General features of the plant, agricultural technology in the cultivation of giterantus, advice on flower reproduction, pest and disease control, interesting facts, species. For a long time already, flower growers have known flora samples that are part of the extensive Gesneriev family, which are called Gesneriaceae in Latin. The most popular of them are not only Saintpaulias (African and Usambara violets), but also Gloxinia (Siningia), Streptocarpus and more than a hundred others. So, according to the last count, there are in total up to 3200 varieties, which are combined into 150 genera. But there are representatives of this flower association, about which only some facts are known in narrow circles of flower growers - this is Gasteranthus. The number of its species has not yet been precisely named, it ranges from 35 to 41 units.
So, this green inhabitant of the planet is a flowering plant with a long life cycle and a herbaceous, shrub, semi-shrub or liana-like form of growth. Some varieties of this genus are cultivated as ornamental plants.
The gasentus can rightfully be considered its native habitats, stretching from Guatemala, Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica, passing through all the western regions of the South American continent to the south to Bolivia itself. But most of all the various varieties of this plant can be found at home - in western Ecuador. This exotic loves to settle in mountain forests, reaching an altitude of 1800 m above sea level. Many of the species are now on the verge of extinction, as forests are being mercilessly deforested, and these representatives are endemic (plants that do not grow anywhere else on the planet) of remote and isolated mountain ranges and do not have the possibility of wider distribution.
The flower got its name from the fusion of Greek words: "gaster", translated as a stomach or a bag and "antos", meaning - a flower. It was the shape of the bud that served as such an interesting analogy for the name of Hiterantus, since its swollen bud with a narrow pharynx reminded people of its baggy outlines.
The stems are cylindrical, may be juicy or lignified over time. Their height can approach in natural growing conditions up to a meter, but usually varies within 15–45 cm. The roots of the plant are fibrous. The leaf plates are located opposite, they are scarious or with a leathery surface, the stomata are combined into groups. There is pubescence on the reverse side, the upper surface is glabrous. The color above is dark emerald, below the color is lighter. In some varieties, the surface of the leaf is very structured due to veins, the edge is finely serrated.
Inflorescences originate in the leaf axils, devoid of bracts (ebracteriosis), crowned with long flowering stems, composed of one bud or multi-flowered, in the form of a curl. The corolla of a flower can acquire various silhouettes: it is found funnel-wide with a limb; wide-tubular contour; with pronounced pitcher outlines; with a raised abdomen that has a bloated appearance and at the same time a narrow pharynx. Its width reaches 2 cm. The color can be very diverse, there are white, pale or bright yellow shades, orange and red colors, often there is a pattern of dots and specks. Inside there are two pairs of stamens, they are usually equal in length to the corolla, threads spliced with the base of the corolla tube. In a nectary, the shape can be in the form of a ring, semicircular, or in the form of glands on the upward-facing (dorsal) part of the corolla. The ovary is located at the top. Due to the narrowness of the corolla entrance, most often only hummingbirds can pollinate gheteranthus.
When the fruit ripens, a fleshy capsule appears with one or two pairs of valves; it has flattened sides and apex.
Most often, it is customary to grow varieties in room conditions: Gasteranthus acropodus, Gasteranthus atratus, Gasteranthus quitensis.
Recommendations for growing Gasterantus at home
- Lighting and location selection. Since this plant is a resident of very humid and shady areas, it will be necessary to create similar conditions in the rooms. For this exotic, you need to acquire a terrarium or use a simple aquarium, only then you can try to care for this capricious representative of the Gesneriaceae. The place during cultivation should be with a dense shade, you can place the "house" of the plant on the north side of the windows or even in the back of the room. However, some flower growers argue that Giterantus also perfectly tolerates intense lighting, but devoid of direct sunlight, so that there is room for experimentation.
- Content temperature. This inhabitant of warm tropical and subtropical lands lives well at temperatures ranging from 20-25 degrees, with the arrival of winter they can only be slightly reduced, but the thermometer should never fall below the 16-point mark. Drafts are simply fatal to the plant.
- Air humidity. This condition is practically the most important in the cultivation of gterantus. If the plant is placed in an aquarium or terrarium, then you will still need to carry out frequent spraying with warm water, but not the surface of the leaves, since they are pubescent, but the air next to the plant. Otherwise, this exotic will not survive in the dry air of apartments. If the drops fall on the leaves, then ugly stains may remain. You can put a vessel with water next to the pot of gasentus. It is also recommended to pour expanded clay or pebbles into the "house" of the bush at the bottom and pour a small amount of water, and then install a flowerpot with the plant there. It is only important to ensure that the liquid level does not reach the bottom of the pot.
- Watering. The soil in a pot with a plant should always be moist, but it should not be allowed to acidify. The regularity of watering should be constant, but the reference point here will be the substrate itself, it is impossible for it to dry out. The water is used soft and settled.
- Fertilizer applied throughout the growing season, with regularity once every half a month. A mineral complex is used on the basis that 10 grams of the drug is dissolved in one bucket of water. Then this mixture is added to the irrigation container.
- Transfer and selection of soil. For transplants, use a loose, light and nutritious substrate. The acidity is slightly acidic, approximately pH in the range of 6–6, 5. You can use ready-made soil mixtures (for example, for violets or Saintpaulias) based on peat or prepare the soil yourself, adding perlite, washed coarse-grain river sand or chopped sphagnum moss to it for looseness. The soil itself can be composed of light turf soil, leafy soil, peat and coarse sand, in proportions of 1: 2: 1: 0, 5. The transplant capacity is increased only by size and a layer of drainage material is laid on the bottom (for example, medium expanded clay fractions, pebbles or broken shards).
Diy gterantus breeding tips
Almost all types of propagation are used to get a new plant. You can use a leaf cuttings and put it in a vessel with water, wait for the appearance of root shoots, then planting is carried out in small pots with a peat-sand mixture or a suitable substrate for Gesneriaceae.
If the variety is semi-shrub or shrub, then reproduction is possible by means of lateral layers. The selected lower shoot takes root to the soil (it can be in a separate pot) and drips a little, you need to keep it in this state with a hair pin. The top remains above the soil surface. When signs of rooting appear, the cuttings are carefully separated from the gheterantus bush and planted in a separate pot if it was in the same place as the adult specimen.
Also, when transplanting, the rhizome is divided. Taking a well-sharpened knife, cut the root system into several parts and plant the cuttings in pre-prepared pots with drainage and suitable soil.
If seeds are sown, then this must be done at the end of winter. They are placed in a moistened peat-sandy soil and create conditions for a mini greenhouse, waiting for the shoots. Over time, you will need to make a pick.
Flower pests and diseases
Gasterantus can be attacked by harmful insects, among which are mealybugs and apple aphids. Sometimes, if the plant is a cultivar, then it is often attacked by a scale insect, spider mite, whitefly or thrips. Since it is not recommended to spray the leaves due to pubescence, insecticidal preparations are introduced into the soil under the bush.
Interesting facts about gasentus
Previously, gasentus was included in the genus Besleria, but later they were divided, since the plants had too many differences. For example, the stomata differed: in the gaster, they were aggregated (combined) and in a scattered form in besleria. And also the fruits ripening after the flowering process varied: the first specimen of flora has fleshy capsules, and the second has berry outlines. Also, gaseteranthus was distinguished by characteristic whitish dots on the leaf at the base, which is caused by the accumulation of stomata.
For the first time this genus of plants was mentioned in 1864 by the scientist George Bentham, who carried out its full description in the work "Plantas Hartwegianas impirimis Mexicanas" ("Distinctive features of plants in Mexico"). Subsequently, in relation to this genus, its position in the botanical classification often changed, but in 1975, thanks to the well-known botanist-taxonomist Hans Joachim Wiehler, the gaseteranthus was isolated separately.
Types of gasentus
- Gasteranthus atratus. It is endemic to the territories of Ecuador. Likes to settle in humid tropical or subtropical forests growing on plains or mountains, trying to hide in full shade from the sun's rays. The heights at which this species can be found range from 300 to 1000 meters above sea level. The plant was first found in the foothills of the western Cordillera of the Andes. Most often, it can grow on the border of the provincial villages of Los Rios and Pichinche. However, as much of the El Centinela forest was destroyed, the species was on the verge of extinction. It is the most attractive Gisneriaceae plant on the market. Leaf platinum is very decorative, because of the leathery surface, they seem to be covered with blisters, so the whole leaf is speckled with veins, the edge is jagged. The older the plant becomes, the darker its leaves, they become a dark emerald color. The shape of the leaves is obovate with an elongated apex. The magnificent flowers with bell-shaped or tubular corolla outlines are also striking. The fold of the five petals is pale yellowish, while the tube itself and its inner part are of a pleasant yellow hue. From the flowers, a racemose inflorescence is collected, single or in several buds. The humidity during cultivation should be very high, practically reaching 100%, therefore, when caring for this plant, it is recommended to use terrariums in which the conditions of the tropics will be recreated. It will never be possible to grow on the windowsill. The substrate is peat.
- Gasteranthus quitensis was first described in 1846. When grown, requires conditions with high humidity and low light levels, it is recommended to grow in a terrarium. The seeds were collected from the lands of Ecuador by John L. Clarke. At the base, the leaf blade is deeply heart-shaped, the surface is pubescent with light hairs, which makes the color of the leaves a gray-green tint. There are also hairs on pedicels and buds, but there are not many of them. The shape of the bud is very peculiar, it is practically devoid of the bend of the petals, there is a small "entrance" through the pharynx, in which whitish stamens can be seen. The color of the petals is bright pink or carmine red.
- Gasteranthus acropodus as well as the previous types, it requires high humidity conditions. It has spurs at the base of the flower, just below the attachment to the stem. Highly decorative look. It has a shrub or semi-shrub form of growth. Stems are erect, reaching a height of 1–5 meters. When the shoots are young, they have pubescence, eventually becoming hairless. The shape of the leaves is more or less elliptical, reaching 7–20 cm in length and 3–7 cm in width. They are membranous, pointed at the apex, and obtuse at the base. The edge is finely or coarsely serrate. The color on the upper side is dark green, the surface is bare, the reverse side is pale greenish, with pubescence. The petiole is 1-3 cm long, pubescent. Inflorescences are axillary umbellate or racemose, few-flowered. Peduncles reach 1, 8–5, 5 cm in length. Pedicels of flowers grow up to 0.5–2 cm sparsely pubescent. Sepals in flowers are different in length, unequal, serrated. The flowers are zygomorphic, with a wide swollen corolla. The rim has a slope in the cup, the lobes in it are ovoid or rhomboid. The color is very attractive: from the outside, the entire surface of the corolla has a bright yellow background, which is adorned with numerous specks of burgundy or dark red color scheme. The petals of the bud have the same coloring, but the inside of the corolla is of a pale yellow hue. After flowering, a fruit-box with spherical outlines ripens, it is flattened from the sides. It reaches 5 mm in length and up to 8 mm in width. The seeds placed inside it are oblong, with a light brown color, oblique stripes along the surface. It was first described by John Donnell Smith and is now called Wiehler.
- Gasteranthus wendlandianus. The first descriptions date back to 1975. It grows in Costa Rica and Cartago. It is a terrestrial or epiphytic plant, occasionally a shrub. The stems can reach 2 m in height, when they are young, then there is a fleecy-tomentose pubescence, which disappears with age and the stems become lignified. The shape of the leaves is elliptical, varying in length within the range of 8–20 cm with a width of up to 3–9 cm. The top is pointed, with fine serration along the edge. The upper side is dark green in color, naked, and on the back - the color is light greenish and pubescence is present along the veins, the secondary veins are also clearly visible. The leaf petioles are 1–3 cm long, with pubescence. Inflorescences are formed in the upper leaf axils, few-flowered. Peduncles are thin, curved at the top, 4–7 cm long. In flowers, pedicels are measured within 0.5–1 cm. Corolla is elongated, reaching 6–9 mm in length. Its color is yellow, with red or purple spots on the surface. On the folded petals, the spotting is more dense. It is slightly oblique in the calyx, the outer surface is pubescent. The two upper petals are shorter than the lower 3, which makes the entire corolla appear curved. When the fruit is formed, a spherical capsule appears, reaching 6–7 mm in length and the same in width, it is surrounded by sepals, yellow. Ellipsoidal seeds with a red color are placed inside.
