Characteristics and cultivation of calliandra, native places of growth, advice on breeding, pest and disease control, interesting facts, species. Calliandra belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae). Its native habitat in its natural environment falls on the lands of South and North America, the island territories of Madagascar, and it can also be found in the western regions of the African continent and in India, where a tropical and subtropical climate prevails. This genus unites up to 200 varieties of the same representatives of the green world of the planet.
You can hear how the people call the calliandra plant "Fairy brushes", and the name itself from the Greek means "beautiful stamens", describing the appearance of the flowers of this unusual green beauty. Mostly calliandra has a shrub form, but can grow as a small tree. In any case, the plant is always branched and often varies in height from one to 8 meters, and its width, depending on the variety, also varies from one meter to five meters. The length of the leaf plates can reach 40 m; they are distinguished by complex pinnation. The leaf lobes themselves have a simple elliptical, crescent or elongated lanceolate shape. The color of the leaflets is saturated bright green, when the leaf is young, but over time the color darkens, the surface is shiny. With their outlines, the leaves of the plant resemble the leafy feathers of mimosa or mountain ash.
The inflorescence originates in the leaf axils or at the tops of the branches. The diameter of such inflorescences often reaches 7-10 cm. They are very reminiscent of lush pom-poms or baskets. Inflorescences are composed of funnel-shaped or small bell-shaped buds, inside which there are a large number (from 10 to 100) stamens. The beauty and attractiveness of inflorescences consists of such thin filamentous stamens, which are painted in red, pinkish or whitish tones (and sometimes they can be two-colored). The length of such stamens can reach 1.5–4 cm. It is these stamens that make the flowers so unusual, for which the plant received such fabulous names. The flowering process can occur during the winter, but there are varieties that bloom in the summer months. "Puffs" - inflorescences can stay on the bush for 6-8 weeks.
The growth rate of calliandra is quite high, so often the owners have to deal with shaping the crown of the bush. In indoor growing conditions, it is recommended to adhere to the height parameters in the range of 60–80 cm, and if you do not violate the rules of agricultural technology, then the "fairy brushes" will delight you for many years.
Calliander care advice, flower cultivation
- Lighting. For the rapid growth of the bush and the growth of a lush crown, they select a place with good constant lighting. But it is important to ensure that direct sunlight at noon does not fall on foliage and flowers. Window sills with east and west locations will do. Often they put the pot on the south window, but at the same time, translucent curtains or gauze curtains are hung. If the calliandra was only recently purchased, then it is gradually taught to the sun's rays so as not to provoke burns on the foliage.
- Content temperature. Heat indices when growing "beautiful stamens" should be maintained in the spring-summer months within the range of 18-25 degrees, and with the arrival of autumn and the entire winter period, before the start of spring activity, it should be reduced to 15-17 degrees. With the arrival of summer heat, you can take out the pot with the "fairy brushes" in the open air - a balcony, terrace, or attic will do. You just need to take care of the shading of the plant.
- Air humidity when growing calliandra should be high, as in natural conditions, this is what happens. Therefore, it is recommended to spray the deciduous mass daily, and even twice a day in the heat, but it is better only in the morning or in the evening, so that the liquid droplets dry out and the sun's rays cannot cause harm. Several times a month for the "staminate plant" showers are carried out, while the temperature of the water should be such that the hand is not hot. You can also raise the humidity in the room by all available methods: place humidifiers next to the flowerpot, install vessels with liquid near the calliander, or put the flower pot itself in a deep tray, where expanded clay (pebble or chopped moss) is poured and a little water is poured. The edge of the pot should not touch the edge of the liquid; for this, the flowerpot is placed on a saucer. Sometimes the owners of the "fairy brushes" can put a pot near the aquarium, which will also have a positive effect on the foliage of the plant. If you do not make efforts to reduce the dryness of the air, then the leaf lobes will begin to dry and their color will darken. Only soft and warm water is taken for spraying.
- Watering. For this inhabitant of tropical and subtropical regions of the planet, abundant soil moisture in a pot is needed. In no case should the substrate be allowed to dry. If you break the watering scheme, then the calliander immediately reacts negatively to it. Water is used only with standing water and at room temperature. It is even sometimes slightly warmed up.
- Fertilizers for calliandra, it is carried out after all the flowers on the bush have wither, and another 14 days have passed. Then, every 3 weeks, liquid fertilizers are applied for flowering indoor plants. You can also use organic matter by adding the drug to the water for irrigation so that the dosage is weak. Mineral free-flowing fertilizers can be placed in the soil near the base and left so that the agent decomposes on its own in a natural way.
- Pruning plants of "fairy brushes" are carried out constantly, as the bush grows quickly enough and this will help to give it a more compact form. Such molding is carried out once a year with the arrival of spring. It is recommended to cut the branches to half the length and this does not harm the state of the "stamen plant". Even bonsai-style calliandra shaping is painless.
- Tips for replanting and choosing soil. With the arrival of springtime, it is recommended to change the pot and the soil in it while the calliander is still young, but in adult specimens it is recommended to change only the top layer of the substrate in the flowerpot. At the bottom of the new pot, it is necessary to pour 2-3 cm of drainage, which is used as small pebbles or expanded clay, but you can use broken shards of medium size or crushed brick (previously sifted from dust).
The soil is selected from the following options:
- leaf humus, humus and river sand, parts of the components should be equal. Sometimes part of the leaf substrate is doubled;
- greenhouse land, rotted manure and peat soil, coarse sand or perlite (all in equal parts).
You can also use ready-made commercial soil by mixing almost 1/4 of the total volume of the substrate with perlite.
How to propagate calliandra from seeds and cuttings?
To get a plant with brush flowers, you can use seed or cuttings.
Spring time is suitable for such reproduction. It is often recommended that the seeds germinate well and wipe them with sandpaper. Then you should soak for two days in warm water and let the seeds swell well. Then the planting is carried out into a container filled with a peat-sandy substrate. Shallow grooves are made on its surface and seeds are placed in them. The distance between them should be at least 5-6 cm. The grooves must also be made in such a way that there is at least 5 cm between them. It is recommended to sprinkle the planted material with a substrate so that its layer is 1 cm. The planting container is covered with a plastic bag and placed in a warm place, with good lighting, but without direct UV streams. The humidity level must be maintained at around 60%. You can carry out illumination with fluorescent lamps, or as they are called fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps. If this is not done, then the sprouts that appear later will be too weakened and strongly elongated. The seedlings should be aired daily and if the soil is dry, then moisten it with a spray bottle. With this care, the sprouts will appear after 14 days.
When a week or 10 days has passed, it is recommended to water the seedlings with a solution of complex fertilizer. If the sprouts are very densely located, then it is recommended to thin them out. When feathery leaves are formed on young seedlings, then a pick is made in separate containers, with a suitable soil and they are first covered with a plastic bag or placed under a cut bottle. Pinching the seedlings is not recommended. The plants obtained in this way begin to release flowers in the third year of their life.
Reproduction of calliandra using stem cuttings is possible. The apical branches are cut so that their length is 7.5 cm. It is recommended to treat the cut of the cutting with a root formation stimulator, for example, heteroauxin. The cuttings are planted in a sandy-peat substrate and the temperature during germination is maintained at about 25 degrees. It is necessary to create greenhouse conditions by covering the cuttings with plastic wrap or placing them under a glass vessel or cut plastic bottle. It is recommended to ventilate every day and moisten the soil in the pot.
Difficulties in cultivating calliandra and ways to solve them
Most often, of the problems that can arise when growing calliandra, the following are distinguished:
- if the temperature is lowered, and the substrate becomes overmoistened, then the plant may begin to rot;
- when watering is insufficient or air humidity is low, the leaf lobes will begin to turn yellow and fall off;
- the plant of "beautiful stamens" grows slowly and does not bloom in case of insufficient nutrition or light, as well as with low thermometer readings.
Most often, in the absence of fresh air and a sufficient level of lighting, as well as with low humidity, harmful insects are affected, among which are whitefly, aphids, mealybugs and spider mites. If pests are found, it is recommended to carry out treatment with insecticidal preparations, for example "Fitoverm", "Karbafos" or "Aktara".
From non-infectious problems, calliandra reluctance to bloom is distinguished. To stimulate this process, it is recommended to keep the plant at room temperature for a year, and only with the arrival of autumn days, move it to a place where the thermometer column will show a mark of 16 units. So the bush is kept for a couple of weeks, and then it is placed back in warm conditions and plentifully watered with warm water. If this is not done, then small leaf lobes will begin to fly around in unison.
Interesting Calliander Facts
This genus includes about 200 varieties that differ from each other in height and crown parameters. Calliander is often used at home, growing in the bonsai style. Such plants look especially attractive in the phase of the appearance of flowers.
The plant is not toxic, but it is still not recommended to consume it internally. It is also curious that this representative of the flora has the ability to fold its leaves from touch.
Calliander species
- Pubescent calliandra (Calliandra eriophylla) grows in the Americas. It is a low-growing shrub plant or a small tree, which can have a meter in height and a crown up to 80 cm in width. The leaf plates grow to a length of 7–12 cm and have double-pinnate outlines. Each of the leaf feathers has a semi-division into one or two pairs, these lobes have an oval or elliptical shape. The color of the leaf plate is dark green, from the bottom there is partial pubescence with soft villi. Inflorescences are spherical baskets that are located in the leaf axils. The diameter of the inflorescences reaches 3 cm. Flowers with a light or deep pink color, often there is a reddish-purple or white tone of protruding stamens. In length, they can approach one and a half centimeters.
- Red-headed calliandra (Calliandra haematocephala) sometimes called Calliandra inaequilatera. Found in Bolivian lands. It has a shrubby form of growth, large in size (height can vary in the range of 3-6 meters), a multi-branching plant with a crown in width reaching 2-4 m. Leaf plates are pinnate or double-pinnate, measure 30-45 cm in length, leaf can be divided into 5-10 pairs of leaf lobes with crescent, elliptical outlines. Their surface is glossy, the color is rich dark green. In the leaf axils, spherical inflorescences originate, which are baskets reaching 7 cm in diameter. Usually their color is reddish, pinkish color or snow-white tone can be found. The length of the stamens varies within 0.7–0.9 cm. These formations, which protrude outwardly, are also colored bright red, pinkish or whitish. The flowering process occurs in June-July.
- Calliandra surinamensis grows in natural conditions in Central America. The variety is presented in the form of broad outlines of a shrub or a small tree, which, with their shoots, can reach 3–8 meters in height, while the width varies in the range of 2–5 meters. The leaves are paired, colored in a light green tone, along the valley they can reach 10 cm or a little more. Leaf feathers are half divided and there are up to 7-12 leaf lobes, which are distinguished by oblong-lanceolate outlines. The inflorescences have the shape of baskets and they are located in the axils of the leaves. They reach 5–8 cm in diameter and are collected from yellow-green flowers. Half-centimeter stamens at the base are shaded with a whitish color, and their entire surface casts a bright red color. The flowering process occurs in the summer.
- Calliandra tweedii. The native area of distribution falls on the lands of Brazil and Uruguay. It has a shrub or tree-like form of growth, shoots in height can vary within 2–5 meters, with a width varying from 1.5 to 2 meters. The leaf plates are paired-pinnate, their color is medium-green, they can grow up to 10–15 cm in length. The leaf feathers are divided into 15–20 pairs of leaf lobes. The shape of the latter is oblong-narrowed with partial curvature. The inflorescence is collected from green or white flowers with half a centimeter reddish stamens. The diameter of the inflorescence varies between 5-7 cm.
- Calliandra schiltzi has large flowers with elongated stamens-needles of a snow-white color in the middle, and there is a pinkish tone at the tips. Because of this, it is a particularly attractive variety, since the flower gives a feeling of lightness, splendor and weightlessness. It is often this variety is used to obtain plants in bonsai stele.
How calliandra looks like, see here:
