Turcha - Water Feather

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

Turcha, called a water feather for its beautiful feathery leaves, is an excellent decoration for water bodies, perfectly combined with almost all coastal and aquatic plants. The bright green leaves of this beautiful plant in the company of amazingly beautiful flowers will certainly make any body of water original. Moreover, turchi leaves are also endowed with the ability to purify water

Getting to know the plant

The beautiful turcha represents the Primroses family and is a close relative of the primroses. This herbaceous plant with stems covered with comb-pinnate leaves floats freely in the water and is characterized by the absence of roots.

The stalk of a wonderful perennial plant, together with its leaves, is immersed in water, and only a flower arrow rises above the water, on which there are no leaves and the height of which is up to thirty centimeters. On these arrows, delicate pinkish flowers are whorled. All flowers sit on long legs in the axils of the covering linear leaves. During flowering, turcha is located quite close to the surface of the water.

Turchi fruits are spherical polyspermous capsules, equipped with five valves and ripening under water. The seeds of this plant are quite small and oval in shape. In addition to seeds, turcha can also multiply by buds that form in the fall; such buds are formed at the tops of twigs with underdeveloped leaves that have a crowded appearance. Funny buds, after overwintering, turn into new plants.

Often, turchi leaves play the role of an excellent shelter for all kinds of aquatic organisms, insects and small fish. They are also excellent oxygenators, purifying water, releasing valuable oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide and mineral salts.

In nature, there are two types of turcha: swamp turcha, growing along grooves, slowly flowing rivers and ponds in Asia Minor and in Russia, as well as swollen turcha, so named for its slightly swollen internodes and found mainly in North America.

Turcha is marsh. Endowed with whorled bright green comb leaves. They are pinnately dissected into narrow, linear and rather sharp slices, the length of which can reach from eight to twenty centimeters. And the straight single peduncles of this plant are capable of reaching a height of about 45 - 60 cm. The racemose inflorescences of turchi marsh consist of three to ten whorls with flowers. Each whorl, in turn, is formed by three to six large dimorphic flowers. The five-part cups are equipped with slightly pointed lobes, and the wheel-shaped corollas are equipped with short tubes. The color of the flowers can be lilac, pinkish or white, in the throat all the flowers are yellow. Turca marsh usually blooms from May to June. In addition, it has good winter hardiness - a very valuable quality in our latitudes. Even under the ice, this beauty remains green.

Turcha is swollen. This is a tropical type of plant, intended for aquariums and is not at all adapted to the winter cold. Bloated flowers in turchi are usually white.

How to grow

It is permissible to plant turchu in almost any type of water body, both large and tiny. However, small thickets located in the shallow waters of lakes and ponds are most suitable for growing turchi. It will thrive best in stagnant and calm water. This beauty grows equally well in partial shade and in the light.

To grow turchi in aquariums, the plant should be provided with good lighting and high-quality soil, as well as, if possible, additionally periodically supply this aquatic inhabitant with carbon dioxide.

This water beauty reproduces by means of cuttings or seeds. Cuttings are allowed to be removed from the plant throughout the summer.