Stapelia - A Beautiful And Original Succulent Plant Will Decorate Your Windowsill

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Stapelia is a beautiful and original succulent plant, striking with its amazing flowers, will decorate your windowsill

There are many plants known in the indoor culture among the Grimaceae family. The most famous representative is Lastoven.

Also, this group of plants includes ceropegia, wax ivy, stephanotis and others. How different are the “relatives” - succulents: echidnopsis, guernia, trichocoulon, pyarantus and stapelia. It is about her that we will talk today. This genus unites about a hundred species. All of them are perennial low-growing plants, distributed mainly in the arid and desert regions of South Africa and Namibia, although some species are also found in East Africa.

Shoots of these plants are fleshy, 4-6-sided, not branching or branching from the base. The height is very different, it can vary from 5 to 30 cm for different species. In Stapelia engleriana, serpentine, burrowing shoots can emerge from the ground after 15-30 cm from each other. The stems come in not only all shades of green, but also bluish and even with purple spots. Fleshy, often pubescent flowers are usually located at the base of the shoots, less often at the top - one or several on long pedicels. The bud is gaining strength for a long time, “inflates” like a physalis flashlight, and one fine day you will see a flower-star. The bell-shaped form is less common. Small-flowered - from 1.5 cm stocks are rare in amateur collections. Plants with corollas 5-8 cm in diameter are more often grown. In a giant slipway, under favorable growing conditions, the flower reaches up to 35 cm in diameter.

Under natural conditions, this handsome man reaches 45-50 cm. The color is varied - from light yellow with transverse stripes and dots of thick red hairs to dark purple, below - greenish-blue. This is how the flowers of the grandiflora stocks, which are most often found among amateurs, look like. In some staples, a ring-shaped thickening similar to a lifebuoy is located in the pharynx of the flower. Papillae (hairs) are not always stiff, Stapelia pulvinata has long, brightly colored hairs that are soft and silky.

The fruit is shaped like a pair of horns. In large-flowered forms, they reach 15-20 cm in length and contain many winged seeds.

It is often said that succulents are plants for the lazy. This statement is not devoid of some truth. It is better to forget to water the stapels than to allow waterlogging. Excess water will lead to root rot and plant death. In winter, this culture is kept at a temperature of +10 + 12oС in a dry state. If the apartment is hot, the shoots may wrinkle a little, then let's say a little watering. During the growth period, more water is required, but between waterings the land should almost dry out. A dying plant can be saved. Cut off all rot to healthy tissue. Cuttings must be dried, as they do in almost all succulents and cacti. The cut site becomes dense within 3-5 days. Cuttings prepared in this way take root easily. You can buy a special earthy mixture at the store or make yourself. Leafy earth and well-washed coarse sand are mixed in a ratio of 3: 1 or 1: 1. It is advisable to add 1/8 of the charcoal.

Along with your other pets, stocks can be affected by mealybugs, scale insects and spider mites. The processing methods are the same, the main thing is to notice the aggressors in time and give a timely rebuff. Indeed, in a very short time, they can cause great damage.

There are few diseases in succulents. Incorrect contents, including damp air at low temperatures, contribute to the appearance of black rot. Preventive spraying will not be superfluous, there is now a large selection of drugs.

Stapels in natural conditions usually grow in the shade of trees and bushes, so do not forget to shade them on hot days. The culture is quite shade-tolerant, for example, I have it on the windowsill, which faces north. To prevent the plant from becoming "one-sided" when there is a lack of light, turn it at least once a week by 180 degrees. In the spring, you need to transfer it to a more illuminated place or illuminate it with fluorescent lamps, otherwise it will not bloom.

There is always a fly in the ointment for every barrel of honey. Our heroine did not escape this either. Some species of flowers have an unpleasant odor. This is how pollinating insects are attracted. Fortunately, it is not so strong, it is possible to feel it only when the nose approaches the flower itself. Joy and pride at the sight of the size, unusual color and unusual location of the flower will push this little nuisance into the background.

Irina Plekhanova, florist