Kirkazon

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

Kirkazon (lat. Aristolochia) - a perennial plant of the Kirkazonov family. Under natural conditions, Kirkazon grows in tropical forests of Asia, South America and Africa. Some species are successfully cultivated in regions with a temperate climate. The second name is aristolochia.

Characteristics of culture

Kirkazon is a herbaceous plant with curly or smooth erect shoots; woody liana or low tree. The height / length of plants varies from 8 to 15 m. The root system is superficial, some roots go 3-5 cm deep, on dry soils - up to 55 cm. Shoots are thin, cord-like. Young shoots are olive green in color, adults are dark gray.

Leaves are entire, cordate, oval, oval-lanceolate, oval-cordate, alternate, pubescent over the entire surface, located on long or short pubescent or bare petioles, up to 10-20 cm in length. Flowers are large, yellow-brown or yellowish. green, often with a mottled pattern, spots can be brown or reddish-brown, sometimes purple, presented in the form of curved tubes, have a very unpleasant odor that attracts flies, beetles and mosquitoes. The fruit is an oblong, rounded or oval capsule, about 8-10 cm long. The seeds are flat, faceted, small. When grown in Russia, the fruits do not have time to ripen, so it is very difficult to get seeds.

Common types

* Large-leaved Kirkazon (lat. Aristolochia durior) - the species is represented by shrub vines 10-12 m high. Young shoots are green, glabrous; adults are lignified, gray, wrinkled. The leaves are large, light green, up to 30 cm in diameter. The flowers are yellow-green in color, with a brown limb and purple specks. Large-leaved Kirkazon grows in Central Russia. The plant blooms in early June.

* Kirkazon Manchurian (lat. Aristolochia mandshuriensis) - the species is represented by deciduous woody lianas 10-20 m high. Young shoots of bright green color, pubescent over the entire surface; adults are gray, lignified. The leaves are large, light green, up to 25-30 cm in diameter, have a camphor smell. The flowers are creamy brown or brown. It does not bloom every year. Kirkazon Manchurian grows in Central Russia and the Far East. The plant blooms in early May. Leaves fall in the second decade of September. It is actively used in folk medicine.

* Kirkazon clematitis (lat. Aristolochia clematitis) - the species is represented by a herbaceous vine with a long rhizome. Plant height up to 15 m. Leaves are round or ovoid, with blunt ends, matte. The flowers are yellow with a slight limb. Kirkazon clematis grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Western Europe. Flowering begins in late May - early July and lasts about 30 days.

Growing conditions

Kirkazon is a shade-loving plant that grows well under a wide spreading crown of trees or near the northern walls of buildings and other structures. In Siberia and the Urals, plants can be grown near the southeastern and eastern walls, which is associated with a lack of sun in these regions.

Kirkazon is hygrophilous, prefers moderately moist, loose and humus-rich soils. It has a negative attitude towards dry soil. In general, in arid regions, plants grow slowly and hardly flower. Some types of kirkazon require areas protected from cold winds.

Plants of lowlands and areas with stagnant water do not tolerate. Most varieties of culture are winter-hardy, however, felt Kirkazon and Graceful Kirkazon are transferred to warm rooms for the winter.

Reproduction and planting

Kirkazon is propagated by seeds, cuttings and layering. Cutting is carried out in early spring or autumn, cutting is carried out from ripe annual shoots. Rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place after 6-7 months. Gardeners most often use winter cuttings. After cutting, the shoots are dropped in the cellar, and in the spring they are taken out, cut into cuttings 30 cm long with 2 nodes and planted in a nutrient mixture, on top of which wet sand is poured.

The seed method is used infrequently, since it is very complex and not as effective as cuttings. Kirkazon seeds need preliminary stratification, which lasts 3 months. For this, the seeds are laid in wet sand and kept at a temperature of 1-5C. Sowing is carried out in early spring in special seedling containers or in greenhouses.

Care

Kirkazon is a liana (although some species of the genus are presented in the form of climbing shrubs and even small trees), for normal growth and development, the culture requires strong supports. It can be planted both near the walls of houses and buildings, and near large trees. She will climb the support, spinning counterclockwise and forming lush tents. Plants need systematic weeding and loosening of the soil near the trunk zone. These procedures are carried out very carefully so as not to damage the superficial root system.

Abundant watering is regularly carried out (at the rate of 8-12 liters per adult plant). Kirkazon is fed with weak solutions of liquid fertilizers, for example, mullein solution. Complex mineral fertilizers are applied as needed. Formative and sanitary pruning is performed from early spring to late autumn. In dry weather, plants are sprayed, a lack of moisture can affect not only growth, but also flowering.

For the winter, a liana or a climbing shrub is bent to the ground, having previously removed unripe shoots, and sprinkled with a thick layer of fallen dry foliage or covered with spruce branches. The culture is extremely rarely affected by pests or diseases. During prolonged drought and untimely watering and spraying, plants are affected by aphids or spider mites. It is important during the treatment with herbal infusions.

Application

Kirkazon is used for landscaping and decorating the walls of houses, balconies, arches, terraces, gazebos, outbuildings, pillars, columns, pergolas and even the trunks of old trees. Some species are widespread in folk medicine, such as Manchurian Kirkazon and Brazilian Kirkazon.