Podophyllum

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

Podophyllum (lat. Podophyllum) - shade-loving decorative-leaved perennial from the Barberry family. Other names are podophyllum or podophyllum.

Description

Podophyllum is a very attractive plant, equipped with two or three fairly large thyroid leaves, the length of which can reach fifteen centimeters, and the width is thirty centimeters. And the height of the podophyllum usually ranges from half a meter to a meter.

Each plant has one cup-shaped flower of a fairly large size - on average, the diameter of these flowers is five to six centimeters. As for the color of the flowers, it can be red, pink or white. And podophyllum blooms usually in late spring, most often in May, and this spectacle looks very impressive! However, the plum-like fruits of orange-red color also give the podophyllum a special decorative effect!

In total, the podophyllum genus has ten independent species.

Where grows

Nine out of ten species of podophyllum grow in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia, and another species grows in eastern North America.

Usage

In culture, two types of podophyllum are most widespread - the thyroid podophyllum and the Emod podophyllum. They look so exotic that they will easily become the perfect decoration for almost any garden! True, so that the thyroid podophyllum does not begin to oppress the rest of the plants growing in the neighborhood, it is recommended to plant it in a separate spot - you can, for example, place spectacular thickets on a slightly shaded slope and admire the leaves, flowers and fruits of a beautiful plant. And podophyllum Emoda will look especially advantageous in rockeries or in flower beds against the background of evergreen and undersized ground cover. As for partner plants, the best choice in this regard would be such shade-loving perennials as the umbilical spring, stonecrop and clefthoof.

Also, podophyllum is very successfully used in folk medicine and in homeopathy - for all sorts of ailments of the liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract and female genital tract. And externally, this plant is used for some skin diseases and warts.

Growing and caring

Podophyllum will feel best on loose and fertile garden or forest soils. Organic-rich soils are especially well suited for these purposes.

In the care of the podophyllum as a whole, it is very undemanding - the plant will have enough regular weeding with loosening, in addition, when drought is established, watering will also be needed, and they will become especially important if the podophyllum was planted in the spring of this year. Also, with the onset of spring, you can pamper plants with top dressing in the form of high-quality complex mineral fertilizers.

Without a transplant in the same place, an excellent podophyllum can grow up to ten years, however, it is important to take into account the fact that even in the presence of the most favorable conditions, the development of this plant will always be extremely slow, that is, it is definitely not worth counting on its rapid growth …

Reproduction of podophyllum is usually carried out at the end of summer, by means of segments of rhizomes supplied with a kidney. In some cases, seed reproduction will be quite acceptable - the seeds are always sown before winter, while it is important to remember that they will germinate very slowly, and it will be possible to admire the first flowering of a few seedlings only in the fourth or even in the fifth year. Also, when planting in permanent places between plants, it is necessary to maintain a distance of thirty to sixty centimeters.