Plectrantus

Plectranthus (Plectranthus), another name - bristle, - belongs to the family Labium (Lamb). This genus includes from two hundred and fifty to three hundred and twenty-five varieties. The Latin name "plectrantus" consists of 2 words in Greek, which in translation mean "cock's spur" and "flower". These words also formed the second name - "shporotsvetnik". This vegetation can be found wild in the tropics and subtropics in the southern part of the globe, or rather, in the Pacific islands, in Madagascar, Indonesian, Australian territories, and also in the regions adjacent to the Sahara. The plants are cultivated as decorative, medicinal and aromatic plants; the leaves are used as spices for food. Some varieties are cultivated indoors.

Plectrantus: description and characteristics of the plant

Indoor plectrantus also has the name "indoor mint", it is represented by a herbaceous perennial or evergreen shrub growing up to sixty to eighty cm. The root system is fibrous, stems that branch, grow straight or creep. The stem of Plectrantus is ribbed, bright green or reddish brown, slightly pubescent. The leaves are fragrant, in the form of an egg or an oval, oppositely located, can be densely pubescent or be bare, their edges are in a small denticle. The surface of the leaf is covered with a variegated pattern or veins. Plectrantus blooms in summer, a shortened panicle inflorescence appears at the top of the bush, characterized by splendor, it contains flowers of both sexes, painted in lilac, blue, white or purple colors. After the fruits are ripe, they open on their own, four nuts are located in them.

Plectrantus: growing at home

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

Indoor mint Plectrantus is cultivated as an ornamental deciduous.

Plectrantus grows best in a semi-shaded area, but you can grow it where there is bright, but diffused light.

Temperature conditions, when Plectrantus is actively growing, are in the range from eighteen to twenty-five degrees, and in winter - from twelve to sixteen degrees.

Watering is applied systematically and in large volume immediately after the soil mixture dries to a depth of about twenty mm.

Humidity of the air. In the heat, as well as in a heated room, it is necessary to moisten the leaves daily with lukewarm water, replacing this - fill the tray with wet pebbles and place a flower on it.

Top dressing... During the growing season, once every fifteen days, the plant is fed with a complex for deciduous vegetation. The rest of the time, feeding is not applied.

In spring, the stems are cut in half. When the plant is actively growing, the tops of the shoots are regularly pinched.

Transplanting. Until the age of four, the flower is transplanted systematically once a year, the transplant of adult specimens is carried out, if necessary. Vegetation is transplanted at the beginning of the growing season.

Reproduction methods... Division of the bush, cuttings.

Pests: mealybug, aphid, spider mite.

Diseases - downy mildew, or oversporosis.

Qualities... The leaves of some varieties are used against excessive sweating, against pain, as a choleretic and laxative.

Plectrantus: home care

Indoor mint Plectrantus: home care

Illumination level... Home culture grows well in diffused bright light, do not forget that the direct sun can be harmful to delicate leaves. It is desirable that the plectrantus be grown in the shade. Additional lighting is not required, the bush only needs a few hours of bright light per day.

Temperature conditions.

When the Plectrantus bush is actively growing, temperature conditions are required in the range of eighteen to twenty-five degrees. In summer, it is advisable to take the plant out into outdoor conditions, for example, on a balcony or on a garden plot. In winter, the plectrantus must be kept in a cool room with a temperature regime of twelve to sixteen degrees. If for the winter season it is not possible to transfer the plant to the coolness, then it will need to be additionally illuminated.

Humidity of the air.

The Plectrantus flower can be cultivated in almost any air humidity. But in winter, when the heating is on, the moisture content should be at a reduced level, for this reason it is required to spray the bristle flower every day. In order not to carry out frequent spraying, wet expanded clay or pebbles are poured into the pallet, a pot with a flower is placed on top. At times, sprinkling with warm water is necessary, it will remove dust from the leaves and saturate them with water.

Watering.

Watering is carried out frequently and in large quantities. It is necessary to water the soil mixture after the surface layer dries out to a depth of ten to twenty mm. When watering a flower, do not forget that it can be harmed by both overdried soil mixture and stagnant liquid in the roots. Plectrantus is watered with well-separated water for 2 days at room temperature conditions.

Top dressing.

When indoor mint Plectrantus is actively growing, the substrate is fed once every fourteen days. For this purpose, a complex is used for decorative deciduous vegetation. In winter, when the culture is at rest, no fertilizing is applied, however, if, on the contrary, then the soil mixture is fertilized only once every four weeks.

Pruning procedure.

The stems of Plectrantus grow quickly, but over the years they become bare at the bottom, the decorativeness of the bush becomes worse. For its neatness and compactness, regular pruning is carried out. The plant is pruned at the time when it is transplanted - in the spring. All stems are cut in half, then their tops are regularly pinched during the growing season. And then the spur flower will be distinguished by its splendor and showiness.

Transplanting.

Until the age of four, the flower is transplanted annually. Adult bushes are transplanted once every two to three years. Transplanting is carried out in the spring at the beginning of the growing season.

The soil mixture for the cultivation of plectrantus must be saturated with nutrients, the level of acid-base balance must be observed within 6.0. The substrate should contain sand, turf, leafy soil, humus in a proportional ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1. The depth of the container should be such that the root system of the plant can fit in it. A drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the container, making up one third of the container thickness.

Reproduction methods.

Reproduction of Plectrantus is carried out by cuttings or by dividing the bush. The flower is divided when it is transplanted, while taking into account that each division must have stems and developed roots. During the first days, the separated parts should be protected from direct sun.

When grafting Plectrantus, shoots are taken that are fifty to sixty mm long, they should be rooted in a container with water. After the cuttings have taken root, they are planted in individual containers. For the splendor of the bush, several cuttings are planted in one container at once.If you wish, cut cuttings can be planted in a distribution container, in which the roots will grow back in fifteen to twenty days. Further, the rooted cuttings are transplanted into small pots, seventy to ninety mm in diameter, they are filled with a soil mixture, which includes sand, leafy, soddy soil and humus in a ratio of 1: 2: 2: 2.

Diseases and harmful insects.

Plectrantus has good immunity to harmful insects and diseases. But in the cool with high humidity of the air, the plant can get sick with downy mildew, because of it, gray spots form on the leaves. Also, from time to time, mealybugs, aphids and spider mites can visit. To get rid of peronosporosis, it is required to treat the bush with a fungicide more than once, severely affected stems are cut off. Ticks, aphids, worms can harm leaves and young shoots, because they take almost all of the cell sap from the plant. To combat spider mites, acaricides are used; to get rid of other pests, insecticides are used.

Do not forget that bushes, which are highly immune to diseases and harmful insects, can be affected by them with poor care for a long period of time or when suboptimal growing conditions are provided. For example, due to the fact that the bush grows in the wrong conditions, wilting or burning of the leaves may begin. This can be when direct hot sun rays are directed to the bristle flower for a long time. The leaves turn yellow and fly around at cold air temperatures or when harmful insects settle on a bush, or water stagnation systematically occurs in the roots of a flower. With heat and dryness, the bush wilts, and because of the stagnant liquid in the soil mixture, especially in poor light and in cool conditions, the shoots and the root system rot, then the leaves fall off, the plant does not bloom.

Types and varieties of Plectrantus

Plectranthus coleoides.

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

This variety of Plectranus is included in the list of popular home grown spurs. The bush is one meter in height, its shoots consist of four faces, grow vertically, their surface is pubescent, leaves grow on them, covered with pile, growing up to eighty mm with edges in the form of denticles. The most widespread variety - "Marginatus" - variegated plectrantus with green leaves, their edges are bordered with white color.

Plectranthus fruticosus, or a molar tree.

The bush branches, grows up to one meter, pubescent stems. The leaves are green in color, in the form of a wide oval, their top is pointed, they are stretched up to one hundred mm in length, and are distinguished by a pungent mint smell. Lush flowering, fragrant flowers, painted in a pale blue color. Because of its pungent aroma, the bark flower is often used as a moth repellant. This flower is found wild in the subtropics, or rather, in the humid South African forests.

Plectranthus oertendahlii.

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

This variety of Plectranus is represented by a herbaceous, spectacular perennial, the stems of which are creeping and are about forty cm long. The leaves of a brown-green color grow up to sixty mm, they are presented in the form of a wide round egg with a blunt top. The outer part is covered with stripes of white-green colors, the inner part is covered with hairs of light red color. Tassel inflorescence is about thirty cm, contains white or light lilac flowers. Popular varieties among gardeners are presented below.

Limelight. The leaves are painted in golden colors.

"Uwongo"... The outer part of the leaves seems to be covered with a large uniform speck of greenish-silvery color.

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

Plectranthus australis, or Plectranthus verticillatus, or Plectranthus nummularia, or Swedish ivy.

This unusual crop is undemanding to grow. Weak stems droop, they are decorated with round-shaped leaves sitting on elongated petioles. The leaves are colored bright green, they are completely smooth and shiny on both sides, as if they were covered with wax. The variety has a weak aroma. The flower is often cultivated as ampelous.

Plectranthus "Felt" (Plectranthus hadiensis).

The bush grows to seventy-five cm, the trunk becomes wooden over the years. Slightly drooping stems bear dense greenish leaves in the form of a wide egg. The leaves and shoots are covered with shortened hairs on top, so the plant looks soft and fluffy. The flowers are purple.

Plectranthus ciliatus.

The bush spreads, grows up to sixty cm, the shoots are pubescent with purple hairs. The leaves are in the form of an ellipse or a wide egg, their upper part is strongly pubescent, the inner surface of a purple color is hairy only along the edge. The flowers can form tassel inflorescences or grow singly, their coloring is pale purple or white.

Plectranthus amboinicus, or "Fragrant" plectrantus.

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

This branching bush grows wild up to two meters. Shoots consist of four faces, their staining is greenish-purple. The leaves are arranged oppositely, in the form of a wide egg, their base is in the form of a heart or circle, the apex is rounded or blunt. The petioles are pubescent, the inner side is hairy. The inflorescence contains flowers of a pale blue color, characterized by a pleasant aroma.

Plectranthus ernestii, or plectrantus "Caudex".

This variety is a perennial semi-shrub plant, reaching up to fifty cm. The shoots below form a thick circle. When the plant blooms, whitish or lilac-blue flowers appear.

Plectrantus "Dubolistny".

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

Shoots are vertical, juicy. The leaves are like leather, painted in a dark green color, their edges are in the form of a saw, the shape resembles oak leaves, they are pubescent on top. When you pluck a leaf and rub it between your fingers, you feel a sharp aroma of needles.

Plectrantus "Mona Lavender".

The Plectrantus roommint bush grows vertically upwards, it is a hybrid variety. The shoots are brownish-brown in color, covered with egg-shaped leaves with denticles along the edge, the inner side of the leaf is purple and pubescent, and the outer side is dark green and glossy. Inflorescences are elongated, lush, contain tubular flowers of bluish-purple color with blue specks.

Plectranthus blumei.

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

A hybrid variety, the bush grows to eighty-five cm. Shoots become lignified at the roots. The leaf is in the form of a circle, two sides are painted in emerald colors, velvet, its top is long and sharp, the edges are in the form of a saw or teeth. This variety has subspecies with a different color of leaves and patterns.

The benefits and harms of room mint

• Benefit.

Vegetation such as Spanish or French thyme, Mexican mint, Cuban oregano or Indian borage are species of plectranthus and are often cultivated as leafy greens. This culture is useful in that it has a content of vitamins A, C, E, phenol and quinine compounds, terpenoids, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, ursolic acid.The plant is used against excessive sweating, against pain, is used as a choleretic and laxative, with the help of it they soothe heartburn, stimulate appetite, relieve constipation, treat rheumatism and gastritis. A variety of plectrantus "Fragrant" is used to make preparations for the cardiovascular system, ointments and drops.

This culture is not pharmaceutical, but in folk medicine it is in fairly wide demand. For example, tea made from leaves is used to treat fever, the initial stage of rheumatism, colds, diseases of the respiratory system, irritable bowel syndrome and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Plectrantus affects expectoration, phlegm and mucus are eliminated quickly and easily, and it also has a positive effect on the nerves. The flower is also widely used in the treatment of diarrhea and helminthiasis, the infusion relieves joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis. External use - children's allergic diathesis, skin eczema, diaper rash and ulcers. Also, the plant eliminates puffiness and itching after insect bites. To cure bedwetting in children, a bath with dry or fresh leaves is used. In India, with the help of this culture, lactation is stimulated and malaria fever is treated, an infusion of leaves relieves dandruff.

• Harm.

Ingestion is prohibited for children under the age of twelve, during pregnancy, during breastfeeding. With sensitive skin, after the leaves have touched it, mild dermatitis may develop. Another plant is dangerous for varicose veins, people with individual intolerance and hypotension. If this list does not concern you, then it is still necessary to comply with the dose without fail and not overdo it with drugs based on plectrantus.

Plectranus: superstitions and omens

Plectrantus flower: photo of a houseplant

Most gardeners do not fully know whether it is allowed to cultivate Plectrantus in their indoor conditions. Indeed, there are many signs and superstitions revolving around culture, there is an opinion that it absorbs bad energy and attracts success and money. Moreover, Plectrantus brings success to both the owner and those who at least once participated in his departure. Therefore, the Plectrantus flower is perfect for both home and office space.