Brachycoma

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Brachikoma (lat. Brachyscome) is a genus of flowering plants native to Australia. As a representative of the Asteraceae family, it pleases its fans with the abundant flowering of chamomile flowers, which differ from their relatives in the structure of the fruit.

What's in your name

The French botanist Henri Cassini, whose full name is Alexandre Henri Gabriel de Cassini, who studied plants of the Astro family, was the fifth in the famous Cassini dynasty, and therefore he is sometimes called Cassini V. He did not live 22 days before his 51st birthday (1832-16-04), having fallen ill with cholera.

In 1816, in his work on the representatives of the family, he named the name of this plant “

Brachyscome ”, Based on the name of two classical Greek words:“short”and“hair”, referring to the very short tuft of bristles of the flower inflorescence, which is one of the distinguishing features of Brachikoma from other plants of the genus Astrovye. Later, Cassini removed the letter "s" from the name of the plant, since the Greek word "brachys" (short), when participating in compound words, loses this letter. Therefore, in the literature you can find the Latin name of Brachikoma, such as “

Brachycome". Botanists who systematize plants still cannot come to a consensus about which name is more correct, although in 1993 the Committee on Seed Plants put a "point", preferring the name"

Brachyscome ».

Description

Among the plants of the genus Brachikoma, there are annual or perennial grasses, as well as small shrubs.

The leaves are represented by a basal rosette and / or alternate leaves located on the stem of the plant. The sheet plate can be solid or split.

Flowers are single, or form small inflorescences - shields. Actually, what people who are far from botany call a "flower" is actually an inflorescence. Like other plants of the Asteraceae family, it is composed of marginal reed asexual flowers, called by people "petals", and middle bisexual flowers in the form of a yellow disc in the center of the inflorescence. The petals, like the rays of the sun, scatter in different directions from the central disc and have shades of white, pink, blue or purple.

But the fruit of Brachikoma differs from the fruits of relatives in the family, which is why botanists have isolated such plants as an independent genus. These are clavate achenes with a very short tuft of bristles less than 1 mm long.

Curiously, Brahikoma grows equally well in coastal and mountainous regions, characterized by frequent rains, as well as in the central part of Australia, which is famous for its dry climate.

Varieties

The genus Brachikoma includes more than 50 species. Here are three of them:

* Brachycoma Iberisoliferous (lat. Brachyscome iberidifolia)

* Brachycoma segmental or Mountain chamomile (Latin Brachyscome segmentosa)

* Brachycoma angustifolia (lat. Brachyscome angustifolia)

In cultural cultivation they use

Brachicoma Iberisoliferous

Cultivation of Brachikoma Iberisoliferous

The only drawback of this species is that the plant is annual, since it does not tolerate cold weather.

As for the growing conditions, this is a very unpretentious plant, which is suitable for sandy and clay soils, as well as its salinity. But on fertile soil, the plant will show its abilities much more successfully. Easily tolerates heat.

Watering is required in moderation, during drought periods. Do not allow stagnant water.

The size of the flowers of Brachikoma Iberisoleum is inferior to the size of our garden chamomile - Nivyanik, but its ligulate flowers have a richer palette (blue, purple, blue, white, pink, red) and a pleasant aroma.

Propagated by seeds.