Wonderful Luronium

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

You can meet luronium, also called alisma or chastoha, in the waters of Spain, Northern Germany, Denmark, Great Britain and the Czech Republic. It grows equally well in coastal areas and in water bodies, growing best in small reservoirs. Luronium is ideal for their landscape design and definitely deserves the attention of all people who are passionate about landscape design

Getting to know the plant

This herbaceous perennial, which is a member of the Chastukhov family, is endowed with a floating stem, rooting at the nodes, up to forty centimeters long. The upper floating glossy ovoid leaves are painted green and collected in rosettes. The length of the upper leaves reaches three centimeters. As for the lower underwater leaves, they are transparent and linear, and reach ten centimeters in length.

Beautiful luronium blooms at the very beginning of summer with small white flowers, and its flowering can not be observed every year. Flowers located on long stalks are most often solitary, sepals are equipped with filmy edges, and rounded white petals of flowers at their bases have small yellow spots. The furrowed oblong-ovate fruits of luronium are collected in rather compact heads.

Only two types of luronium can be found in nature. The species growing in deep water are distinguished by rosettes of narrow leaves sinking into the water, and luroniums growing in shallow water are endowed with floating oval leaves.

How to grow

Luronium takes root at the bottom of reservoirs in silty soil. It is allowed to grow it in containers placed under water. This is done, as a rule, in the coastal zones of water bodies. Silted reservoirs are necessary for luronium for the simple reason that it extracts all the nutrients it needs from the silt. The most optimal water depth for placing this plant is from ten to thirty centimeters. In principle, with full immersion (by half a meter or more), it will also grow. And if you add a small amount of clay to the reservoir, the aquatic beauty will grow even better.

In addition to dividing the stems, the beautiful luronium can also multiply by seeds and daughter rosettes, which, carefully separated from the mother plants, are immediately planted in underwater soil. Moreover, it is allowed to propagate luronium in this way throughout the entire growing season. Dividing the stem to propagate luronium is also quite simple - cut off the stalk, lower it into the water and wait until it gives roots. Well, then you can plant the handsome man in the ground.

It is best to place the luronium in the light. And it will bloom best in open water conditions, in which it is possible to control the growth of emergent vegetation. Luronium does not tolerate competition with other plants, therefore, free water space will be most preferable for it.

Luronium does not require any special care, therefore absolutely everyone can grow it. Another indisputable advantage is its resistance to pests and various diseases. This plant also differs in frost resistance, absolutely not needing shelter for the winter.

Periodically, luronium needs to be thinned out so that it does not over time displace other cultivated plants growing nearby.

This wonderful plant is suitable for decorating small pools and ponds in the European part of Russia (more precisely, in the southwest of its European part). It will grow equally well in artificial and natural reservoirs. Luronium forms an excellent combination with reeds, water lilies, egg capsules, calla, cattail and sedge.