Oxalis leaves
Oxalis is a small, fragile plant, as if consisting of only one leaves, which barely rise above the soil. Each acid leaf has three separate lobules and is similar to a clover leaf. If you chew it, it tastes sour, like from sorrel. This is where the name of the plant comes from - "oxalis". Even more aptly, the German name for this little herb is sour clover. The leaves of the plant owe their sour taste to the presence of oxalic acid salts. They are also rich in vitamin C and are quite edible even raw. You can also make soups, sauces, salads from them. In a word, oxalis can serve as a good substitute for ordinary sorrel.
Slices of sour leaves have one interesting property: they are able to fold along and droop. This happens, for example, before the onset of inclement weather. Leaves are folded overnight. However, leaf dropping can also be induced artificially by lightly hitting them. Only their movements will be rather slow, imperceptible to the eye. The leaves will drop in a few minutes. It is best to do this in the spring, when young light green foliage has just appeared on the sorrel.
The ability of acidwood leaves to motor reactions can be demonstrated directly in the forest. In case of mechanical stimulation, parallel leaves, after 5 minutes, incline by 85 °, hanging almost vertically.
Diseases and pests
Oxalis, subject to all conditions of care, almost never gets sick and is not attacked by harmful insects. Most problems can be caused by:
- lack / excess of watering the plant;
- lack / excess of lighting;
- lack of dressing;
- too small pot.
Certain actions will often help to solve the problem.
- Find the optimal location for the plant, where direct sunlight will not hit the leaves, but it will not be completely dark either.
- Monitor the frequency and abundance of watering. And also check the soil and drain the water from the sump.
One of the most common problems is the following: the root system rots, and a mushroom mosquito settles in the roots. In this situation, it becomes more difficult to save a home resident. However, it is possible to return an indoor flower to a healthy existence.
- Remove the plant from the pot. Thoroughly and gently shake off the stuck earth from the roots.
- Cut off those processes on which rot has spread.
- Re-plant the sour cherry in the dried soil.
- Spend several days of moderate (less than usual) watering in order for the flower to adapt to the new living conditions without cutting off the part.
The number of pests that are eager to attack a home resident is large: mealybug, scale insect, whitefly. If you find any, do not hesitate and take measures to destroy enemies on the plant. Mealybug looks like a white bump on the leaves or shoots of oxalis. Gradually, as the worm multiplies, a white bloom forms on the leaves.
For treatment, it is necessary to wipe all affected areas on oxalis with a cotton pad dipped in soapy water. It will be useful to wipe all the leaves with an alcohol solution or calendula infusion. The procedure can be carried out once every few days. If the situation has not been triggered, no further action is required.
If the worm has already attacked a large area of the flower, it is worth resorting to chemicals.At intervals of 10 days, spray the affected areas with a solution that can be purchased at the store. Fitoferm, Tanrek and Biotlin have proven themselves best. These complex sprays will cause even a large colony of mealybugs to retreat.
Shields are resistant to external influences, therefore getting rid of them is associated with some difficulties. The scute, or small carapace, protects the insects from the environment. Insects are tightly attached to the surface of the oxalis, which makes it difficult to remove the individual. It is easy to notice scale insects: tubercles of different shades (depending on the type of parasite) will be on the leaves and shoots. However, in the early stages, the pest can only be detected by sticky leaves: insects leave behind a sticky liquid.
If the situation is running, you need to remove the adult scale insects. Chemicals will not affect them: the shells will protect the shield from any liquid. To remove insects from a leaf, you can soak a cotton swab or disc in soapy water and treat all leaves on both sides, as well as adjacent stems. Treat the plant, pot and nearby objects (as well as the wall and windowsill that are in the immediate vicinity of the pot) with chemicals. For this purpose, Actellik is suitable, but you need to remember: a pungent smell will accompany the process of treatment with this drug, so it is advisable to place the pot in an isolated place.
Some of the most unpleasant pests are small butterflies that greedily swoop down on the plant. It appears on acid soil in those cases when the soil becomes waterlogged at elevated air temperatures. In this case, you can see midges circling around the sour. The length of the pest does not exceed 3 mm, and the body is covered with powdery pollen. For an effective fight, rinse the acid under running water, which should be cool. Next, you can start treating the plant with insecticidal agents designed to combat whiteflies. It is best to purchase the drugs in a specialized store.
About the features care for sour see the next video.
Tips from experienced florists
In order for the plant to grow and develop well, it is necessary to listen to the advice of flower growers. Here are some of the guidelines:
- Each morning the plant is turned towards the sun for even growth.
- Oxalis is rich in vitamins and therefore it is recommended to eat it. The leaves of the plant have a sour taste and are ideal for preparing vegetable salads.
- If the plant starts to wither, no need to try to reanimate it with fertilizers. This will cause great harm to the acid. Also, you cannot fertilize the transplanted flower for 1.5 months.
Beneficial features
Violet oxalis has found wide application in folk medicine. All parts of the flower are used for treatment.
The plant improves appetite and normalizes the metabolic process, has a wound healing, hemostatic, diuretic effect. The extract prepared on the basis of acid is used for diseases of the liver, kidneys and stomach. Juice is used to treat scabies and other skin diseases.
Even a novice florist can grow a plant, since caring for oxalis at home does not take much time and effort. If you follow all the recommendations correctly, then the oxalis will decorate any corner of the apartment with its lush crown and abundant flowering.
Description of acid, photo
The plant has alternate palmate or ternary leaves, with a complex bend and petioles. The leaves are clawed, in rare cases pinnate, fold and hang with the change of the phase of the day, with irritation or bright light.
The inflorescences are regular, arranged in a fivefold row, petals are yellow, pink or white, the number of stamens is 10. Oxalis has three color options with different column sizes:
- short (less short stamens);
- medium (located between short and long stamens);
- long (more stamens).
The flower is a box that opens along the shutters. The seeds are in several pieces in the nest, have a fleshy membrane, which, when opened, bounces off, contributing to the scattering of seeds. According to the method of seed distribution, the plants are ballistae.
A feature of the plant is the beautiful pink veins on the petals of the "exploding" inflorescences, when ripe they shoot out small red seeds. Also, a feature is that with the arrival of night, in cloudy weather, in bright light, the flowers close, and the foliage curls and falls.
Movement under the influence of these factors occurs as a result of changes in internal pressure (the so-called turgor) in the cells of leaves and petals.
Some varieties can be planted in open land under trees and bushes, some are grown only at home and in winter gardens. There are weeds among the acid plant, it is quite difficult to stop their development. Therefore, be careful when choosing.
Types of oxalis flower
Oxalis ordinary. A small plant growing in deciduous, tropical and coniferous forests. In our area it is better known as "sourness" or "hare cabbage". This plant has several types of flowers:
- Closed, self-pollinating.
- Open, pollinated by insects.
Cleistogamy is the main plant adapted to life in coniferous forests, in which there are few insects for pollination. During the ripening of the inflorescences, the seeds are scattered within a radius of up to a meter. In addition, the seeds are carried by ants.
Ferruginous oxalis. The most popular garden plant, 7 cm long, forms small bushes up to 17 cm wide. Green leaves are composed of multiple (10–20) oval particles. The flowers are large, silvery with pinkish blotches. Winter-hardy variety.
Carob oxalis. Weed. It is characterized by beautiful red-brown leaves and small yellowish inflorescences. Multiple aerial shoots can clog both flower gardens and beds, therefore, having decided to plant this plant variety on a hill, carefully look after it.
Poor oxalis. Long-term bush, quite frost-hardy. From small nodules forms trifoliate leaves on small petioles, and then dark pink inflorescences with white blotches. It blooms in autumn, the best place is in a sunny area.
Valdivian oxalis. A plant with leaves on elongated petioles (35–40 cm) with yellow flowers with reddish blotches. Usually planted as a curb plant, for group planting on lawns and flower beds.
Room acid - what kind of flower is it?
In Russia, sour cherry is called hare cabbage, sour clover, clover of happiness. These are far from all the names of this useful indoor plant.
Oxalis or oxalis is a tuberous or bulbous plant of extraordinary beauty with delicate flowers and leaves that resemble clover leaves.
Oxalis
Note! The culture is bred not only in the open field. And at home, indoor purple oxalis is grown, the care of which is not at all difficult
Basic information about the plant
The Latin name of the culture comes from a combination of two words: "Oxys" - spicy, sour and "Als" - salt. This word was used to describe the specific aroma of leaves that contain oxalic acid. Belongs to the Kislichny family, which has more than 800 species of annuals and perennials. They can be found in South / Central America, Africa, Central Europe.
Room violet oxalis
Oxalis flowers are small purple, yellow, pink or white, in some varieties they are bicolor. The color of the leaves located on thin petioles, depending on the species, varies from light green, silver to brown-red, as well as a dark purple tone.
The leaves of the sorrel are curly, divided into three or four parts. There are plants in which the leaves are divided into five, six or nine parts, but there are fewer of these. Even less common are sourwood specimens, the leaves of which are divided into 15-19 lobes, which gives the rosette a unique futuristic look. Leaves are kept on long thin petioles. They are arranged in a circle and very much resemble the wings of butterflies. Shoots are collected in a bush. When there are many of them, the bush is lush and attractive. The leaves are not only green in color, but also orange-red, purple, violet. Some are distinguished by the variegated color of the leaf surface.
Growing features
Basically, caring for purple sour is reduced to performing standard measures: watering, feeding, processing against parasitic individuals, transplanting. This is an unpretentious and non-capricious plant; even novice flower growers can grow it.
Lighting and temperature
Room violet oxalis prefers to receive diffused sunlight. It is possible to provide it with the most comfortable growing conditions by placing the pot on the window sill of a southwestern or southeastern orientation. If this is not possible, then placing the plant on the sill of the south window, darken it. Since the flower culture is afraid of drafts, you should not keep it near an open window.
The temperature regime in different periods of the year is different:
- In spring and summer, the optimum temperature should be in the range of 20-25 degrees. At this time, an active vegetation occurs in the acid plant, it develops.
- In autumn and winter, indicators should be maintained within the range of 15-18 degrees. Since this is the preparation period for the plant before hibernation, the temperature must be appropriate. It is undesirable to place the pot near the heating system.
Humidity, watering and feeding
Triangular oxalis grows and develops best at a humidity level of 40-60%. In the hot season, it is regularly sprayed - twice a week is enough to help the plant cope with dry air. Alternatively, for these purposes, a container with water is installed near the flower.
The soil should also be moistened regularly, the earthen coma in the vessel should not be allowed to dry out. The liquid for irrigation should be settled (2-3 days), at room temperature. It is advisable to remove excess water from the pan, otherwise there is a high probability of the development of putrefactive processes on the root system. The frequency of procedures in the fall is reduced to 1 time in 2 weeks, and in the winter there is no need for them at all. When new vegetative organs begin to appear on the plant, this will be a signal that the bush will come out of dormancy.
Fertilizer mixtures need to be applied throughout the spring-summer season. To saturate the soil, complex mineral compositions are used, their frequency of application is once every two weeks. The last feeding is carried out in the last decade of August.
Soil composition and transplant
For purple sour, light soil is more suitable, consisting of equal parts of humus, peat and sand. It is imperative to put a 2 cm thick drainage layer in the pot, otherwise the moisture will stagnate, which will provoke the appearance of root rot. For planting and transplanting indoor plants, it is advisable to choose wide and not too high containers.
To avoid the loss of decorativeness in the sorrel, it is transplanted at a young age (up to 4 years) every year, and then - once every 2-3 years. This manipulation also allows you to stimulate the plant to bloom. Each new container must be 2 cm larger than the previous one. The main thing is to behave very carefully when transplanting, not to injure the roots of the bush. It is better to moisten the flower initially, and then remove it from the pot.
Preparing for a dormant period
Triangular oxalis stops growing before the onset of hibernation.This factor indicates a reduction in irrigation to a minimum, and the procedures for feeding and spraying the leaf mass are stopped altogether. A pot with a decorative culture is placed in a cool place until new leaves form.
Damage by pests and diseases
With improper home care, the acid can be attacked by such harmful insects as small aphids, whiteflies and scale insects. In order not to miss the moment, to react in time, it is recommended to regularly inspect the leaves and stems of the flower. If necessary, insecticides are used.
- Aphid
- Whitefly
- Shield
An ornamental and medicinal plant practically does not get sick, it can only be weakened by a fungal infection. But this is only under the condition of high humidity in the soil. The roots of the flower begin to rot, the leaves begin to wither. If the scale of infection is serious, then the acid can not be saved. At the beginning of the disease, the affected parts of the bush are removed, watering is reduced, and the topsoil is replaced.
If the plant is in direct sunlight, then there is a high probability of burns. They appear as yellow spots on the leaf blades. In such cases, the bush is removed to a more suitable place and sprayed the next day with water. It is allowed to return it back only after the flower has been restored.
It happens that the leaves of purple sour cherry are constantly in a closed position. The reason for this is the dryness of the air. After adjusting the humidity level, this problem is solved by itself.
Reproduction methods of oxalis flower
Oxalis is easiest to propagate with the help of seeds, they are sown in spring. In the first year of life, only underground shoots and rosettes of foliage appear, and the next season curtains begin to form from the axils of the foliage, new rosettes will begin to sprout from above-ground shoots.
Can also be propagated by nodules. They are planted at the end of February, 7-9 pieces in one container, sprinkled on top with a layer of soil of 1 centimeter. Composition of the substance: turf, leaf and sand, in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Before the appearance of the root system, after planting, the bush is kept in a cool place with a temperature of 4-9, watered with a small amount of water. From mid-spring, the temperature increases.
Nodules can be transplanted into flower beds at any time. For example, you can plant in the middle of autumn and get a bush with lush foliage for the New Year. Several pieces are transplanted in an 8 cm container, into the substance of sand, earth and compost in a 1: 1: 2 ratio. Before the emergence of the root system, the containers are placed in a place with a temperature of 4-9C, and at the beginning of growth, they are moved to heat.
When determining the flowering time, it must be borne in mind that the full development cycle from the time of planting the nodules can last approximately 45 days. Thus, the plant after transplanting in the spring will bloom until the end of autumn.
Some varieties can reproduce both by nodules and cuttings, and at the correct temperature of 24C, they take root in the sand after 19-22 days. In this case, it is necessary to provide shading from direct rays of the sun.
There are some peculiarities during the cultivation of this plant. The varieties, in which the aboveground part does not die in winter, are installed in a moderately cold and brightly lit room (15-17C) and not watered heavily two days later, after the top layer of the earth has dried, with a small amount of water.
Varieties in which the aerial part dies in winter reduce watering several months before winter dormancy. The soil contains only nodules that can be stored in a cool and brightly lit place (11-13C). During this period, no special care is required.
The soil must be kept in a moderately moist state, but without drying the earthy coma. After the appearance of the first shoots, the bush is slowly transferred to a warm place. Flowering occurs after about a month.
Oxalis is a pretty graceful bush with a beautiful flowering. The plant is suitable for planting in lighted cool rooms.
At the same time, oxalis has an important difference from other indoor plants: nodules can be planted at any time and flowering can be calculated by a certain date.
Description of the plant
The plant was first discovered in Mexico. Later, sour acid was found in the countries of South America and in the southern part of the African continent. Oxalis is also found in summer cottages. Its decorative qualities are appreciated by gardeners.
Garden acid is planted, creating hedges, and the plant is also used as an indoor plant. In addition to decorative, useful properties of sour acid are also known. The plant helps with bile congestion. Also, acid is used as a diuretic and as a medicine for colds.
The culture is found in the form of a perennial or annual herbaceous plant. The root system is represented by a rhizome with outgrowths in the form of tubers or bulbs. The rhizome is close to the surface and tends to spread. The flower reaches a height of 15-30 cm.
The leaves of the sorrel common are palmate or trifoliate in structure, 5–15 cm long. The leaf itself is attached to the stem with a petiole. The length of the petiole exceeds the length of the leaf plate, reaching up to 20 cm.
If you suddenly notice that the plant has dropped its leaves, then you should not panic and start looking for the cause of the disease. This property of acid is observed in cloudy weather, at night and during physical interaction with the plant. Leafy plates are green, less often burgundy specimens are found, even less often - plants with a two-color color.
Oxalis flowers appear in late spring, the flowering period lasts a month. A flowering shoot with buds is formed on the bush. Flowers, like leaves, close their petals at night. Flower buds are lilac, white, pink and yellow.
Flowers are formed by both female and male. They pollinate on their own, insects, for example, bees, also help this process. Oxalis is capable of fruiting.
The fruits are capsules containing seeds in the form of drops. The seeds have a thick rind, on the surface of which carbohydrates are stored to attract ants. These insects become a way of transporting seeds over long distances. In addition, after ripening, the capsule does not open, but as if it shoots out seeds, which also helps to move the seeds.
Types of acid
The genus Kislits includes 800 species. In our country, there are five to six.
Oxalis ordinary
In nature, the plant is found in dense coniferous forests. Oxalis ordinary prefers shade. The height of the herbaceous plant is 5–12 cm. The culture blooms in late spring or early summer, the buds are small, cream-colored. On the edges of the petals there are roundings with a pink or purple tint. Peduncle 5-10 cm long.
Tuberous acid
This variety is found in the countries of Central and South America. People living there grow sour cherry, like potatoes. The variety got its name because of the tubers that form on the rhizome.
They contain starch, just like potatoes. Flower buds grow singly and are pink in color.
Four-leaf oxalis
Oxalis grows in Mexico and Panama. It is a perennial plant, the rhizome of which is in the form of a bulb. It is more common in apartments and houses than on the street. The plant is 15 cm high.
It blooms from early summer to early autumn. The buds are collected in inflorescences like umbrellas, the color is rich pink or red-violet. Flowers 2 cm in diameter.
Triangular oxalis
The second name of this species is violet oxalis. This variety does not tolerate cold temperatures, preferring warmth. For this reason, the plant is more often found as an indoor plant. The leaves are dark purple in color. Flowers are small, collected in inflorescences.
Ferruginous oxalis
Garden variety of acid. The bush reaches a height of 8 cm. In width it grows up to fifteen centimeters.Oxalis begins to bloom from June to July. Large buds of a white shade with a silvery sheen, and also noticeable pink veins in the form of a grid.
Carob oxalis
The description of the sorrel of this species testifies to the short stature of the bush. It is a ground cover plant. Therefore, sometimes gardeners take carob sour for weeds. At the beginning of flowering, small pink buds appear, located in three pieces or one by one.
Variegated oxalis
The species is used as a houseplant. Flowers of several shades: the inner surface is painted in a snow-white color, but the outer one contains a burgundy or scarlet border. The bush grows to a height of 15 cm. The natural place of growth is the south of Africa.
