Distinctive features of a predator plant, recommendations for growing fat, rules for reproduction, difficulties in cultivation, interesting facts, species. In nature, there is a certain number of plants that cannot satisfy all their needs, being content with water and nutrients that they consume from the air and soil. There are also representatives of the green world who are not averse to feeding themselves with living organisms. But do not think that something more than an insect can fall into the traps of such "green predators". We have already talked about some of these representatives of the planet's flora: sundew, nepentes and Venus flytrap. This article will focus on the same insectivorous plant called Pinhuicula.
This specimen of nature has a long-term life cycle (in rare cases it can be an annual) and belongs to the Lentibulariaceae family. The native habitat of Zhiryanka falls on the territory of the extratropical regions of the Northern Hemisphere of the planet, and you can also find it on the lands of South America. Also, this insectivorous representative of the plant world did not ignore the European regions and Russia, where in the first case there are 12 species, and in the second there are 6-7 varieties. Chooses swampy or rocky areas for its placement. The most common of them is the common Zhiryanka (Pinguicula vulgaris), but only 5 species are grown in indoor floriculture, although up to 79 such specimens are counted in the genus Zhiryanka.
The plant owes its Latin name to the translation of the word "pinguis", which means "fat" or "fat". This is probably due to the fact that in Zhiryanka the leaf plates look as if they were oiled and they have rather fleshy and juicy outlines. People can often hear how this green "predator" is called blue fat or oily grass. Zhiryanka differs from other members of the family in that it has a root system, which other plants are deprived of. Also, a short stem can rise above the substrate, carrying leaf plates that collect in a root rosette. The arrangement of the leaves can be spiral, which gives a spectacular ornamental look to this rosette connection. There are multiple glands on the upper side of the leaf, which makes it look glossy and oily. To the touch, the foliage has a stickiness due to the glands, since by means of them the grease secretes sticky sugary mucus, which helps the plant to catch "prey". Other glands produce enzymes that facilitate the digestion of caught insects. When a fly or mosquito, attracted by the glitter of the foliage, touches the plate, this movement leads to the fact that the leaf slowly folds up and the insect is caught. But more often than not, even this is not required, since with the help of a sticky substance, the insect is held on the leaf surface, and other secreted mucus begins to dissolve the proteins of the body of the "victims".
When flowering from the outlet, several flowering stems appear, reaching up to 10-15 cm, devoid of leaves, but sometimes they have pubescence. There is one double-lipped flower at the apex, the diameter when opening is 3–5 cm. The color of the corolla can vary, taking on whitish, pinkish, purple, blue or crimson hues. The calyx is also covered with glands, its lobes are elongated-oval or ovoid. The spur is formed by fused corolla petals, and it can be half or three times shorter than the rest of the corolla. The flowering process occurs in the summer.
After flowering, the fruit ripens in the form of a spherical-oval box. It is filled with small seeds of light brown color.
Recommendations for caring for fatty woman in indoor conditions
- Lighting. The plant is very viable and can do only 3 hours of light per day, therefore it is often grown on the east or west window, since full shade is undesirable.
- Content temperature. The "oil grass" will feel good in the temperature range of 25-30 degrees in summer, but with the arrival of autumn, it will be necessary to reduce the heat indices to 15-18 degrees. This cool wintering is necessary for the normal subsequent growth and flowering of the birchwort, since winter leaves are formed at this time. It is important that there is little variation between daytime and nighttime temperatures.
- Watering and humidity. It is only necessary to moisten the substrate with distilled water, since any other contains minerals and compounds that can harm the oil, you can use rain or river water. The substrate should always be slightly damp; in winter, watering is reduced. In the summer, the frequency of humidification is once every 1-2 days, in the winter months it is watered once a week. The humidity should be high, but the leaves cannot be sprayed due to the glandular surface. Humidity indicators withstand within 60-70%, increasing them by all available means.
- Fertilizers they are not used for zhiryanka, only insects are offered.
- Transplantation and selection of a substrate. It is required to change the pot and the soil in it for the "oily grass" once a year when it is young, and as it grows up only once every 2 years. The plant develops rather slowly and its roots practically do not master the substrate, but for flowering it needs space. The transplant is carried out in early to mid-March, so that by the summer months the Zhiryanka will adapt to the new conditions. This operation is very simple - the "green predator" is taken out of the pot, the soil is carefully removed from the root system with your hands, and then planted in a new container filled with soil. A small depression is made in the soil sufficient in volume for the root system and, having installed the plant in it, the substrate is poured on top. Then it is leveled and moistened with distilled warm water. The soil for Zhiryanka is selected acidic, suitable for the same insectivorous plants, since they all come from swampy areas. Most often, peat and perlite are mixed, taken in equal parts. It is possible that the peat soil was even twice as much as the baking powder. Instead of perlite or agroperlite, coarse-grained and disinfected river sand is often used. The latter is very important, as the availability of nutrients can kill your predator. It is better to use specialized soil mixtures.
As soon as the transplant is carried out, the zhiryanka is placed in a well-lit place, but shaded from the direct streams of ultraviolet radiation. The humidity of the air must be greatly increased in order for the plant to adapt quickly. You can even put a "mush" under a glass cap or a cut plastic bottle.
How to propagate fat with your own hands?
To get a new plant of zhiryanka, you will need to sow seeds, dividing an overgrown bush or cuttings with leaf plates.
Seeds are sown with a substrate suitable for growing fatty women (it is possible in a sand-peat mixture), poured into a container. It will be necessary to maintain the soil in a slightly moist state and be sure to create the conditions for a mini-greenhouse. For this, the container with crops is covered with a piece of glass or wrapped in a plastic bag. It is required not to forget about airing and moisturizing the substrate if necessary. Small fatty plants germinate for several weeks and after they have acquired a sufficient shape, they are transplanted in separate containers filled with a suitable substrate.
New "oily grass" can be grown from buds or leaves that are left over the winter. Since, during preparation for the winter rest period, the zhiryanka begins to form small young rosettes, which can be divided into several particles and planted as independent specimens. It is important to carry out the separation until the zhiryanka has entered the active phase of the growing season. You can also carry out rooting of leafy cuttings from winter leaves, but for them you will need to create conditions by using a peat or peat-sandy substrate with high humidity. When the cuttings take root, they are transplanted in separate containers with suitable soil.
Difficulties in growing zhiryanka
It is clear that pests do not want to get too close to the "oily grass" so as not to become dinner. But still, there are a number of problems that arise when cultivating this "green predator" at home. Also, he can rarely be affected by diseases, so there is no need to remember about preventive measures.
Among the problems are:
- with prolonged exposure to direct sunlight or insufficient moisture and rare watering, the leaf plates dry out, the surface becomes wrinkled and burns appear on it;
- if the illumination is weak, and the soil is depleted, then the fat will not bloom;
- when the plant pot is cramped or the root system was damaged during the transplantation, then the fatty plant begins to wither and stops growing;
- if there was excessive moisture or there is no drainage layer in the pot, then the leaf plates and roots of the plant may rot.
Interesting facts about Zhiryanka
Zhiryanka has long been known for its medicinal properties. The extracted extract is used as an effective active ingredient in the treatment of asthma, as well as coughs and colds. It is curious that because of the enzymes with which the leaves of the plant are full, tetmielk is prepared in Northern Scandinavia - milk that has turned into a viscous mass due to the enzymes added to it. But on animals "oil grass" acts as a laxative, which is often used in veterinary medicine.
Due to the active mineral substances with which the leaves of the pork fat are full, as well as traces of essential oil and organic acid, the plant is used for antispasmodic effects.
Zhiryanka is an indicator plant that is sensitive to climate change and environmental pollution, it has become on the verge of extinction due to drainage of swamps, and in many countries it was listed in the Red Book.
Types of zhiryanka
Morano fatweed (Pinguicula moranensis) can form two leaf rosettes of different sizes during its growing season, the smaller one is winter, and the beautiful and large one is intended for the summer months. In the latter, the leaves are yellowish-green or burgundy, their length approaches 13 cm, they are almost perfectly round in shape, the surface is smooth and there are thick glands on it. The leaves of the winter rosette are small, with parameters in length of only 3 cm, and there is pubescence of hairs on them, there are no glands. When counting, the number of leaves in a winter rosette can reach hundreds.
The flowering process is very effective, the plant produces about 7 flowers, located one at a time. Their diameter often reaches 5 cm, the color of the petals is white or lilac. There are two varieties of this green predator variety:
- Large-leaved Moravian Zhiryanka (Pinguicula moranensis var. Grandifolia) - brighter;
- Modest Moravian Zhiryanka (Pinguicula moranensis var.neovolcanica).
Chiryanka (Pinguicula cyclosecta) is one of the most beautiful varieties of this family. Oval-shaped leaf plates form a strongly flattened rounded rosette. The diameter of each leaf does not exceed 3 cm; their arrangement in the rosette is spiral, which creates a special ornament. During the growing season, the number of silvery-gray leaves can reach 30 units. Each leaf has a violet-purple stripe along the edge, which seems to be blurred along the surface of the leaf towards the middle.
When flowering, elongated flowering stems appear, at the top of which fairly large flowers with a diameter of about 3 cm are formed. The lower petals of the corolla are large in size and perfectly harmonize with the green foliage with their bright purple color. Trap leaves of the plant form under the soil surface, which distinguishes this variety from other zhiryanka.
Gypsum fat (Pinguicula gypsicola) can grow well in practically dry natural conditions, resembling succulent plants. The leaf rosette differs in a more modest appearance than that of other indoor "sisters" - fat women. It is small in size, neat in outline and looks more wild. When growing this variety, a different substrate is selected, it is usually customary to mix equal parts of river sand and vermiculite, since in nature the plant often settles on gypsum rocks, probably from this the name went.
Alpine fatweed (Pinguicula alpina) differs from all varieties in unusual leafy plates. The leaf rosette is formed by connecting multiple oblong leaves, obovate, which do not have petioles (sessile), with an upward curving edge. The color of the leaves is yellowish, there are glands on the surface, which is why the leaf sticks if you touch it. Parameters in width reach one and a half centimeters, and in length they can be 13 cm.
During flowering, buds are formed that grow straight, and do not droop, as in other types of fatty women. They are crowned with flowering stems with a bare surface and a height of up to 12 cm. The surface of the calyx is also bare, the corolla lobes have an elongated shape and a pointed apex. The corolla is distinguished by a white or light yellow color, while on the lower lip there are bright yellow spots at the very base, which effectively emphasize the pastel color of the flower. The spur is three times shorter than the entire length of the rest of the corolla. The flowering process of the alpine variety occurs in the period from June to July.
Common fatweed (Pinguicula vulgaris) is distinguished by oblong-oval leaf plates, which have a narrowing at the base, the leaves are sessile on the stem. The stem reaches 10-15 cm in height. The color on the upper side is light green. The parameters are 2–4 cm long and only 1–2 cm wide. The leaf rosette formed by the foliage is quite neat and ornamental. There is a gloss on the surface due to the iron-adhesive coating.
When flowering, flower-bearing stems with a length ranging from 15-17 cm in diameter are extended. From the very beginning, the surface of the peduncle is covered with small hairs. At the top of the peduncles, flowers are located, the diameter of which is close to 3 cm. The flower's calyx is also covered with rare short hairs-glands. The calyx is made up of lobes that are distinguished by ovoid or oblong-elliptical outlines, the apex of which has a blunt sharpening. The corolla has a blue-violet or crimson-purple color, if measured together with a spur, then they reach 15–20 mm in length. The pharynx also covers pubescence of rather long whitish hairs. The spur is subulate and half the length of the rest of the corolla. Since flowers tend to droop, this makes them related to violets. The flowering process occurs in the month of July.
When the fruit ripens, an oval-spherical box appears, filled with seeds with parameters 0.7x0.1 cm with a light brown color.
How fattyanka looks like, see here:
