Aspidistra is a perennial flower whose homeland is East Asia. Its other name is "pointer of snakes", which means that snakes love to settle in it. The unique culture has properties that are useful for humans, collecting dust on its plates and destroying harmful bacteria and microorganisms. Aborigines use it to treat many diseases.
Main types
The origin of the word "aspidistra" is Greek: the two components of it are translated as "shield" and "star". The culture belongs to the family of Asparagus and has an underground creeping rhizome.
Aspidistra
There are 98 varieties in the description of aspidistra, but only 7–9 of them are known as a houseplant. The evergreen stemless plant has large fleshy leaves. Height varies from 25 to 30 cm. Flowering lasts only one day, therefore, in the preparation of floral compositions and bouquets, the greenery of culture is used.
Important! Each leaf refers to a separate shoot. There are other leaves, small, scaly, which have no plate or petiole. Scales protect the green leaf that has begun to develop and make its way through the ground. Also in the axils of such leaves, the inflorescences of a brownish-purple color are formed.
Types of aspidistra, the most common in indoor floriculture, are:
- High
- Elator,
- Attenuate
- Large-flowered,
- Friendly family
- Sichuan,
- Oblanceolia,
- Variegate
- Guanjou
- Bloom,
- Milky Way,
- Amanogawa.
High
Aspidistra high - a very large shrub. In nature, its height reaches a little less than a meter - 0.8 m. At home, it is somewhat more modest - 0.6-0.7 m. Leaf plates are 0.5 m long and 0.1 m wide.
Foliage:
- Its shape is pointed, oblong, somewhat similar to the "Sharp tongues" plant.
- The color is bright green, glossy.
With development and growth, the bush actively grows, becomes lush, similar to a fountain.
Additional Information. This species develops slowly; in the first year, only 3-5 new leaf plates appear on it. At home, it practically does not bloom, usually in the summer.
High
Friendly family
At the aspidistra Druzhnaya family, the most favorite place to grow is a balcony or terrace. This species likes watering, does not tolerate drying out of the soil. This is a subspecies high, differing only in such not large sizes.
Friendly family
Elatior
Aspidist Elatior is often classified as high. Some gardeners believe that Elatior is a high aspidistra.
Elatior
It is best developed and is actively growing in its homeland - in Asia. Flowering in the natural environment begins from the beginning of the year and continues until the rains in April. Single flowers, up to 2 cm in diameter, purple-red color.
Note! Sometimes in the inflorescence you can find 6-8 stamens, 2-5 bracts, a pistil in diameter up to 1 cm. This means that round brown fruits with seeds inside will soon appear.
Variegate
Varidegate aspidistra, like high, is most often grown at home. Her height is small, up to 50 cm, but the bush can become spreading, grow.
This species is capricious, needs constant care, monitoring air humidity, lighting and feeding.
Variegate
Variegata foliage is dark green with vertical creamy stripes.
Important! If the strips begin to disappear, improper care is carried out. You should pay attention to reducing the number and proportions of fertilizers applied, check the soil moisture - it should not be excessive.
Other types
Indoor plants do not have many varieties of aspidistra, one of the most colorful and attractive is the Milky Way (or Milky Way).
Milky Way
A small shrub of 40-60 cm in height, the foliage on it is strewn with small white dots, as if in bulk in the sky. It blooms in March.
Additional Information. If growth is not limited, not pruned, then the shrub will grow very much and become lush.
The plant is very unstable to drought, nor to extreme cold. It grows extremely slowly.
Home Care
Aspidistra care at home is simple, does not require much effort. Most importantly, remember that the plant does not tolerate a large number of transplants. It is better to transplant for the first time 3-4 years after planting in a pot, if necessary.
In leaving, the aspidistra is unpretentious, therefore, as growers say, it is ready to withstand any conditions and take root wherever possible.
Temperature
The secret of leaving an aspidistra is considered to be that it is undemanding, very tenacious, although sometimes capricious.
Note! Do not neglect the most important rules in the care of any plant. So, for example, if you put the culture in the scorching sun, the flower will certainly earn a burn. The fact that the aspidistra is unpretentious does not mean that you should be mindless about caring for it.
This iron lady is temperature neutral. It is able to withstand cold weather up to +5 degrees, although it is always warm in its homeland.
Rules:
- In winter, it is better to keep the temperature up to +16 degrees;
- In summer, avoid extreme heat, optimally 20-22 degrees heat.
Humidity and watering
For aspidistra in a pot, severe moisture is dangerous. Therefore, an important rule is that it’s better to top up than to top up.
Rules:
- Watering every 4-5 days. Make sure that the soil does not dry out, water when the top layer has become slightly dry. In winter, watering once a week.
- Spraying is unprincipled, but the appearance of the flower will be much better.
- It is necessary to wipe the dust, a lot of it accumulates on the plates.
Lighting
Loves the shadow. In the strong sun will wither away. If there are bright spots on the foliage, it is worth taking the plant to the sun. The more spots, the more culture needs sunlight.
Soil and fertilizing
Optimum soil:
- Sod land (2 parts);
- Humus, peat, sheet land, sand (1 each).
Feed is introduced between April and September every two weeks, using liquid top dressing: "Agricola", "Bona Forte", etc.
Bloom
How unusual the aspidistra blooms, will tell everyone who grew this plant. If it was possible to achieve flowering, then the beauty will please the hostess with a short-lived, but such an extraordinary flower!
Bloom
The buds of the culture are formed on the roots and look unique: small, pinkish-purple with a brown tint of inflorescences, somewhat reminiscent of a star. It blooms only one day, after which forms the fruit in which the grains are located.
Important! In wild conditions, the flowering period lasts all season, at home in spring or summer.
Reasons for the lack of flowering
Flowering aspidistra at home is rare, because the conditions of cultivation and maintenance for this should be ideal. In the European zone, this is very difficult to achieve.
You can try to feed the plant with phosphorus and potassium, which contribute to setting buds. It is also good to loosen the soil so that the inflorescences can form and open.
Breeding methods
Aspidistra reproduction methods are considered:
- Division of the bush.
Additional Information. If the shrub has less than 8 leaves, then for this method of propagation it is not worth choosing.
- The seeds. Landing is made in the spring.
- By sheet. The best, strong leaf is selected, dried and placed in a bottle of water.
Leaf propagation process
- Rhizome is one of the easiest ways. It must be carried out with a plant that has reached 5 years. Carefully carry out the procedure - the roots of the flower are very fragile.
Possible diseases
At aspidistra room there are various diseases. Some of them can be prevented or cured instantly by simply changing the lighting or watering conditions. Others are worth the long and painstaking treatment.
Most often, the leaf at the aspidistra is affected: spots appear, the foliage turns yellow, withers, withers and falls off.
Leaf disease
What problems happen:
- Brown spots on the foliage indicate a sunburn. Immediately it is worth moving the flower to the shade.
- Yellowing, wilting foliage. The soil is too moist, the roots rot. Transplant a flower and stop abundantly watering.
- The pallor of the leaf, the color is lost. Too dark place. Move to where the light is scattered.
- The foliage became brown, on it a cobweb - a spider mite disease. To process a crown "Actellik", to humidify air with sprayings.
- Foliage falls, turns yellow, you can see pests on it - these are scale insects. Collect pests manually, disinfect the lesions with soap and water. After process "Karbofosom" or "Fufanon".
- With infection, chlorosis, foliage rapidly turns yellow, and its hue changes. It is impossible to treat such a disease - the plant should be destroyed in order to avoid infection of other domestic crops.
The oldest plant in the world is not in vain called "cast iron." With its unpretentiousness and lack of moodiness in leaving, it is unlikely to be able to compare with any culture.
