2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Leia (lat. Layia) - highly decorative flower culture; a representative of the Asteraceae (or Compositae) family. The genus got its name in honor of the famous botanist and naturalist G. Leia. The genus is relatively small, includes about 15 species, most of which are found in their natural environment in North America, to be more precise in the southeastern regions.
Characteristics of culture
Leia is represented by low, highly branched plants, which acquire a spherical shape during growth. The height of plants is usually no more than half a meter, and the "balls" themselves do not exceed 30 cm in diameter. The foliage of representatives of the genus is average, oblong, often pubescent over the entire surface with small and soft hairs. The color is green, light or dark, depending on the species and variety, may have a grayish or bluish bloom.
The marginal flowers are golden or yellow, with a white border. Tubular flowers are always yellow, small. The diameter of the baskets reaches 4-5 cm. Flowering in a favorable climate and good care is abundant, long-lasting. Some baskets are instantly replaced by others. The leaves of the sheath are elongated. Fruits in the form of narrow wedge-shaped achenes of black color, the surface of which is covered with huge white bristles. The seeds are small, viable for up to 4 years.
Common types
Among the most common and, most importantly, attractive species, gardeners and florists note the graceful Leia (lat. Layia elegans). Experts call California its homeland. This is an annual that boasts open shoots topped with solid, serrated along the edge, foliage covered with soft hairs with a bluish bloom. The baskets, in turn, are equipped with long peduncles. They bear golden marginal and yellow tubular flowers. Marginal flowers are usually no more than 12 pieces. Abundant flowering, usually from the first or second decade of June to the onset of frost.
Growing features
Leia is not a whimsical plant, but in order to achieve its abundant and long-lasting flowering, it is important to follow a number of simple rules. The first is lighting. It is necessary to plant the culture only on sunny sites, a thick shade will destroy the plant, it will lag behind in growth, bloom poorly or not bloom at all, and hurt a lot. The second is the soil. It is advisable to plant leia on drained, light, sandy loam or loamy soils with a neutral pH reaction.
It is not recommended to plant representatives of the genus in lowlands with stagnant cold air and accumulation of water, as well as in areas where northern winds are raging. They will break the fragile stems of the leia. It is also not recommended to grow crops in areas with saline, waterlogged, highly acidic, heavy clay and poorly drained soil. It will destroy the ley and the close occurrence of groundwater.
