Kobea - Mexican Mountaineer

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

Almost five centuries have passed since the Mexican liana moved from the warm tropics to the gardens of Europeans. Its tenacious antennae are able to strengthen on any support like real climbers conquering sheer bare rocks. The heat-loving plant is increasingly appearing in the gardens of Russians, delighting with the abundant flowering of large bells and beautiful leaves

Bernabe Cobo

In my opinion, the real discovery of America belongs not to the warriors who destroyed ancient civilizations, but to humble missionaries who studied the flora of new lands. Among the crowd of armed conquerors, they stood out for their disarmedness and curiosity, entering into their records data on outlandish plants, their habits, useful and harmful qualities.

One such missionary was a Jesuit, Padre

Bernabe Cobo, who was born in the Spanish city of Lopera and found "eternal peace" in the capital of the South American country of Peru in the middle of the 17th century. Going to America as a 14-year-old young man, he devoted 61 years of his life to collecting reliable information about the nature of the American continent. In the books he wrote, you can find lines about a tree liana, striking with the beauty of its large flowers.

The Spanish botanist Antonio Jose Cavanilles, who lived a little later, Bernabe Cobo, gave the name to the genus of plants to which the described padre liana belongs, "Cobaea" (Cobea), perpetuating in it the memory of the missionary and writer.

Weed of new zealand

If the climate of New Zealand fell to the taste of the Mexican climber, and she turned into an annoying weed there, then in Russian conditions it is not so easy to grow Kobei.

It is in the warm tropics that its tree trunk climbs up to a height of 6 meters, clinging to shrubs, trees or any other supports that come across in its path, curly tendrils growing from the ribs of the leaves. And we have a thousand reasons for Kobei not to please the gardener with their flowering: the sun is not so warm, then the frost is in the middle of summer, then the seeds refuse to show seedlings to the world. But the most patient and persistent manage to fulfill all the whims of the Mexican beauty,

Kobeya climbing

The most demanded species of the genus Cobaea by gardeners is

Kobeya climbing (Cobaea scandens).

Its large flowers, together with bracts, look like church bells, and therefore the plant has been awarded such names as "Cathedral bells" or "Monastery bells". The flowers begin their life greenish-white, gradually turning into inky purple, filling the garden with a honey scent. In greenhouse conditions, flowering lasts up to 8 months, in open ground - up to 5 months with a positive temperature.

Evergreen tropical perennials do not withstand frost, and therefore are grown as annual plants. Due to their rapid growth, they manage to go through a full development cycle, leaving behind winged seeds enclosed in a protective capsule, if they start growing in February or early March.

Kobei can be propagated not only by sowing seeds, but also by cuttings, which is not always successful. For better seed germination, they are soaked for a couple of hours in warm water before sowing. Unfortunately, the seeds sold by our trade are not always of high quality, which sometimes cools the ardor of Kobei's fans.

A native of the Mexican tropics, loves fertile, moist soil without stagnant water

Kobea Pringla

Kobea Pringla (Cobaea pringlei) is the same climber as the previous species. It can grow up to 7 meters, showing the world funnel-shaped creamy white large flowers.

It has a more resistant character in relation to frost, withstanding temperatures up to minus 5-10 degrees. If you carefully lay the whips on the ground and cover them, it can survive even more severe frosts. Grows well in greenhouses.

The plant requires a fertile, moist soil with good drainage.

The second word in the title is dedicated to the American botanist Guernsey Pringle.