2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Smilacina (lat. Smilacina) - shade-tolerant and shade-loving perennial, which is a representative of the Liliaceae family.
Description
Smilacina is a rather cute long-rhizome perennial, somewhat similar to the well-known kupena, however, unlike the latter, the smilacin flowers are more miniature, in addition, they all gather in terminal brushes or panicles.
The height of this plant can vary from ten centimeters to half a meter. The oblong leaves of smilacin can be both ovoid and lanceolate, the only thing that remains unchanged in this case is that they are all sequential and in most cases sessile, although occasionally there are specimens equipped with short petioles. And on all the leaves you can see a great many longitudinal veins!
Gathering in small panicles or terminal brushes, tiny smilacin flowers can be either white or purple. The perianths of these flowers are formed by six identical, star-shaped, spread-out oblong leaves. Smilacina flowers also have six stamens, and in most cases they do not protrude beyond the perianth. As a rule, it blooms in April or May. And the fruits of this beauty are very beautiful, red in color with bizarre specks, and inside these juicy berries you can always find from one to three seeds.
In total, the genus of smilacin has twenty-five species, and three of them are quite widespread on the territory of Russia.
Where grows
The luxurious North American forests are considered to be the birthplace of Smilacin. This beauty grows mainly on rich moist forest soils, in swamps, along the banks of streams and rivers, as well as in the alpine belt, from the tundra zone to the picturesque tropics. Most often, smilacin can be found in Central or North America, as well as in vast Asian territories, from the Himalayas to Japan.
Usage
Smilacin looks great in group plantings - these plantings are especially effective if they are placed in the light shade of walls or trees.
Growing and caring
Smilacin will feel best on shady areas located under the canopy of trees with fairly loose forest or garden soils. Suitable for its cultivation and clay-humus soils. The most important thing is that the soils on which this plant will be grown are devoid of lime. As a rule, a shallow planting is characteristic of smilacin. And this unpretentious beauty can grow for a very long time in the same place - it rejuvenates itself, gradually creeping around! As for the air, it should ideally be humid enough. Smilacina also boasts a very impressive winter hardiness!
Smilacin is very hygrophilous, but at the same time it is completely intolerant of water stagnation. Ideally, it is recommended to water it only when dry weather is established. In short, moisture should be moderate! It is also advisable to mulch this plant - compost from leaves is perfect as mulch.
Seed reproduction of smilacin is very difficult, therefore it is rarely resorted to (freshly harvested seeds are sown only before winter or in spring, but in the latter case they will have to be subjected to cold stratification) - most often this beauty is propagated by segments of rhizomes with renewal buds, and this is done exclusively in the very the end of the summer season. Smilacin seedlings, when sown with seeds, develop rather slowly, and they usually begin to bloom only in the third or fourth year. With vegetative propagation, everything will be much easier and more pleasant.
