[Apocynaceae] Root plants-the shape, habits and conservation priorities of Huibi Xiu Xiao!

The form, habit and maintenance focus of Huibi Xiu Xiao!

English name: Huibi Xiu Xiao

Alias: Huimei Shuxiao

Scientific name: Pachypodium brevicaule

Plant families and genera: Apocynaceae, Artemisia

Distribution of origin: southwest Madagascar

Huibi Xiu Xiao has no obvious stem, and its fleshy tuber (commonly known as "tuber root") is in the shape of potato at first, and then, with the growth of the plant, it gradually grows into a flat, irregular ginger shape with a diameter of up to 60 cm. Its epidermis is gray or gray and spiny. The thorns of the young plants grow at the top of the tuber and are relatively dense, while the thorns of the old plants are only concentrated around the leaves, and there are even some lichens symbiosis in the origin.

Leaves several, clustered at the top of the tuber, green in color, widely lanceolate (lanceolate: leaves wider than linear, gradually narrowly pointed from the lower part to the apex, called lanceolate leaves, the length of leaves is three or four times the width, such as willow and peach leaves), 2 cm long, entire, with white-green veins.

Flowers extracted from the leaves, 2-3, funnel-shaped, 5 petals, bright lemon yellow, beautiful and dreamy, flowering from December to April of the following year. The pods are slender and high, often growing in pairs, like an antenna and like the corner of an animal's chair.

Huibi Suxiao was originally intended to be the blessing god of Japan, which is similar to the Maitreya Buddha in China. Do you think it is very appropriate to associate Huibi Suu Xiao's pot-bellied root? Huibi Xiuxiao ancient and natural tubers with green leaves, winter and spring out of bright and brilliant yellow flowers, refreshing, can be planted with antique purple sand pot, displayed in the living room, windowsill and other places, simple and fresh, with a good ornamental.

The maintenance method of Huibi Xiuxiao

Huibi Xuxiao, native to southwestern Madagascar, grows at an altitude of 1300-1900 meters, likes warm, dry and sunny environment, is resistant to drought, afraid of stagnant water, has a certain degree of cold resistance, and can withstand 4 ℃ low temperature in winter.

The main growing season is from April to September, the growing period should be given sufficient light, watering master "do not dry do not water, watering is thoroughly", avoid basin soil stagnant water, so as not to cause tuber rot. Because its growth rate is not too fast, so it does not need too much nutrients. Low nitrogen, high phosphorus, potassium, compound fertilizer or mature rarefied liquid fertilizer can be applied once a month.

Huibixiao grows slowly when it is hot in summer, but it is not completely dormant. It can be maintained in bright light and air circulation to keep the environment well ventilated, prevent muggy and humid, and stop fertilizing.

Put it in a sunny place indoors in winter, if the lowest temperature is above 10 ℃, the plant can continue to grow and can be watered normally, and some thin fertilizer dominated by phosphorus and potassium can be applied as appropriate. In this way, the plant can not only have green leaves, but also bloom bright flowers. after flowering, different plants can be selected for artificial pollination to produce seeds with better quality.

If the temperature is too low, Huibixiao will not die, but the leaves are easy to fall off and enter a dormant state, it is appropriate to control watering and stop fertilization, so that the plants can survive the winter in a thousand-dry environment, so as to avoid tuber rot caused by low temperature and stagnant water. The dormant Huibixiao florescence will be postponed until the temperature turns warmer in spring.

The basin is changed every 23-year spring, and the basin soil requires good ventilation and drainage, coarse particle size and appropriate amount of calcium, which can be mixed with 2 parts of rotten leaf soil or peat soil, coarse sand or fly stone and orchid stone, and mixed with calcareous materials such as bone powder or shell powder.

The mode of reproduction of Huibi Xiu Xiao

Huibi Xiu Xiao's reproduction uses the sowing method, the pod generally matures in summer and autumn, can take out the seed, sow at any time. The medium can be mixed with fine sand or vermiculite mixed with a small amount of rotten leaf soil, preferably sterilized at high temperature to kill pests, eggs and other pests in the soil.

After sowing, the seeds were covered with a thin layer of soil and kept moist. The seeds germinated for 10-15 days. The tubers of the seedlings grew slowly and should be managed carefully so as not to cause rot. The seedlings were divided and transplanted when the seedlings grew to 4-6 leaves.

In order to speed up the growth rate and make it blossom ahead of time, the rootstock can also be propagated by grafting. The rootstock can be propagated by African overlord tree, Queen of Brazil, White Horse City and other strong succulent plants of the family Apocynaceae and Artemisia mandshurica, and the scion can be planted with Huibixiao seedlings. The tuberous stem with budding eyes can also be cut as the scion, and the flat grafting method can be used in the growing season. After grafting, the plant is placed in bright light, and there is no direct sunlight for maintenance, so as not to rain, and do not make the wound see water when watering, so as to avoid decay.

It should be pointed out that although Huibi Xiuxiao of grafting propagation grows faster, its ornamental value and collection value are lower than those of plants cultured by seedlings. Therefore, the grafted plants are mostly cultivated as the mother plants for harvesting seeds.

Time: 2019-04-19 Click: