2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Hemantus (Latin Haemanthus) - a genus of bulbous plants of the Amaryllidaceae family (Latin Amaryllidaceae). Plants are distinguished by a small number of leaves, evergreen or periodically falling, and an unusual inflorescence, similar to a paintbrush or an artist's brush. The inflorescence is protected from drying out by stipules, colored by nature in the same color as the numerous original flowers. In Russian climatic conditions, plants of the genus Gemantus are grown as indoor plants, or in warm greenhouses.
What's in your name
The Latin name of the genus of original plants is based on two Greek words. Their literal translation into Russian violates all the life principles of plants, through the vessels of which blood never flowed. After all, these two words are "blood" and "flower".
This incomparable combination of words is explained by the bright red color (reminiscent of the color of human blood) of stipules and flowers of two species of the genus, which were the first to decorate European gardens. It was these two species that Karl Linnaeus saw, who gave the name to the whole genus. Although later it turned out that there are species with the purest white stipules and white flowers, which today are more familiar to Russian flower growers.
Such contrasting colors of the flowers of the plant of the genus Gemantus haunted botanists for a long time, each of whom tried to attach different species of this genus to completely different genera and give them different names. Therefore, different classifications of plants include a different number of species in the genus Gemantus, misleading both botanists and ordinary florists. The spread in the number of species of the genus Gemantus ranges from 6 to 22. This can be partly explained by the fact that plants of this genus grow only in South Africa, to which not every botanist could and can get personally.
Description
The main part of the plants of the genus Gemantus is a relatively large bulb. This is a real pantry in which the plant stores nutrients and moisture, allowing the plant to remain inactive underground during unfavorable dry periods of the year. In addition, she is also a reproductive organ that brings new small bulbs into the world.
The bulb is formed by fleshy basal leaves and looks like a two-row tunic. Three species of plants with evergreen leaves leave a part of the bulb on the soil surface, which, with this arrangement, acquires a bright green color. In arid habitats, plants hide their bulbs quite deep in the soil.
Leaves appear from the bulb simultaneously with the peduncle, or even later than the peduncles, the number of which varies from one to six pieces. In different plant species of the genus, the appearance of the leaves can be radically different. It can be narrow leaves spreading along the surface of the ground, or wide and erect. The leaf surface is leathery, smooth to very hairy, or even sticky. Leaves can be evergreen, or falling for an unfavorable period of life.
Compared to other plants of the Amaryllis family, Gemantus has especially small flowers. However, gathering in large groups, they form attractive cluster-shaped inflorescences and have large reserves of pollen and nectar, which are successfully collected by bees. Although the smell of flowering is not very attractive to humans.
The flowers are protected from drying out and damage by four (or more) bracts, which can be membranous or fleshy. The color of the bracts, as a rule, corresponds to the color of the flowers, creating a single monochromatic compositional group, white, pink, orange, red.
Gemantus fruits seem more aromatic to humans. They are generally globular and are colored in tones ranging from bright red to orange, pink and white.
Usage
In South Africa, Gemantus species choose for themselves a wide variety of habitats, located on gravel plains and marshes, coastal dunes, and mountain peaks.
In other parts of our planet, they prefer to grow in greenhouses or in living quarters.
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White-flowered Gemantus
White-flowered Gemantus It is also known under this name as the deer tongue. In Latin, the name of this plant is as follows: Haemanthus albiflos. White-flowered Gemantus belongs to the family called Amaryllidaceae. Description of white-flowered hemantus This plant prefers sunlight, but partial shade is also acceptable.
Gemantus Scarlet
Scarlet Hemantus (Latin Haemanthus coccineus) - one of the types of bulbous plants of the genus Gemantus (lat. Haemanthus), belonging to the amazingly beautiful family Amaryllis (lat. Amaryllidaceae). The plant has fleshy leaves that sometimes appear after the flowering period, and bright inflorescences formed by perhaps the smallest flowers on the earth's surface.
Gemantus Amaryllis
Hemantus amaryllis (lat.Haemanthus amarylloides) - a kind of bulbous plants of the genus Gemantus (lat. Haemanthus) from the Amaryllis family (lat. Amaryllidaceae). Umbellate cone-shaped inflorescences are formed by pink flowers, from which yellow specks of stamens stick out.
Globular Inflorescences Of Gemantus
A lesser known member of the Amaryllidaceae family is the bulbous plant called Gemantus. An alien from South Africa, growing on the windowsills of residential premises and swarming institutions, is often called by completely different names, not suspecting that he is a relative of such more famous houseplants as clivia, amaryllis, hippeastrum or large-flowered bulbous eucharis
