2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Gothieria (lat. Gaultheria) - shade-tolerant woody evergreen plant from the Heather family. Another name is gault.
Description
Gothieria is a low-growing shrub that boasts an abundance of small decorative foliage. The height of this plant rarely exceeds sixty centimeters. And just like all other representatives of the Heather family, the roots of the gothtieri contain mycorrhiza - this name hides a mutually beneficial symbiosis of all kinds of fungal organisms with roots.
Gothieria blooms with incredibly attractive bell-shaped flowers of relatively small size. As a rule, its flowers are white or pink in color. And this amazing plant can boast of a truly enchanting, incomparable aroma!
The fruits of Gothieria are extremely decorative and varied in color - there are white, purple, bluish, pink and red berries! Ripening approximately in September-October, all of them can remain on the bushes until the next spring.
In total, the genus Gautieria has more than a hundred species, and this genus got its name in honor of Jean-Francois Gaultier, a famous French botanist and doctor.
Where grows
In nature, Gothieria grows mainly in the territories of South and East Asia, South and North America, as well as New Zealand and Australia. In Russia, only one type of Gothieria is found in nature, and about seven varieties of this plant are grown in culture.
Usage
Most often on sale you can see recumbent gothiere - this ornamental plant is ideal for decorating gardens or rooms. Gottieria is also actively used as a ground cover plant. And this extremely unpretentious representative of the rich and diverse world of flora is perfect for planting on heather slides! In culture, this beauty has been grown since 1762!
Also recumbent gothiere is widely used in folk medicine. Especially valuable is the essential oil of this plant, almost one hundred percent consisting of methyl salicylate - it is widely used externally in the form of an ointment for spontaneous tumors and acute articular rheumatism. Gothieria leaves are very rich in various tannins, as well as arbutin used as an antiseptic.
Growing and caring
Gottieria is best planted in partial shade, in areas with acidic, light and well-drained garden soils. Waterlogged soils for growing gothteria are categorically unsuitable, since its root system in this case quickly begins to rot, and after some time the beautiful plant simply dies. Gottieria is also a calcephobe, that is, it will grow extremely poorly on lime-rich soils and is unlikely to be able to please with impressive decorativeness.
It is recommended to water the gothtier about a couple of times a month, while spending about five liters of water for each plant. And if too long dry weather is established, it is not only watered every week in the evenings, but also periodically sprayed. It is enough to loosen the soil under the Gothieria only superficially, at the same time eliminating the weeds growing next to it.
Gothieria is able to withstand short-term drought very well, and in general it is very unpretentious in care. Nevertheless, despite the fairly good winter hardiness, it will be much better if the beautiful Gothieria overwinters under cover.
As for the reproduction of gothteria, it can be carried out both by offspring or layering, and by cuttings or seeds.
