Stellania esculenta

Scientific name: Helichrysumbracteatum

Species: perennial herbaceous flowers, often cultivated for 1-2 years.

Families and genera: Chrysanthemum of Compositae

Aliases: chamomile, shellfish

Brief introduction:

Wheat stem chrysanthemum is an annual perennial herbaceous flower, because its flowers do not wither after drying, such as wax, it is a good material for making dried flowers and a natural "handicraft" unique to nature.

The same species are sand wax chrysanthemum, umbrella chamomile and so on. Perennial herbs for annual cultivation, cold tolerance is weak, frost will die. Planting land with good sunshine, water conservation, drainage and good fertility. The flower diameter is 5~6CM, the stem is hard, the color is rich, there are red, peach, yellow, white and intermediate colors.

Place of origin:

Originated in Australia, it is cultivated in many countries all over the world.

Morphological features:

The plant is 50mm high, the stem is much branched, and the whole plant is puberulent. Leaves alternate, striate-lanceolate, entire, without petiole. Inflorescences solitary. Branches apical. Involucral bracts are multi-layered, membranous and imbricate, with short outer bracts and elongated inner bracts similar to tongue flowers, with white, yellow, orange, pink, red and dark colors, which are generally mistaken for petals. Small yellow tubular flowers gather in the center of the disk. Achene grayish brown, smooth.

Florescence 7murs-September.

Growth habits:

Wheat stem chrysanthemum prefers a warm and sunny environment. It is not cold-resistant, avoids extreme heat, and grows well on fertile and loose soil that is moist and well drained.

Suitable temperature for germination: 15-20 ℃

Suitable temperature for growth: 12-25 ℃

Soil: strong adaptability to soil, general soil can be planted, but requires good drainage.

Moisture: water should not be too much, otherwise the plant is tall, flowering later, avoid dampness.

Rizhao: like the sun, the lack of sunshine affects flowering.

Fertilizer: fertilize once every semimonthly during the growing period, and apply phosphate and potassium fertilizer twice during the flowering period.

Temperature: like temperature, but also resistant to cold. The suitable temperature for sowing and growth is 20-22 degrees and 20-30 degrees respectively.

Application:

The flower border can be arranged in the flower bed, it can also be watched in pots, and it can be used for dry flowers, cut flowers and flower arrangement.

There are about 350 species of plants of the same genus, and the commonly cultivated ones are:

1 hairy leaf wheat stalk chrysanthemum, with spreading stem, leaf blade Obovate, head solitary silver-white, native to New Zealand

2 Umbellifera, some shrubby at the base, leaf ovoid, head cymose, involucral bracts oblong, apex obtuse, milky white. Originally from South Africa

Tianshan wheat stalk chrysanthemum is a persistent herb, the whole plant is densely tomentose, the leaf blade is narrowly lanceolate, the head is corymbose, yellow or orange-red, native to China.

This kind of wheat straw chrysanthemum is like the golden sun, dazzling and moving, and is widely planted in flower beds in Lingnan.