Description, facts, how to provide conditions for isoloma indoors, difficulties in cultivation and ways to overcome them, types. Isoloma belongs to the family called Gesneriaceae. This genus of the same name includes only five varieties. The native territories of growth are the lands of South America in the tropical and subtropical zones. In areas where isolome can be found in natural conditions, tropical forests grow, and this flower loves to settle on their edges, on tree trunks as an epiphyte.
The plant has a herbaceous form of growth and has a long life cycle. Both its leaves and stems are densely pubescent. Although the height of the isolome is not large, the shoots can reach a length of ninety centimeters. At first, they grow upright, but over time they have the property of lying down and because of this, the isolome can be grown as an ampelous culture.
The leaf plates are distinguished by elongated heart-shaped or oval-lanceolate outlines, serrated along the edge, their arrangement is opposite. The surface is velvety to the touch under the fingers, the color is rich dark emerald. The shade of pubescence sometimes takes on a reddish color, this is especially noticeable on the edge and on the upper side of the leaflet. If we take measurements, then the length of a leaf of this plant can reach 15 cm and a width of about 8 cm. The isolome has a well-developed rhizome, the surface of which can be covered with scales.
During flowering, buds are formed with the shape inherent in all plants from the Gesneriev family, namely, the corolla has a tubular or goblet shape and its outer surface, also pubescent with small thin hairs. The length of the flower is 6 cm. The corolla is divided into five lobes, which gracefully bend back. Its color is distinguished by a variety of rich shades: pink, orange, bright red color, often there is a pattern of specks on the limb blades. The peduncles, on which the buds are located, take their origin from the leaf sinuses. The flower stem has pubescence. One such plant can open up to 15–20 buds. The flowering process in the isoloma falls on the period of spring days and continues until late autumn.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a capsule filled with many dusty seeds.
Of the available varieties in home floriculture, the zhetkofosisty isoloma and the graceful isoloma are actively used. Plants have a pronounced dormant period to gain strength before the next flowering. If you follow the recommendations below, then this representative of the Gesneriev family will invariably delight with the appearance of delicate flowers. Isoloma is used to decorate the premises of office workers, winter gardens, and a flower is also suitable for landscaping classrooms or exhibitions.
Isolome facts for the curious
Due to the fact that the isoloma, like its relative koleriya, had different times during which the rest period fell, they were at first separate representatives of the flora, but today, despite the resting time, they were united. And their names practically mean synonymous plants. Also, the "behavior" of flowers during this period of rest was different. In an isolome, the part located above the surface of the substrate never dies off, while the coleria loses its leaves and stems.
Coleria (Kohleria) began to be named in honor of the Swiss professor of botany Michel Kohler, who lived in Zurich. His name decided to immortalize the German botanist Eduard August von Regel (1815-1892), to whom Kohler was a good friend. Regel himself served in the Russian state during the reign of the autocrat Alexander II as the director of the Russian Botanical Garden, which was located in St. Petersburg. This scientist spent most of his life in Russia. During his life and scientific path, Regel was a member of a number of scientific expeditions. During these trips, the flora was studied and, according to the results of all research, more than 3,000 new plants were presented to the world botanical community. Among these examples of green miter was Coleria.
The term Isoloma (Isoloma) appeared with the light hand of the president of the French Academy of Sciences and founder of the French botanical community Joseph Decaisne (Joseph Decaisne 1807-1882). This scientist botanist decided to change the name of Coleria foxglove, which was brought to Europe in the middle of the 19th century (in 1868) from the Colombian territories to Izoloma. This representative of the Gesneriev family bears its scientific name because of the merger of the Greek words "isos" and "loma", which were translated as "equal" and "edge", respectively. By this, the botanist emphasized that the corolla of the flowers of the plant has the correct shape.
Interestingly, there is a species of butterflies that also bears the name of the Isoloma - Discestra Isoloma. This representative of the planet's fauna was first described by Rudolf Püngeler in 1903. This butterfly belongs to the scoop family.
Isoloma cultivation, care features
- Lighting and location selection. Since this perennial with delicate tubular flowers loves to grow naturally in the shade of a tropical forest and on its edges, it is worth putting a pot of isoloma on the windows of the western and eastern exposure, so the amount of sunlight will be sufficient, but the direct rays of the sun will not harm the leaves and flowers. If a place is chosen on the sill of a south-facing window, it is recommended to shade the flower from the destructive effect of ultraviolet radiation - tracing paper (translucent thin paper) is attached to the glass or light curtains are hung. If there is no choice, and the isolome will have to live in the northern room, then it is worth carrying out additional illumination with special phytolamps or fluorescent lamps, the same will have to be done on windows of a different orientation in the winter months so that the plant does not stretch.
- Isolom content temperature. Since this is still a resident of rather warm regions of the planet, it is necessary to adhere to practically the same heat indicators when growing in rooms. In the spring-summer months and in autumn, the temperature must be moderate within the range of 20-25 degrees. But with the arrival of winter days, the plant goes into dormancy and the owner must smoothly reduce the thermometer readings to 18 units. If this condition is violated, then you will not have to wait for flowering (at elevated temperatures), or if it becomes too cold, then the leaves will fly around.
- Air humidity should be high enough, but this is not achieved with the usual spraying for us due to the dense pubescence of all parts of the plant. If drops of moisture fall on the isoloma, then the leaves, stems and, most importantly, flowers will be covered with brown spots. Therefore, other methods should be used to increase the humidity level to 80–96%. Humidifiers are placed next to the pot, you can keep the plant next to the aquarium, or set the flowerpot itself in a deep tray on expanded clay or pebbles poured into it. A little liquid is poured there, but it is important that the edge of the pot does not touch the water, otherwise rotting of the roots is inevitable.
- Watering isolomes should be moderate throughout the growing season and only in the dormant mode in December-January the amount of introduced moisture is greatly reduced. From spring to late autumn, you should focus on the state of the soil in the pot, it should not dry out, but it is not recommended to fill it. It is best that water drops do not accidentally fall on the leaves or stems to apply bottom watering, when water is poured into a stand under the pot and the substrate will pull the amount that it needs through the drain holes. After 20-25 minutes, the remaining liquid is drained. Water is used only well-separated and warm.
- Dormant period in an isolome, it begins when all the flowers wither, but unlike other representatives of the Gesneriaceae family, for example, Coleria, in this plant the aboveground part does not die off. But all the same, you need to create conditions so that your South American beauty could rest and gain strength for the subsequent flowering. At the same time, the heat indicators should be reduced, watering also practically stops, and top dressing is not used at all.
- Fertilizers are introduced during the period of vegetation activity with monthly regularity. You should use solutions of organic and mineral preparations in a very weak concentration. In the winter months, when the isoloma is resting, no top dressing is applied, otherwise, disturbing the dormancy of the plant, then you can not wait for flowering.
- Isoloma transplant. When the time of early spring comes, the owner of this delicate flower should think about changing the pot and the soil in it for his beauty. Young animals will require this annually, but with age, such manipulations are carried out only once every 2-3 years. The new container should be wide and flat, and holes must be made in its bottom to drain excess moisture. Before laying the substrate, a layer of drainage material is poured onto the bottom - this will save the plant from liquid stagnation. This layer should not be more than 3 cm and its components can be expanded clay, small pebbles, broken shards or crushed and sifted bricks.
For changing the soil, a ready-made soil mixture "Violet" or "For gloxinia" or similar compositions may be suitable. Often, the owners of such plants prefer to prepare the following substrates with their own hands, mixing:
- nutritious loose turf and leafy soil, cow dung and river sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1: 0, 5;
- leafy soil, sod, humus soil in a ratio of 4: 1: 1.
It is recommended to add bone meal to the prepared soil.
Isolome breeding rules
If we talk about breeding methods, then all methods are suitable: sowing seed, grafting and dividing the rhizome.
The seeds are very small and are sown between January and February. A soil mixture of leafy soil and river sand is poured into the container in a 2: 1 ratio. The seeds are spread over the soil surface and are not planted. Then, in order for germination to be successful, it is recommended to cover the container with the crops with a glass or plastic bag - this is necessary to create conditions for a mini-greenhouse, where the humidity indicators will be increased. The very same container with crops is kept warm and under diffused lighting. Watering is desirable through the pallet (they are called "bottom") to avoid flooding the substrate. The soil will take exactly as much as it needs, and after 15–20 minutes, the remaining moisture must be removed. As soon as the sprouts appear, the shelter is removed, and the neat care of young isolomes is continued. When a pair of true leaf blades forms on the seedlings, it is required to dive the plants in separate pots.
If a decision is made to carry out cuttings, then cutting from the tops of the stems will do for these purposes. In principle, any time of the year is suitable for this operation, but there are recommendations to carry out cuttings in the spring or autumn period (from September to October, while the isolomes will grow more luxuriant). Cuttings are planted in moistened sand or sandy-peat substrate. When rooting, the cuttings are transplanted into a more suitable soil for further growth.
You can also get a new plant with equally formed buds by dividing the rhizome - this operation is carried out in conjunction with the transplant. After removing the mother isolome from the pot, its root system is cleaned from the ground as accurately as possible and divided into parts using a sharpened and sterilized knife. But it is important that each of the plots has a sufficient number of root processes and stems. The planting of the cut is carried out in moistened sand. After the plants take root and adapt, it is possible to carry out transshipment (transplantation without destroying the earthen coma) into a more fertile substrate.
Overcoming Difficulties When Cultivating Isolome
Of the pests that cause problems for growers who grow this flower with uniform buds, aphids, spider mites, grape mealybugs and nematodes are isolated. As soon as bugs or their waste products are noticed on the plant, immediate treatment with acaricides and insecticides with a wide spectrum of action is carried out.
If we talk about other problems, then it should be noted that if the isolome is exposed to a draft, this will lead to dry spotting on the leaf plates of the plant, and some leaves can easily fall off. The same will be observed when the thermometer readings become less than the permissible limits. If the air humidity in the room where the flower is kept is too low, then the tips of the foliage will turn brown and dry, the same effect is exerted by a lack of potassium in the dressing. When, during inaccurate watering, drops of moisture fall on the pubescent parts of the isolome, their leaves, flowers and stems begin to become covered with weeping spots. When, during the winter rest period, the plant was often subjected to soil moistening or top dressing, that is, the rest was disturbed, then flowering should not be expected.
Isoloma types
Although there are up to five species of this plant, only the varieties presented below are considered the most popular in room culture:
- Isoloma graceful (Isoloma pictum). This representative of the Gesneria family has reddish stems. The leaf plates are cast in a rich emerald color with an admixture of green tones, while there is a reddish color on the reverse side. The formed buds with an orange-red corolla, on the surface of the flower there is a dense pubescence with fine fine hairs. The corolla has a capsule shape, tapering towards the peduncle.
- Isoloma hairy (Isoloma hirsutsm) can also bear the name of Isoloma harsh-haired. It is a perennial with a herbaceous form of growth, has a well-developed rhizome. The length of the stems can reach 90 cm. If the plant is still young, the outlines of the shoots are straight-growing, but over time they begin to lie down, which makes it possible to use this variety as an ampelous culture. The stems are shaded with a yellowish brown tone. In leaf plates, the contours are oval or oval with a pointed tip at the top. Serrated along the edge. The leaves are arranged in an opposite order. Most likely the name of the variety is due to the fact that its leaf plates and the stems themselves are covered with dense pubescence of hairs that are hard to the touch. The color of the foliage is dark green or deep emerald. If you look at the pubescence of the leaves, then it sometimes casts reddish colors.
This plant begins to bloom from mid-spring to July. When flowering, buds are formed on flowering stems, with a corolla that takes on a tubular shape. The color of the flower is bright red and the length of the bud, namely the tube itself, reaches 6 cm. Its surface is also covered with non-soft hairs. One such bush can contain from 15 to 22 flowers.
