fruits, apparently the name "karaka" has to do with the color of the plant's berries, since in the language of the indigenous Maori people who inhabit the islands of New Zealand it meant "orange". There are seeds in the berries. The shape of the fruit is oval or ellipsoidal, the diameter of the berry is 5 cm. The flesh inside the berry is yellow or orange in color with one seed.
How to provide home care for corynocarpus?
- Lighting. It is better to place the plant pot on the west or east window, as New Zealand laurel grows well in partial shade or in bright, but diffused lighting.
- Content temperature. When growing New Zealand laurel, you should make sure that the plant feels like in natural conditions, that is, the heat indicators should fluctuate between 18-21 degrees in the spring-summer months, when autumn and winter come, the temperature is gradually reduced to 5-15 degrees. If such a decrease is not possible, then it is worthwhile to provide for an increase in the humidity level in the room. Karaka is afraid of drafts.
- Air humidity when grown variegated laurel from New Zealand should be moderate, although the plant easily tolerates dry indoor air. However, there are conditions, when during wintering the temperature indicators are not lowered, it is recommended to maintain a high humidity level. The main thing is that the corinocarpus does not suffer from the effects of heating devices. And for this, foliage is sprayed twice a day from a spray bottle, and air humidifiers are placed next to the pot of New Zealand laurel, or you can put a flowerpot with a plant in a tray with some water and expanded clay or pebbles. If the karaka begins to drop foliage, then the humidity in the room should be increased as soon as possible.
- Watering corynocarpus. The owner of the New Zealand laurel needs to remember that the plant cannot stand the stagnation of moisture in the pot or the drying of the earthy coma. When the soil is moistened, the state of its upper layer serves as a reference point. If it is 2-3 cm dry, then watering should be carried out. When the remaining moisture has drained into the pot holder, they must be removed immediately. When the autumn-winter period comes and karaka is kept in conditions of cool temperatures, then the moisture content is reduced, focusing on the state of the substrate, but it is important to keep it in a more moderately moist state during this period.
- Fertilizers for karakas, they are brought in only during the warmest season - basically this period begins in March and ends at the end of summer days. The regularity of top dressing every 14 days. Active fertilizers are used for ornamental deciduous plants in a standard dosage; universal complex formulations can also be used. There are also recommendations from experts that part of the dressings should be replaced with foliar, that is, add the drug to the water and spray the foliage of the corinocarpus.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. When you have a New Zealand laurel plant, then you should not change the pot and the soil in it often, this operation is necessary when the container has already become small for the root system of the tree. Transplant is carried out both in spring and summer. When the plant is old enough, transshipment is recommended when the earthen lump does not collapse, so as not to injure the root system of the karaki. Youngsters can partially remove part of the substrate, but in such a way as not to injure the roots. On the bottom of the new flowerpot, it is imperative to lay a layer of drainage material. The substrate for New Zealand laurel should be both nutritious and neutral in acidity, as well as sufficient looseness. You can use universal soil mixtures or compose soil for transplanting yourself from turf soil, peat and river coarse sand, in a ratio of 3: 2: 1.
- General care behind karaka consists in regular pruning of elongated shoots. When the plant is already mature, it no longer needs it. If sanitary care is carried out, then all damaged branches are removed, and they are cut off only 1/3 of the entire length of the shoot. Such an operation is carried out only in early spring, until the activation of growth begins. Pruning also helps inhibit growth and overgrowth, which is done to make the crown more compact.
But, in spite of the fact that corynocarpus branches well itself, pruning is still necessary for young animals, and they also pinch the tops of the shoots (this stimulates the thickening of the crown). Such events are carried out up to 3-4 times during the vegetation activity.
Steps to self-propagate corynocarpus
To get a new plant of New Zealand laurel will have to work hard. More often, cuttings are used, in which cuttings cut in the winter months (stem) or obtained in spring or summer (it is possible at the beginning of autumn days) from the tops of the branches serve as blanks. It is the last cuttings, especially if they were cut during the period of intensification of vegetative growth, that are best rooted. Landing is carried out in wet sand or sand and peat mixture. It will be necessary to create greenhouse conditions with high humidity and constant heat (about 20 degrees). To maintain the moisture level, the cuttings are wrapped in a plastic bag or placed under a glass vessel. As soon as the cuttings take root, then transplant is carried out in separate pots with more suitable soil. Growing is carried out as usual, with frequent pruning and pinching of the tops of the shoots to stimulate branching.
Although the method of seed reproduction is rather complicated, it also takes place. It is only important to remember that karaka seeds are very toxic and they quickly lose their germination. If the corynocarpus fruits are freshly harvested, then they can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a month. Sowing substrate is used light and slightly moistened, peat tablets are often used. Seeds are buried to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm. For germination, the temperature is maintained at 23 degrees. The container with crops is covered with glass and periodically they are ventilated and the soil is moistened. After 2-3 weeks, the first shoots can be seen. Then the shelter is removed and care continues. It is interesting that for two days the seedlings of New Zealand laurel can stretch up to 0.5 meters in height. The hardened seedlings are moved to more nutritious soil and then grown as adult corynocarpus.
Difficulties in growing corynocarpus
If we talk about pests, then the greatest harm to corynocarpus is caused by spider mites. Since this representative prefers dry air, which is a favorable breeding ground for harmful insects. It is also not uncommon for this pest to appear with increased heat indicators in winter, when the humidity parameters are too low, but this problem is not observed in the summer months. To combat this harmful insect, you should first wash the karaka under streams of a warm shower, then you can wipe the leaf plates with soap, oil mixtures or alcohol tinctures. After that, it is recommended to spray the foliage of the New Zealand laurel with broad-spectrum insecticides.
Due to violations of the conditions of detention, the following troubles can be distinguished when caring for corynocarpus:
- if the lighting is weak, then the color of the foliage is gradually lost;
- when the plant was exposed to a draft or the heat indicators were not kept within the proper limits, then a drop of leaf plates is observed;
- under the influence of direct streams of sunlight, especially in the summer noon, unsightly brown spots are formed on the surface of the leaves.
Corynocarpus facts for the curious
Corinocarpus seeds contain nucleoli, saturated with the toxin karakin. The substance, entering the body, can lead to paralysis of the nervous system, the body begins to twitch in convulsions. But, despite such a danger, the fruits of the New Zealand laurel are included in the diet of the Maori people and constitute a large part of it. In New Zealand, it is customary to grow whole groves of karak during cultivation. It is in the order of things to use raw fruit pulp in food. After the nucleoli have undergone special training and have been ground, they are used to bake bread. If you apply the upper part of the sheet, casting a gloss, then this contributes to the rapid healing of wounds.
Despite the fact that the wood of corinocarpus does not have hardness or decays very quickly, but it is used to heat a room as firewood. Since the plant's foliage never falls off or dries out, karaka has an increased value for both birds and bears in the autumn-winter months. If the New Zealand laurel grows on lands that are not part of its native land, then the plant behaves like an aggressive weed that captures all free territories.
In the Maori people, corinocarpus was considered a sacred plant, and was firmly part of the ethnoculture. Many legends, stories and tales contain references to karak.
Korinocarpus species
Corynocarpus laevigatus (Corynocarpus laevigatus) can grow as an erect or spreading shrub, or take on a tree-like shape. The plant varies in height from 10 to 15 meters, with a width of about 2–5 m. It can branch independently without additional pinching. The leaf plates are obovate, can also be oblong-elliptical. The surface of the foliage is glossy, leathery with a bright green color, with a length of 10–20 cm. The leaf is attached to the shoots by means of a long cutting. When blooming, small flowers appear with greenish-yellow petals, rigid, with drooping contours, the length of the bud varies within 10–20 cm. In culture, flowering almost never occurs. In nature, in fruits, the diameter can reach 4 cm, the shape of the achenes is ovoid, narrowed.
It can be called ordinary corinocarpus, flattened or angular, and this variety is also called karaka. It is this variety that is grown in home floriculture. Indoors, its height parameters are more modest, only 3-5 meters, but least of all 0, 8-1, 5 m, if operations to restrict growth with the help of trimming or pinching are carried out. The plant, due to its height, requires support. The most appreciated varieties are variegated foliage, where spots of light green, lemon green, yellow and whitish color appear on a dark green background:
- Variegata has leaf blades with an uneven stripe of yellow;
- Albovariegatus is distinguished by a whitish strip on the foliage;
- Algarve Sun flaunts with leaves with a pattern of yellow-green colors.
Corynocarpus rupestris is a tropical plant that likes to settle in dry forests on the basalt slopes of the eastern Australian continent. Often it has several trunks, which are covered by a smooth bark, but there are small cracks on it. The leaf plate is hard, its surface is shiny and thick. Usually the leaves are arranged whorled in three units. Above, the color of the leaf is dark green, and on the reverse it is slightly lighter. Leaves in the form of a spear, drop or oval take the form. The flowering process takes place from August to November (on the Australian continent, winter and spring come during this period). Buds are formed with petals of an off-white or pale yellow hue, from which erect inflorescences are collected, in the form of a panicle. When fruiting, drupes with oval or spherical outlines ripen, the skin color is scarlet, ripening occurs during the Australian summer and autumn, which fall in our latitudes from January to April.
It is usually presented in two varieties:
- Arboreal, which has a shrubby form of growth. The stems of the plant are devoid of foliage, not too thick, or can grow in the form of a short tree, with height parameters equal to 13 m.
- Glenugie caraca, has the appearance of a tree and is distinguished from the previous variety by its height (this species is smaller) and longer panicle inflorescences. The view got its name thanks to the name of the mountain, next to which it was discovered.
Corynocarpus cribbianus. The plant is a subtropical representative of the flora and, as the previous species, is distributed in New Zealand and New Guinea, as well as on the islands of the western Pacific Ocean. The species is most easily recognizable due to the leaf blades with a length of more than 5 cm and the red color of the fruit. In the axils of the leaves there are small stipules, the arrangement of the foliage is alternate. The central vein is clearly visible on the upper side of the leaf plate.
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