Mattiola

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

Mattiola (lat. Matthiola) - a light-loving annual or a biennial from the Cruciferous family. The second name is levkoy.

Description

Mattiola is a herbaceous plant whose erect stems vary in height from twenty to eighty centimeters. The stems of this plant can be either pubescent or hairless. Sometimes there are also slightly curved, weakly branched stems, densely covered with foliage. As for the leaves, they are usually lanceolate and can be either serrated or whole.

The four-petal flowers of Matthiola boast a very characteristic aroma, and their color can be either pink, or yellow or purple. All flowers are collected in incredibly attractive spike or racemose inflorescences. And the fruits of mattiola look like small dryish pods, on which small tubercles from seeds are clearly visible.

The Latin name for mattiola was given by Robert Brown, who named the beautiful plant in honor of Pietro Mattioli, an Italian botanist and physician.

The genus Mattiola has more than fifty species.

Where grows

In nature, Matthiola grows mainly in Africa and Eurasia. Quite often, this beautiful plant can be found on the territory of the European part of Russia, Siberia, the Mediterranean and Transcaucasia.

The homeland of gray-haired mattiola is considered to be the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean, and the homeland of mattiola two-horned is Asia Minor and Greece.

Usage

In the middle lane, mainly two types of matthiola are grown: gray-haired matthiola and two-horned matthiola. These plants are used mainly for flower gardens, as well as for cutting or forcing. The beautiful mattiola will look no worse on balconies.

And non-double flowers of garden forms are excellent honey plants - bees are very willing to collect precious nectar from them.

Growing and caring

Matthiola should be planted in sunny areas, on non-acidic fertile soils, ideally on sandy loam or loamy.

Water the matthiola abundantly, but not excessively. In addition, this beauty needs to be pampered periodically with high-quality dressings. Also, from time to time, matthiol will need to be weeded and periodically loosened the holes. As for low temperatures, matthiola tolerates them very well.

Reproduction of matthiola usually occurs with seeds sown with the onset of March on seedlings. It is quite permissible to plant this plant and immediately into the ground, only this should be done not earlier than May. In any case, matthiola is planted in open ground only when the threat of return frost is over. By the way, before planting, the seeds must be soaked in water for a day - if they eventually float to the surface, then they are no longer suitable for planting. And those seeds that remain on the bottom of the container are carefully wrapped in a damp cloth or cloth and placed in a cool place. And for sowing seeds, it is better to take not too large containers!

Sometimes Matthiola can be affected by the cruciferous keel - the spores of the causative agent of this extremely unpleasant fungal disease can persist in the soil for a very long time. That is why, in order to avoid possible infection, matthiola is categorically not recommended to be planted in areas where any other plants from the Cruciferous family grew before it. In addition, a beautiful plant can be attacked by blackleg or Fusarium.

Also, Mattiola can sometimes suffer from invasions of voracious cruciferous fleas and some butterflies (white beetles, cabbage, etc.).