2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Scarlet (lat. Cercidiphyllum) - a spectacular decorative-leaved plant belonging to the Bagryannikovye family. Other names are roundwort or gingerbread tree.
Description
The scarlet tree is a very pretty deciduous tree with a wide-pyramidal crown, densely covered with rounded-ovate opposite leaves from five to eight centimeters long. The height of these trees, on average, varies from ten to eighteen meters (occasionally, you can meet thirty-meter trees), while quite often they have a multi-stem shape. And their trunks are covered with fissured bark of black-brown shades. Annual branches are covered with a smooth reddish bark, and perennial branches are framed with olive-brownish-grayish bark.
The small flowers of the scarlet are devoid of perianths and are collected in bizarre bunches. At the same time, flowers appear on trees almost simultaneously with the leaves (and sometimes even before they bloom) - this usually happens in April. And the fruits of this plant are in the form of collection leaflets.
Sometimes the scarlet is confused with no less spectacular cercis, however, upon close examination, these plants can be easily distinguished by the leaves: they are opposite in scarlet, and in cercis they are alternate. And in general, these plants are not relatives - they belong to different families and to different genera.
Where grows
Currently, scarlet can be found mainly in China and Japan, in deciduous forests. And more than eighty million years ago, he quite safely occupied very vast territories in North America and Eurasia. The scarlet is now quite widespread in the Mediterranean, as well as in East and Southeast Asia.
Usage
Bagryannik is a magnificent park tree, which is ideal for both group or single plantings, and for creating spectacular compositional groups. With the onset of autumn, the leaves of this plant not only turn into wonderful bright shades, but also begin to exude a rather peculiar slightly spicy aroma - it is for this feature that in Germany the scarlet is called the gingerbread tree.
Growing and caring
Crimson grass feels great in sunny areas, on fertile moist soils with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction. By the way, these trees boast impressive winter hardiness!
In dry seasons, the trees need additional watering, and even with the onset of spring, it is recommended to feed the crimson with high-quality complete mineral fertilizers. Trimming will not be superfluous - dried and diseased branches must be removed in a timely manner.
The scarlet is propagated either by sowing seeds in the fall, or by winter cuttings or layering. Cuttings are usually cut in the summer, making sure that each cut is about fifteen centimeters long and that each cut has two internodes. Cut cuttings are immersed in a pre-prepared nutrient substrate, after which they are placed in greenhouse conditions and systematically sprayed. As for rooting, about half of the total volume of cuttings is successfully rooted in this case.
It is quite acceptable to purchase ready-made seedlings, however, it is important to ensure that they are already a little grown, and their root system is closed.
The scarlet tree is also good because it is characterized by increased resistance to a wide variety of pests and ailments. In addition, even very strong air pollution is not at all afraid of him!
