Distinctive characteristics of a representative of the flora, recommendations for caring for dichorizandra, how to propagate, difficulties in cultivation, interesting facts, species. Dichorisandra (Dichorisandra) belongs to the family of perennial flowering plants bearing the Latin name Commelinaceae - Cammeline. It also includes 47 genera and almost 700 varieties. The native area of distribution falls on lands where the tropical and subtropical climate prevails. Only a few of the specimens of this family can grow in the temperate climatic regions of the planet.
Dichorizandra got its name from the combination of Greek words: "dis" meaning two, "choris" translated as separate and "andros" - a man. This name fully describes the division of the stamens in a flower into two groups: one consists of three upper stamens, and the other includes three lower stamens.
It is the specimens of the genus dichorizandra that there are up to 40 species, and they are most common in the territories of America in tropical and humid forests. It is a perennial, plant height can be measured from 80 cm to a meter. The stem color is green with whitish strokes on the surface. Often there is swelling in the nodes. By the winter period, its growth stops, and it is recommended to cut the shoot, so that a strong young sprout appears with the beginning of spring. The root system is characterized by a fibrous outline, and it is located almost entirely underground. It happens that small tuberous outgrowths begin to form on the roots. The stem is placed above the substrate and its surface is bare, the contours have a slight curvature and leaves grow on its top. Usually the stem grows singly, but in rare cases, lateral branches occur.
The leaf plates are distinguished by elongated, oval or ovoid contours, solid and large in size, and they are distinguished by the fact that there is a dark emerald strip in the central part. The top is pointed. The size of an adult leaf reaches 20-25 cm in length with a total width of up to 6 cm. Some varieties can "boast" a pattern of whitish or pinkish strokes on the upper side of the leaf. The arrangement of leaves on the stem is alternate.
When flowering, dense inflorescences in the form of a panicle or brush are collected from the flowers. The size of the flower is quite small, but you can successfully discern the presence of 3 sepals and 3 petals. The color of the flowers is blue-violet or dark blue, and there is a whitish tint at the base of the petal. There are three pairs of stamens and the anthers and netey have a beautiful golden yellow color scheme. There is also a pleasant and delicate aroma of flowers. The flowering period is from early to mid-autumn.
After the flowers wither, only small achenes with thin walls will remain. They are filled with thorny seeds with a dense skin and a ribbed surface. When fully ripe, the achenes become completely dry, while the flowering stem also dries up and falls off.
Rules for caring for dichorizandra for indoor cultivation
- Lighting. As a rule, all flowers do not like direct sunlight and, in the same way, dichorizandra cannot stand it when it is in a bright sunny place. For its cultivation, it is optimal to place the pot on the windowsills of windows "looking" to the east or west. If the bush is in a southern direction, then shading is organized, which are light curtains, or simply tracing paper is attached to the glass, scattering harmful ultraviolet light. On the north side, you will have to use supplementary lighting with special phyto-lamps or simple fluorescent lamps, so that the duration of daylight hours is approximately 12-16 hours. It is interesting that dichorizandra begins to bloom when daylight hours grow and supplementary lighting can provoke the formation of buds, but in case of a lack of illumination level, the color of the leaf plates will begin to fade (the silver stripes disappear and the lilac shade loses its saturation).
- Content temperature. This plant feels most comfortable at temperatures in the spring-summer period in the range of 20-29 degrees, but with the arrival of autumn, the heat indices need to be reduced to create relative dormancy to 15-18 degrees.
- Air humidity. When growing dichorizandra, moisture values should be high. It is recommended to spray with warm and soft moisture or install a humidifier next to the bush. Also, flower growers put a flowerpot with a plant in a large container, and the space between the walls of the pot and this container is filled with chopped and moistened sphagnum moss. This will help keep the soil moist longer and also increase the moisture readings for the flower.
- Watering. The main thing in this process is to observe moderation so that the substrate is not overdried or flooded. The soil in the pot should be evenly moist. Only soft warm water is used. The irrigation regime and their volume do not change almost all year round, it is necessary to focus on the state of the topsoil in the flowerpot. Under cool conditions in winter, moisture is only slightly reduced. Rain, river or melt water can be used, but in urban conditions it is often contaminated, therefore, distilled or well-filtered and settled liquid is used. You can also boil tap water, let it stand for a couple of days, and then carefully drain it from the sediment (so that the lime compounds that have settled to the bottom do not get into the water for irrigation).
- General care. After the flowering process stops, it is necessary to remove all shoots under the root, this will make it possible to lay young stems. The plant has a rhythmic growth, when after the phase of activation comes relative rest. The height of the stems directly depends on where the bud was located on the rhizome above the surface of the substrate. Therefore, when cuttings, the shoots that appear will be shorter than those that are formed later.
- Fertilizers for dichorizandra, they are introduced in the spring-summer period, when active growth is noted (as soon as the first shoots appear above the soil surface) and its flowering. The regularity of feeding should be every 14 days. Apply organic and mineral liquid fertilizers at the indicated dosage. With the arrival of autumn (since the shoots will be removed), feeding stops.
- Transplanting and soil selection. With the arrival of spring, you can change the pot and the soil in it for dichorizandra. The new container should not be much larger than the old pot, so that the soil in it does not sour. A drainage layer (approximately 2-3 cm) of expanded clay or pebbles is poured onto the bottom. The pot can be earthen or ceramic, as they contribute to better distribution of water in the container and its retention. Small holes of such a size are also made in the bottom of the flowerpot so that the drainage does not fall out through them.
The plant prefers nutritious, light and loose substrates. For this you can mix river sand, peat soil, leaf humus and sod soil. Parts of the components are taken equal. It is recommended to add lime flour to this mixture.
Tips for self-breeding dichorizandra
It is possible to get a young dichorizander by dividing an overgrown bush and carrying out cuttings.
If a transplant is carried out and the plant has acquired a very large size, then it can be divided. Often this action is performed in the spring. It is required to remove the dichorizander from the pot and carefully cut the root system with a sharpened and disinfected knife. But each of the divisions must have a full number of roots, otherwise the plants will not take root. Sections will need to be sprinkled with activated or charcoal crushed into powder (both on the cut and on the mother bush). Then the parts are planted in already prepared pots with drainage at the bottom and a selected substrate. Until young bushes show signs of rooting, it is necessary to keep them in partial shade.
When grafting is carried out, the top of the cut branch should be in a vertical state, and its bottom should be located horizontally in the ground. The substrate can be taken by mixing peat with river sand in equal proportions. It is necessary to create a right angle, and this will facilitate the rapid rooting of the cutting. The depth at which the branch will be is measured at 1.5 cm. Sometimes peat tablets are used for rooting, which will help prevent waterlogging of the soil and create conditions for successful rooting of the plant when transplanting it into a permanent container for further growth. The pot with cuttings is wrapped in plastic wrap to create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. Do not forget to regularly moisten the potting medium. When the cutting is rooted, but outwardly it does not look very strong, it is recommended to cut it off - this will stimulate the growth of a stronger young shoot.
Dichorizandra seed is also sown by placing the seeds in a container with a sandy-peat substrate. The container is covered to create high humidity with a piece of glass or a plastic bag. It is important to ensure that the soil does not dry out, and to carry out daily ventilation. Seedlings sprout quickly and begin to gain strength. And then, when a pair of leaf plates forms on the sprout, it transplants in separate flowerpots with selected soil.
Pests and diseases of dichorizandra
If the rules for caring for the plant are not violated, then diseases and pests rarely annoy him. However, the following troubles can be distinguished:
- when soil moisture becomes excessive, then rotting of the root system and stem occurs;
- if the humidity is low, then the leaf plates growing in the lower part of the stem begin to fade and dry out.
When a whitish bloom and white lumps (as if from cotton wool) visible in the nodes appear on the leaves of the dichorizandra, then, probably, the plant has become a victim of a mealybug. It is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations (for example, Atellik or Aktara).
Interesting facts about dichosandra
There is some confusion, since in floriculture, dichorizandra is sometimes confused with Callisia fragrans and is called "golden mustache", attributing various medicinal properties.
All this happens because the general outlines of these representatives of the same family of Commelinaceae are quite similar, but they are not the same species.
It is curious that it differs from other genera of dichorizander in that the anthers are opened through the pores that are located at the tops, while in other specimens of the Kommelin family, pollen can crumble through longitudinal slits. Moreover, the seed material of this exotic plant has a fleshy seedling and is cast in a bright red color.
Types of dichorizandra
- Dichorisandra white-bordered (Dichorisandraalbomarginata) is a fairly ornamental plant, which with its shoots reaches 80 cm in height. The leaf plates have lanceolate outlines, the surface on top is painted in a silvery shade with a rich dark green stripe in the center, and on the back it is light greenish. From the flowers, racemose inflorescences are collected. The color of the petals of the buds is blue with a snow-white base. The native habitat is in the humid forests of Brazil, where a tropical climate prevails.
- Dichorisandra fragrant (Dichorisandrafragrans) it is distinguished by a herbaceous form of growth, reaching a height of up to 40 cm. The stems are relatively thin, but they are quite strong and upright, with a lilac color and a pattern of whitish strokes. The rhizome is located below the soil surface. Leaf plates of elongated contours, lanceolate, all-edged. There are white streaks on the surface and two silvery stripes along the edge when the plant is in bright light. If the plant is young, the middle part of the leaf has a purple color. Under their weight, the upper leaf plates hang to the ground. At the buds, the calyx is painted white, and the petals themselves are blue. It is this variety that is confused with fragrant Callisia, popularly called the "golden mustache".
- Dichorisandra mosaic (Dichorisandra masaica) It has a highly decorative shape and has wide-oval leaf plates. Their length ranges from 15–18 cm with a width of 7–9 cm. The surface above the leaf has a green color with a metallic sheen; it also has a pattern of short white strokes placed transversely between the longitudinally growing veins. On the reverse side, the leaf is purple. The flowering shoot reaches a length of 25-30 cm and is crowned with a bundle-shaped spiral inflorescence, collected from flowers with an interesting color: the petals growing outside are white-yellow, and those that are inside are blue with a whitish base. The peduncle itself is green with a white-feathery pattern. The native territories of natural growth are considered to be the lands of Brazil.
- Dichorisandra royal (Dichorisandra reginae). This variety is distinguished by the color of its foliage. On the lower side, the leaf shines with a reddish tone, and its upper surface is decorated with a pattern of silver stripes. When the plant matures, its surface is covered with mottles and whitish streaks. The length of the leaf plate measures 7 cm with a width of up to 3 cm. When flowering, buds appear that have blue petals with a whitish base.
- Dichorisandra bouquet (Dichorisandra thyrsiflora) can be found under the name Dichorizander brush-colored. In height, the plant usually has a meter in size, but the maximum height of the shoots reaches 2 meters. This is one of the largest members of the family. On upright shoots, knots with strong swelling are often formed. The leaf plates are grouped in the upper part of the stems, their arrangement is spiral. Each leaf has an elongated petiole. The shape of the leaf is oval or lanceolate, measuring about 25 cm in length. The surface of the leaf plate is painted in a rich monochromatic bright green color scheme. A dense inflorescence, growing, rises above the entire bush, it is made up of large flowers. Their diameter reaches 2.5 cm, the color of the petals is blue-violet. In height, the brush reaches 17 cm, and this makes it possible to make quite elegant bouquets.
- Dichorisandra white-spotted (Dichorisandra leucopthalmos) - the owner of oval leaves, which have a pointed tip and a bare surface. A panicle inflorescence is collected from the flowers. The flowers are cast in blue and white colors. Most often found in tropical Brazilian forests with high humidity.
There are variations of this variety:
- Dichorisandra white-spotted (Dichorisandra leucopthalmos var.argenteo-vittata) which has a wide silvery border on the leaves, and reddish stripes can form on the surface above;
- Dichorisandra white-spotted (Dichorisandra leucopthalmos var.vittata) it is distinguished by the presence of two silvery stripes placed longitudinally.
What dichorizandra looks like, see here:
