Chalice Flower

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

Chalice flower (lat. Calycanthus) - a light-loving woody plant belonging to the Calicante family.

Description

Cupflower is a medium-sized deciduous shrub (on average, its height varies from one to three meters) with a fairly stable and pleasant aroma of leaves and shoots. The leaves of this plant are whole-edged and opposite, and its perianths are formed by a huge number of narrow, uniform leaves with a reddish-brownish color.

The diameter of the calyx flowers ranges from three and a half to seven centimeters. All these flowers are located on short axillary shoots, are painted in rather pleasant reddish-brown tones and boast a complete absence of petals (instead, the flowers are formed by petal sepals). However, sometimes you can see cream flowers.

The fruits of this plant are in the form of boxes up to seven centimeters in size. And inside these boxes you can find a huge number of miniature fruit-nuts. The seeds of the calyx are brown, while the endosperm of these seeds is completely absent, and almost all of their area is occupied by the embryo.

In general, this genus has only four species.

Where grows

The chalice flower came to us from North America. However, quite often it can be seen in a number of Central Asian states, as well as in the Transcaucasus and on the territory of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

Usage

Cupflower attracts primarily with its impressive cultural stability and surprisingly strong aroma. For decorative purposes, flowering calyx is most often grown, exuding an incomparable strawberry aroma. It will look especially great in group plantings - in this case, a distance of one and a half to two meters should be maintained between the bushes (only in this case they will be able to fully develop!).

Growing and caring

It is recommended to plant the calyx in sunny areas that can boast reliable protection from cold winds. By the way, in the regions located south of Voronezh, it is quite permissible to grow this handsome man in partial shade. And this plant prefers moist and fertile soil.

When the heat is established, the plant should be provided with regular watering, and with the onset of spring it is advisable to feed it with full mineral fertilizers (the consumption for each bush should be about twenty to thirty grams).

In winter, the calyx growing in the temperate zone can freeze slightly, so it is recommended to cover it in advance.

The calyx is propagated by dividing the bushes or by layering, both in autumn and spring. Under favorable conditions, young specimens should please with their flowering already in the fourth or fifth year. However, if you wish, you can also grow the calyx from seeds, but the most important thing in this case is to try to get these very seeds, since in the middle lane the calyx almost never bears fruit. It is important not to forget that the seeds of this plant must be scarified without fail.

And in order for the green cuttings to root better, it is recommended to first powder their lower parts with "Kornevin", and then dip them into a solution of "Heteroauxin" (0.5%) for sixteen hours. And only after that, the cuttings can be planted in a fertile and fairly light substrate, placing them obliquely with respect to a distance of three to five centimeters. And the best rooting results of cuttings are usually shown in greenhouses with insignificant shading and air temperatures ranging from sixteen to twenty degrees.