Mesembriantemum

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

Mesembryanthemum (lat. Mesembryanthemum) - succulent; a large genus of annual and perennial plants of the Aizovy family. Naturally grows in Africa. An interesting feature of the culture is the opening of flowers in clear sunny weather. Among the people, representatives of the genus are often called sunflowers and midday. In total, the genus has about 80 species.

Characteristics of culture

Mesembriantemum is represented by annual and perennial plants up to 20 cm high with recumbent, straight and strongly branching shoots. They are crowned with sedentary, pale green, fleshy, opposite at the bottom and alternate at the top with foliage of a round, lanceolate or oval shape. On the surface of the foliage there are glandular hairs, which are called idioblasts. Outwardly, they are very similar to lenses.

The flowers are single or collected in a cluster, as a rule, double, with narrow petals, can be white, pink, red and yellow. The flowering of the mesembryanthemum is long-lasting, occurs in early summer and lasts until the onset of frost. Gardeners and florists say that in appearance the flowers of the mesembryanthemum are very similar to daisies. The fruits are represented by five-leaf capsules bearing small seeds that remain viable for up to 2 years.

Common types

The most common representative of the genus is crystal mesembryanthemum (Latin Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). The plant is popularly called crystal grass. The foliage of the species under consideration is green, oval, with wavy edges. Flowers can be pink, orange, yellowish-white. This species is used in breeding work.

It should be noted the daisy mesembryanthemum (Latin Mesembryanthemum bellidiformis). This is a dwarf annual. It does not exceed 10 cm in height. The foliage of this species is rather large, obovate, with papillae on the surface. The flowers are medium, up to 3-4 cm in diameter, pink, purple, red, violet, orange.

Also of interest among gardeners and florists is the species - cereal mesembryanthemum (lat. Mesembryanthemum gramineus). In height, the representative of the genus does not exceed 12 cm. A distinctive feature is the pale red shoots and pubescent, linear, fleshy leaves. The flowers of this species are very attractive, have an unusual carmine color with a pink tint.

The species is famous for its high decorativeness - mesembryanthemum occulatus. Like all representatives of the genus, this species has a dwarf growth of up to 10 cm. The foliage is lanceolate, fleshy, up to 4.5 cm in length. The flowers are bright yellow, and the middle is deep red. That, by the way, is the reason for the name - ocellar.

Growing features

Mesembriantemum is grown only through seedlings. Sowing is carried out in the first or second decade of April, while supplementary lighting is carried out in the evening hours. Seeds are sown in separate containers or seedling boxes, which are filled with light, nutritious, moist soil mixture, including washed coarse-grained river sand, peat.

When sowing, the seeds are lightly pressed into the mail, and then watering is carried out with a spray bottle. To obtain fast shoots, the plants are covered with foil or glass. The room temperature must be at least 16C. As a rule, seedlings appear in 21-25 days. It should be noted that young plants cannot boast of excellent durability, with improper care or climate, they often get sick, most often they are exposed to root rot.

It is extremely important to follow the watering rules, regular watering is required, but waterlogging should not be allowed. In addition, ventilation must be carried out systematically. Diving of seedlings in separate containers is carried out with the appearance of 2 - 3 true leaves on the seedlings. The mesembriantemum is planted in open ground at the end of May, but only after the threat of night frosts has passed.

Mesembriantemum should be planted in well-lit areas, protected from cold northerly winds and accumulation of precipitation. The soil is desirable light, drained, it is recommended to use coarse sand as drainage. The optimum distance between plants is 20 cm. After planting, the soil is thoroughly tamped and watered, mulching is not prohibited.