Prickly Peresius belongs to the Cactus family, which includes 17 species of various plants. It belongs to the simplest and most ancient cacti, which still have leaf plates. Today's cacti also had leaves that were once familiar to us, but under the influence of anhydrous and hot desert conditions, they gradually changed, after which they became thorns, while the stem began to act as leaves. To date, this genus is reckoned with species that take deciduous shrubs, a type of tree that can grow up to 10 meters, as well as a climbing plant. The habitat is tropical and hot territories of both Americas.
Pereskia prickly, a photo of which can be viewed in this article, got its name in honor of N.-K. de Peiresca, French botanist. Mentions of it are found for the first time at the beginning of the 18th century in the notes of C. Plamier. The plant can also be found under the following names: "cactus-rose" (thanks to flowers resembling a tea rose or wild rose), as well as "leaf cactus" (due to the presence of real leaves and a stem that is covered with thorns).
Description of Peresius prickly
This is an evergreen perennial preserving the shape of a branched bush. She has a rather massive rhizome. Upright stems lignify over time, covered with brown-red, shiny bark. Peresius prickly in height can grow up to 10 meters, while the annual growth of new shoots is about 20 centimeters. On the branches are long, stiff thorns and sessile, petiolate, or alternate leaves.
The oval or ovoid leaf plate has a pointed end and a solid edge. Leaflets along the central vein are a little folded, they are painted in a saturated green color. The leaves surface is covered with a shiny dense skin that protects them from excessive evaporation of moisture. The sheet has an average length of 3.5 cm.
During flowering, a large number of axillary flowers appear at the ends of the shoots . Peresia flower , unlike other cacti, has no tube. It includes 8 lanceolate, wide-open petals and resembles more the rosehip bloom. At the same time, in the very center of the bud there is a magnificent core of a large number of yellow stamens. Interestingly, the flowers exude an intense citrus aroma.
At the peresia after flowering, the juicy fruits of a conical or rounded shape ripen. They are inedible! In this case, the skin of the fetus is yellow or beige, shiny. Inside the berry there are several black seeds of large or medium size.
Kinds
In total there are 17 species of prickly pereskia. In natural conditions, they all grow quite large, although when grown indoors they are very beautiful, compact bushes. The most popular among flower growers is precisely the prickly pereska. This plant forms a sprawling, tall bush. The stems are covered with hooked, short spines and quite branched. In short-leaved leaves, the length is 9 centimeters, while the width is 4 centimeters. The foliage is bright green, rather tough. The plant blooms in large flowers with a strong aroma. In this case, the fruit resembles a gooseberry berry, as mentioned above.
Pereskia Godseff
This plant has thin stems densely covered with bunches of black long spines. Oval leaves with a pointed edge attached to the stem with short petioles. Six centimeters reaches the length of the sheet. A leaf plate of light green color with a saturated central green part. On the back of the sheet there are purple or pinkish shades. Small flowers are cream or white.
Pereskia Grandiflora
This plant forms a fairly tall shrub densely covered with large, rich green foliage. When cold, this species discards most of the foliage. Large pink flowers at the ends of branches form capitate inflorescences.
Pereskia orange
This plant has a weakly branched, tall shoot with large leaves. They look at a picture created from veins. Bright red large flowers resemble poppy heads with a diameter of 5 cm. The plant bears fruit with yellow cone-shaped berries that exude an intense pineapple smell.
Pereskia Weber
This plant forms small bushes that are suitable for creating bonsai. It is characterized by rich flowering that occurs throughout the summer. Small white flowers young shoots cover very densely.
Growing
Reproduction of prickly prickly is carried out by rooting of cuttings and seeds. For the latter method, boxes with a peat-sand mixture are prepared. It is better to sow at the very beginning of spring. To do this, the seeds are buried 1 cm into the ground, watered, and then covered with a film. The temperature of the soil should not fall below 20 ° C. After 2 weeks, the first shoots begin to appear. Shelter is removed above them, seedlings with the appearance of four true leaves can be transplanted into separate pots without a dive.
But for rooting cuttings you need to use strong, while non-lignified branches. This procedure is usually carried out in the spring. Cuttings are cut with a knife. Each of them should have 1-2 nodes. After slicing, they are rooted in a mixture of perlite with peat and hidden under a film. The best air temperature during rooting is 25 ° C. After 2-3 weeks, roots appear, after which they can already grow without shelter. Very carefully, the seedlings are transplanted into pots so that the fragile roots are not damaged.
Care Features
For a prickly prickling, home care is not very difficult. This photophilous plant loves the southern window sills. In the summer, it’s worth the cactus to create a light shadow or from the window sill to move deep into the room. Also, help foliage protect from sunburn airing. Peresiya drafts is not afraid, therefore, it can be taken out to the garden or balcony for the summer. Additionally, it is necessary to provide protection from showers.
When caring for a prickly cross, it is worth considering that the ideal air temperature for it is 24 ° C. In summer, the room should be ventilated as often as possible. From mid-autumn, the temperature is lowered to 16 ° C, thus providing the plant a dormant period. It should be remembered that for a flower, cooling below 10 ° C will be fatal.
Pereskia is watered quite often in the summer. Allowed to completely dry only the top layer of the earth. In this case, all excess fluid must leave the pot freely. Also, stagnation of water in the pan is undesirable, since active fungal reproduction occurs because of it. Watering with a decrease in air temperature is somewhat less common. If peresia begins to drop leaves abundantly, this may indicate a lack of water.
Pereskia prickly is resistant to dryness, while a warm shower or infrequent spraying will not harm it. For irrigation use purified, soft water.
During the period of active vegetation and flowering, the flower needs various top dressings. Formulations suitable for cacti should be used. Every month, watering is combined with fertilizer application. It is necessary to control that the nitrogen components are minimized; otherwise, root decay is likely.
Prickly Peresius has a fairly powerful root system, therefore, it will often have to be transplanted. The procedure is carried out in summer or spring by the method of transshipping a lump of earth. Pots should be taken deep with a large layer of drainage. In this case, a mixture of:
- clay-turf land;
- sheet land;
- sand;
- humus leaf.
Peresia has excellent immunity, while it may suffer from rotting roots, which occurs when excessive air humidity and improperly selected irrigation regimen. Moving to a drier environment and reducing the frequency of watering will help the plant protect against certain death. In addition, it is recommended to use effective antifungal drugs.
Periodically, peresia is attacked by spider mites, thrips and mealybugs. Treatment of various insecticides will help to quickly cope with pests.