The name of a tropical flower grown in gardens and on window sills, ginura, translates as "woman with a tail." It's all about the interesting shape of the leaves: it very much resembles a train of a luxurious evening dress. The second common name is the blue bird. He was given a purple or blue shade of veins. Children sometimes call him a crocodile for the jagged shape of the leaves.
Ginura - a flower from Asia and Africa, is a member of the numerous family Asteraceae (Astrovaceae). Her young stems grow straight up, and then under their own weight they drop. It is easy to give them the desired shape, which is used when creating artistic garden compositions - arches, pergolas, etc. Quadrangular stems extend up to 1 m in length. The pubescence of the leaves can be purple, lilac, as well as purple and violet.
Ginura
Branches eventually acquire lateral processes, due to which the bush acquires a lush elegant look. Leaflets of oval or triangular shape grow on short petioles one after another. The roots have the largest foliage (up to 20 cm long), and to the ends of the shoots they are much smaller. The edges of the leaf plate are serrated, and the surface is velvety. The wrong side is usually reddish.
Ginura: home care
In apartments, ginur is not allowed to bloom. Its inflorescences have an extremely unpleasant aroma, so they are left to bloom exclusively in the fresh air. The flowering period is from May to December. If there is enough food, then the process can last all year.
The corymbose inflorescence grows at the tips of twigs or from the axils of the leaves. Flowering is yellow, purple, orange, green and red. It takes a lot of nutrients from the bush, which entails the loss of its beauty. From pollinated flowers, boxes filled with long brown seeds are formed.
Important! The flower is poisonous, which should be considered when working with it, wearing gloves. In children's rooms to put pots with it is impossible.
If there is insufficient light, then the color becomes pale. Direct sunlight can cause burns. The best window sills for placing pots are western, eastern. On the southern windows you have to stick foil on the glass. In winter, to maintain the beauty of the shrub, additional lighting is required.
For your information! The most photophilous are weaving and climbing varieties.
Ideal temperature in the range of 20-25 ° C. In the winter months, the plant needs rest, so the temperature is lowered to 12-15 ° C. It does not tolerate drafts, but needs a daily influx of fresh air.
Diseases rarely affect the ginur. White plaque on the leaves, as well as stormy or black spots - these are signs of improper care - violation of the temperature regime, watering. Usually they choose an escape free from disturbing signs and root it, and the diseased plant is removed.
Watering and humidity
Normal humidity in the apartment of about 50-60% ginur is enough, spraying foliage is not required. Watering is carried out with boiled water at room temperature. The most plentiful watering is needed in the summer, and in the remaining months it is much more moderate. Practice soil moisture through a pallet. If drops of water fall on the leaves, then they can leave ugly brown spots on them.
Pinching, trimming
Ampelic varieties need tying up shoots. If this is not done, then the plant stops in growth and development. Only with the help of trimming it is possible to get a symmetrical beautiful crown, which, in the absence of the necessary design, grows too much and untidily. Pinching the ends of the longest shoots stimulates the formation of lateral processes. Cut branches can be used for rooting.
Reproduction and transplantation
The easiest way to get a young flower is to root the stalk. It is best cut off in spring or summer, but September will do. Take the top of the shoot with a few leaves. The shank is dipped in a glass of water, where after a week many roots are formed. Planted immediately in a permanent pot.
The earth is taken universal for flowering houseplants. If you prepare the soil mixture yourself, then mix the turf land with the leaf in equal proportions, add humus and washed river sand. A loose and breathable mixture should result. At the bottom of the pots, a drainage layer of coarse pebbles or expanded clay must be laid.
Note! A transplant is performed when the roots completely fill the entire capacity, usually after a year. It is enough to transfer the lump of soil with roots into a new pot of slightly larger diameter and add the missing soil. Preliminarily, the plant is abundantly watered to facilitate its removal from the tank, and after transplantation it is placed for a couple of days in partial shade, leaving it without watering for successful acclimatization.
The formation of ginura around the arch
Long flexible shoots can easily be wrapped around any support. They are not too fragile, so you can do without even special devices for securing branches, but usually they use a spool of strong thread. The support can be of any shape, but the most beautiful arched looks. The most impressive result can be obtained in the garden, but on the windowsill you can grow a miniature arch.
Twisting the ginura arch
Note! A special fixture is easy to find in a specialized store, but you can do it yourself with suitable plastic or wooden rods.
Common problems in growing ginura
A fairly unpretentious flower can lose its beauty if it is not properly looked after. Typically, the reasons are as follows:
- blanching causes insufficient lighting;
- elongated shoots with large gaps between the leaves indicate a lack of light;
- fallen leaves indicate too dry soil in the pot, due to lack of moisture, they quickly begin to wither;
- too small foliage grows in the shade and with a lack of nutrients.
Considering how easily the ginura propagates, they prefer to update it whenever the bush loses its decorative appearance. But, if there is a desire to extend the life of the flower, then they use top dressing with a complex mineral fertilizer for flowering indoor plants of agricola.
Flowering ginura
The buds open in the summer. For this, the flower requires enhanced top dressing and a sufficient amount of sunlight. Flowers usually have a contrasting color compared to foliage, which, when they are nondescript, gives the shrub quite a decorative look. Therefore, they are left in the gardens. But at home, flower growers prefer to break off buds so that the plant does not waste strength to the detriment of the beauty of the leaves, and no one likes the unpleasant smell. Therefore, not everyone had a chance to see how the ginura blossoms on the windowsill. A rare sight.
Popular varieties
The following varieties are most popular in Russia.
Ginura wicker
Shrub with drooping lashes. It is grown in hanging flower pots as an ampel decorative foliage flower. In height, such a plant can reach 60 cm. The foliage is quite small, but long - up to 7 cm in length. In care is no different from other varieties. The flowers are yellow.
Gynura sarmentosa
Ginura purple
From other varieties, this variety is distinguished by a pronounced purple color of the veins, the inside of the foliage and its pubescence. In combination with green decorative and deciduous houseplants it looks the most spectacular. Leaves elongated up to 10 cm curl a little. A young bush stretches up, but gradually the long shoots bend down under their weight.
Gynura purple
Ginura Orange
Its long stems reach 1 m. The foliage has a green color and edges with serrated teeth. The pubescence is usually lilac or violet. According to the description, the flowers of the ginura aurantics are most similar to dandelions and have exactly the same rich yellow-orange color, but they smell very unpleasant.
Gynura aurantica
Open ginura
This variety has recently settled on Russian window sills. Edibility distinguishes it from all others. Leaves of pale green color can be used in the same way as any other spicy greens, for example, for the preparation of salads. Shoots grow up to 1 m long. They have valuable healing properties.
Gynura procubens
Ginura
It is also called pseudo-ginseng. A perennial medicinal plant native to China has long climbing green shoots. Flowers grow on long legs in the shape of a spherical green umbrella up to 4.5 cm in diameter. It will not work to grow it on the windowsill, since it is rather difficult to buy seeds, but, most importantly, the conditions in an ordinary apartment are not suitable for her.
Gynura Cirrus
Ginura purple
Some varieties of wicker or orange ginura by selection have acquired a purple color of pubescence and veins. Seeds of such varieties can be found on sale under various trade names, for example, Purple Passion Vine. In leaving, they do not have fundamental differences.
Gynura purple passion vine
Ginura variegate
This is different from all other varieties by the color of the foliage. Young leaves at the tips of the shoots have a delicate light pink color, which acquires dark green spots as they age. The leaves at the roots become almost completely dark green with a pink border.
Gynura Variegate
To decorate the house, it is difficult to find a more elegant and unpretentious plant. His velvety leaves with a purple or purple fluff invariably attract admiring glances, becoming the best award to the grower. If you wish, you can always nip off the shoot and share the cuttings with friends. Moreover, caring for a ginur flower at home will not be a hassle.
