Karyopteris

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

Karyopteris (lat. Caryopteris) - the genus of plants, represented in nature by deciduous shrubs, appeared on the planet about fifty-five million years ago. Since then, a lot has changed on Earth, which adversely affected the shrubs of this genus, and therefore they are becoming less and less in the wild. Gardeners liked two of a dozen species that exist in nature, and now Karyopteris can be found in summer cottages, unmistakably guessing the plant by its pleasant aroma, exuding its lilac-blue inflorescences.

Popular name

Many plants, along with the Latin name given to them by botanists, have names given to them by people far from science. So Karyopteris, which grows freely in nature, is called by the people "Nut-winged" or "Bluebeard" for its long and abundant lilac-blue flowering.

Description

The deciduous shrub is distinguished by its numerous branches, which in strict order appear in the world, forming a lush bush. The branches are easy to cut, contributing to the formation of the bush shape desired by gardeners.

Decorative carved leaves love to change color depending on the season. In the spring they are bright green, triumphant in the flowering of life. Closer to autumn, the leaves begin to turn yellow, or transform into the color of oranges. Some of the leaves turn brown. Such a variety of colors adorns the shrub in the absence of its fragrant flowers.

Lilac-blue flowers bloom in abundant inflorescences, turning the bush into a kind of blue thick beard, exuding a pleasant aroma. The persistence of the scent permeates the surrounding air for several meters around the bush, like a fashionista who has passed by, and the scent of her perfume lingers in the air for a long time, as if she does not want people to forget about her.

Two ornamental species used in horticulture

It just so happened that out of a dozen species of shrubs of the genus Cariopteris, gardeners liked only two species that are distinguished by their resistance to frost, are not afraid of partial shade and give the aroma of their sky-purple inflorescences from mid-summer until the arrival of cold weather.

* Gray-haired karyopteris (lat. Caryopteris incana) - you can't walk past such a handsome man, growing up to 1.5 meters. Even its oblong-oval leaves, sporting a large-toothed frame and falling off in late autumn, exude a scent. When the greenery of a dense bush is complemented by lilac flowers collected in abundant inflorescences, the aroma increases tenfold, and the decorative effect becomes irresistible.

* Karyopteris clandonensis (lat. Caryopteris x clandonensis) - this species of Karyopteris owes its birth to the above-described species in collaboration with the Mongolian Karyopteris, being their hybrid. In this way, Mongolian Karyopteris decided to stay longer on the planet, since, as an independent species, it is less and less common in nature, and therefore added to the lists of the Red Book of the Russian Federation, which includes plants that need protection.

Like most children, the hybrid has absorbed the best qualities of its parents into its genes. Flexible one meter long shoots form a lush, imposing bush. For lovers of compact bushes, breeders brought out the garden form of the hybrid, calling it "Karyopteris sky-blue".

The hybrid turned out to be quite cold-resistant, withstanding sub-zero temperatures of 10 degrees. Even if its shoots freeze in winter, then in spring the shrub will show the world new shoots.

The decoration of the hybrid is pubescent brownish-green leaves and lilac-blue flowers that gather in inflorescences.

Growing

The tolerance of Karyopteris to the sun's rays and partial shade is combined in it with a dislike of the wind, and therefore it is required to protect the place where the shrub is grown from its intrusiveness.

Karyopteris is propagated by cuttings, planting rooted cuttings in open ground in autumn or spring. The unpretentiousness of a plant living in the wild in rocky areas, to soils, still has a few exceptions. Acidic soils, soils with excess moisture, sandy soils are not suitable for karyopteris. Water the plant only with prolonged drought.

It is better to support the relative cold resistance of Karyopteris by covering the bushes for the winter with the available materials at hand.

When planting more than one bush, a distance of up to 2 meters should be maintained between them, since the bush is distinguished by enviable bushiness.