Varieties of koleria

The genus of vegetation Koleria belongs to the Gesneriev family, it includes about 65 varieties. This genus can be found wildly from the Mexican to the Central American territory, as well as in the Colombian forests and on the island of Trinidad. This is the name of the coleria after Michael Kohler, who lived in Germany (Zurich) in the nineteenth century, this man was a popular teacher. Coleria are unpretentious to air humidity and temperature conditions, so it is easy and calm to cultivate them, which cannot be said about other vegetation of this family.

Coleria is a herbaceous perennial or semi-shrub plant. The root is a tuber with scales. Leaves are arranged oppositely on petioles, oblong, egg-shaped. The leaves are densely covered with pile, they are about 15 cm long and about 8 cm wide. Some of the varieties on the outside of the dark green leaf have red veins, other varieties are distinguished by dark olive leaves. The leaves can be shiny and ribbed, and the leaves can be covered with a pile of red or white colors. Hybrid varieties can have silvery or bronze leaves. If the culture is cultivated at home, then it blooms very luxuriantly. The axillary peduncle bears one to three flowers. The corolla tube is approximately 51 mm in size, at the bottom it has a slight expansion, to the pharynx - a narrowing. The corolla is presented in the form of a bell. The pharynx is wide open, it has 5 blunt lobules, their upper part is covered with a large number of specks, dots and strokes. A wild plant can have a different color of flowers: flowers are pink, the throat of a white shade is covered with dark pink dots; flowers are orange-red, the throat is yellow, covered with dark red spots; flowers are brown, covered with white dots, the throat is white, has a pink pattern.

Brief description of the cultivation of koleria.

Coleria blooms in July-November days.

The plant requires bright illumination by the rays of the sun, plus everything, diffused.

Temperature conditions in the summer and spring seasons are 23-25 ​​degrees, in winter - 15-19 degrees.

Watering... In the spring and summer, regular and volumetric watering is introduced, in the fall, watering is gradually reduced. In the winter season, it is watered in small volumes and infrequently; it is forbidden for the soil clod to dry out completely.

Humidity should be as usual for the room. In the heat, the container with the plant is placed on a pallet, which is filled with wet expanded clay.

Top dressing... Fertilizers are applied on April-October days once a week, fed with a complex for flowering vegetation.

The bush goes to rest in the November-March days.

Koleriya is transplanted, if necessary, when intensive growth begins.

Nutritious substrate... The soil mixture should contain leaf and sod soil, sand and humus, in a proportional ratio of 4: 2: 1: 1.

The culture is propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Pests: scale insect, spider mite, whitefly, thrips, mealybug.

Diseases. With poor maintenance or when the plant is placed in conditions that are not suitable for it, difficulties may arise with the leaves or with the flowering stage.

Agrotechnics for indoor cultivation of koleria.

Illumination level.

When cultivating a plant at home, you can put a container with it on the western or eastern window. If the container is placed on the southern windowsill, then it should be shaded from the direct sun; for this purpose, transparent fabric or polyethylene is used. Also, the color scheme can be moved deeper into the room. If the culture is grown on the north window, then it may not bloom at all, since it will lack light. In winter, the plant also needs a lot of light.

Temperature conditions.

In summer and spring, the bush needs warmth (temperature - 22-26 degrees), and in winter - a cool temperature (16 degrees, no more).

Watering.

In spring and summer, the plant is watered after the surface soil layer has dried. When the autumn season comes, watering is gradually reduced, in the winter season, water is applied in a small amount, but it is worth making sure that the soil clod does not dry out. Water the bush with well-settled water. Watering is recommended in the lower way, because water should not be allowed to get on the leaves, as this will adversely affect their condition.

Spraying.

When cultivated in indoor conditions, the development of the plant proceeds normally and at low air humidity. But keep in mind that with increased humidity in the room, the growth and development of the bush is much more efficient. Spraying with water is prohibited, since if moisture gets on the leaves, they will react badly to it. To increase the moisture content of the air, the container with the bush is placed on a pallet, wet pebbles are poured into it in advance, you need to make sure that the bottom of the container is not in water.

Introduction fertilizers.

The plant is fed on April-October days once every 7 days, a complex of fertilizers for flowering vegetation is used for top dressing. From November to March, kaleria is not fed.

Bloom.

When cultivated at home, the bush blooms in July-November days.

Rest stage.

Often during the dormant stage, leaves and stems do not die off, so they may not be pruned, but pruning the elongated stems will have a beneficial effect on root formation. At the resting stage, koleriya needs a cool temperature, within 13-17 degrees. During this period, low-volume and infrequent watering is carried out, but it is necessary to check that the soil mixture in the container does not dry out completely.

Transplant.

Transplant the plant, if necessary, after the roots cease to fit into the container. The transplant is carried out by the transshipment method, and the new container should be similar in height to the old one, but slightly wider. The nutrient substrate should be composed of leafy and soddy soil, as well as sand, in a ratio of 4: 2: 1. Another suitable soil mixture: leaf, sod soil, humus, sand, in a ratio of 2: 3: 1: 1. Due to the very negative reaction of the bush to the stagnation of water in the root system, a little charcoal is poured into the soil mixture and drainage. If the plant is still young, then sod soil is excluded from the composition of the nutrient substrate.

Reproduction of koleria.

Seed method.

Sowing seeds is carried out from the equator of the winter season. Grains are sown in containers, the seeds must be evenly distributed over the surface layer of the soil mixture, and there is no need to sprinkle the soil over the grain. The nutritious substrate for sowing grains consists of leafy soil and sand in a ratio of 1: 2. After the end of sowing, the substrate is poured through a sieve, the container is covered with glass on top. Plantings need to be ventilated every day, and they are also placed in heat (temperature - 20-24 degrees).After the seedlings appear, the glass is removed, the seedlings are picked into a larger container compared to the previous one, the same nutrient substrate is used that was used for sowing. When diving plants, there should be an interval of about 20 mm between them. After 4-6 weeks, the picking of the strengthened seedlings is carried out again, for this purpose the plants are transferred to a new container, the interval between the bushes is 30 mm. According to individual containers (in cross section, they should be 70 mm), the seedlings are transplanted after their good development, a substrate is used, which includes light turf, peat and deciduous soil, sand, in a ratio of 1: 2: 4: 2.

Cuttings.

Coleria can be spread by cuttings; for this purpose, the top of the shoot is cut off. The cutting is rooted in a substrate containing sand and leafy soil in equal amounts, and only sand can be included in the mixture. The soil mixture is moistened, then the container is covered with glass on top. Do not forget that if the humidity is high, then the cuttings may rot. In order to speed up rooting, the cuttings are treated with a solution to stimulate root formation before planting, and the bottom heating of the container will also be needed. Cuttings take root for about 15 days. Rooted cuttings are transplanted in individual containers, using the same soil mixture as for planting adult vegetation.

Coleria diseases and harmful insects.

The appearance of brown spots on the leaves. Preventive measures - watering the plant is required not with cold, but slightly warm water. Then there will be no problem.

Blanching foliage. If the direct rays of the sun are directed to the leaves, or the plant is overfed, then the upper part of the foliage turns pale, yellow spots appear on it.

The leaves are covered with a bloom of gray. When a gray coating appears on the leaves, it says that the plant has been struck by a fungal infection. This can happen due to a very high air humidity and excess stagnant moisture in the substrate.

Leaves curl. Leaf curling can occur due to lack of water. To increase the humidity of the air, you need to spray around the plant with warm water. Make sure that no water gets on the surface of the leaves.

No blooming. At times, coleria may not bloom so luxuriantly or not bloom at all. Reasons: water regularly stagnates in the potting mix; during the rest period, the temperature conditions in the room were either very high or unnecessarily low; lack of lighting; very low level of humidity.

Foliage withering. If the plant lacks lighting in winter, the leaves may wither slightly.

Harmful insects: thrips, scale insects, whiteflies, mealybugs, spider mites.

Varieties of koleria.

Koleria "Bogotskaya" (Kohleria bogotensis).

This herbaceous perennial plant can be found wildly in the forests of Colombia, and it grows on rocky soil. The bush grows to a height of about 61 cm. The shoots are upright, do not branch, their surface is covered with hairs of white or red coloration. The leaves are sharp, in the form of an oval, heart or egg, the length of the leaf is about 76 mm, the width is 36 mm, the edges have denticles. The outer part of the leaf is dark green in color, pubescent along the veins with hairs of a variegated white color. The pubescent pedicels are about 50 mm long, they bear one or two flowers, the flowers are axillary and drooping. The corolla tube of the kaleria reaches a length of about 26 mm, its outer part is pale red and covered with pubescence, the lower one is orange-red. The inside of the pharynx is yellow, speckled and streaked with red. The plant blooms magnificently from the second half of summer to the beginning of the autumn season.

Coleria "Majestic" (Kohleria magnifica).

The upper part of the stem of the Coleria has red stripes.The leaves are quilted, shiny, their upper part is covered with white hairs. Large flowers are colored orange-red, have dark streaks that go straight into the throat.

Coleria "Hairy" (Kohleria hirsuta).

The leaves are painted in bronze. The outer part of the tubular flower is red; at the top, the pharynx of yellow color has specks of a bright red hue.

Coleria "Spikelet" (Kohleria spicata).

The plant is native to Mexico. Small bush, oblong leaves. The elongated stems at the top have red flowers, the throat of their orange hue.

Coleria "Linden" (Kohleria lindeniana).

This variety can be found wild in the Ecuadorian mountains. In height, this herbaceous perennial plant reaches about 30 cm, its surface is covered with white hairs. The leaves are egg-shaped, about 71 mm long and 21 mm wide. The inner surface of green leaves is painted in a pale pink tone, the outer surface of a dark green leaf has streaks of greenish or silvery-white. The flowers are axillary, their formation occurs one to three on peduncles about 61 mm long. Bell-shaped corolla, flower petals and corolla tubes are less than 11 mm long. The upper part of the tube of the koleria is covered with white hairs, inside it is yellow, has brown specks at the throat, the outer part of the tube is white on the limbs with purple stripes. The plant blooms magnificently from September to mid-October.

Kohleria digitaliflora.

This herbaceous perennial plant can be found wild in Colombian forests. The surface is densely covered with white hairs, the stems grow vertically. Leaves in the form of an ellipse, in length reach 18-21 cm, in width - 11-13 cm. The leaves are kept on short petioles, they are painted green, the surface is pubescent with hairs, the underside of the leaf is pubescent more densely than the outer part. Inflorescences axillary, contain 5 flowers. The corolla tube reaches a length of about 31 mm, is painted in a white tint, the outer surface is pinkish in color. At the top, the green throat has purple dots. Lush bloom is observed in late summer and early autumn.

Coleria "Uneven" (Kohleria inaequalis).

Medium-sized bush, slightly pubescent. The flowers are red-orange in color, the folds are reddish, the surface has dots in a dark tone.

Coleria "Pleasant" (Kohleria amabilis).

This herbaceous perennial plant growing wild can be found in the Colombian highlands at an altitude of eight hundred meters above sea level. The stems are green or red in color, their surface is covered with white hairs, the stems reach 61 cm in length. The petioles are about 25 mm long. The leaves are opposite, in the form of an egg, 10 cm long, and about 70 mm in breadth. The outer part of the leaf is dark green or green in color, the inner part is greenish, the leaf has lines of silver-white colors and veins of a brownish-red hue. The flowers are axillary, their outer part is pubescent, the corolla tube is pink, and has purple specks at the throat. Coleria blooms almost year-round.

Coleria "Fluffy" (Kohleria eriantha).

Coleria leaves are velvety, dark in color, with a red edge along the edges. The flowers are large, pubescent, colored orange-red, at the top of the lower limb there are a large number of yellow specks.

Kohleria tubiflora.

The plant can be found wild in Costa Rica and Colombia. The bush reaches a height of about 61 cm. The leaves are elongated, in the form of an oval, the bottom is red, the top is dark green. The flowers are colored orange and red and reach about 26 mm in length.

Koleria "Woolen" (Kohleria lanata).

By birth coleria from Mexico. The shoots are strong. The leaves are oval-shaped, small, their edges are crenate, the foliage is densely pubescent with pale yellow hairs. The corolla tube is red-orange in color, its surface has pale crimson dots, they cover the lobes of the bend, which is wide open.The bush looks fluffy, as its entire surface is covered with small hairs.