Arctotis Stekhasolistny

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

Arctotis stoechadifolia (lat. Arctotis stoechadifolia) - a representative of the genus Arctotis of the Asteraceae family. It is a native of South Africa, where it also grows in natural conditions. The species is famous for its high decorative properties, for which it fell in love with gardeners and flower growers in Russia and Europe.

Characteristics of culture

Arctotis stekhasolistny is represented by perennial herbaceous plants no more than 1 m in height, forming, during growth, rather branched, erect, light green stems pubescent over the entire surface with whitish-silvery hairs. The foliage of the culture under consideration is thickened, medium-sized, opposite, drooping, oval-lanceolate. The lower foliage, in turn, is endowed with petioles, while the upper foliage is sessile.

The inflorescences, like all representatives of the Aster family, are in the form of graceful and very attractive baskets formed on long thin peduncles. They do not exceed 8 cm in diameter and have a subtle but pleasant aroma. The inflorescences consist of white ligulate flowers with a light purple color on the back, and grayish-violet tubular disc flowers.

Arctotis stekhasolistny blooms in early summer, usually in the first - second decade of June. Flowering is long, with proper care and favorable climatic conditions, it lasts until autumn frosts. It is important to note that the baskets of the culture in question open only in sunny weather and close at nightfall or in cloudy weather.

The fruit of arctotis stochasolis is represented by achenes, pubescent over the entire surface and bearing small seeds, which, by the way, remain viable for up to three years. If the seeds are not collected on time, they self-sow, and the next year they sprout in huge numbers, therefore they need to be removed or transplanted, because the culture does not like crowding.

Arktotis stekhasolitsny still takes part in breeding work. At the moment, on the garden market, you can find its variety var. grandis, which translates as arctotis stechasoliferous large. Differences in the main species and form are insignificant, in particular, the second has elongated foliage and rather large flowers. It should be noted that in horticulture, the culture is cultivated only as an annual, since it cannot boast of high winter-hardy properties.

Growing features

Due to the fact that in nature the species lives in hot climates, the cultivated specimen prefers only warm regions. He also makes some demands on soil conditions. For active growth and abundant flowering, arctotis stochasolistny should be planted in areas with light, moderately moist, fresh, fertilized, drained soils. Lime content in the soil is encouraged. It is not forbidden to plant crops in rocky areas.

Caring for arctotis stochasol is not difficult. It requires timely irrigation with settled water, weeding and feeding with mineral and rotted organic fertilizers. In no case should fresh manure be brought under the culture, it will burn the roots, as a result of which the plant will die, and revealing its mysterious and graceful beauty. In the absence of the opportunity to water the plants, you should not worry, they are drought-resistant and are able to live for some time without watering, since they feed on dew in the morning hours.

It is worth noting that for better tillering, the plant must be pinched, then it will form a huge number of large flowers. By the way, stekhasolistny arctotis gets along well with other cultures, for example, marigolds, nasturtium, petunia and even verbena. It is better to give preference to plants with saturated flowers, which will emphasize the pearly whiteness of the arctotis in question.