Medinilla is an evergreen tropical beauty from the Philippine forests. Charming, but rather capricious plants are suitable for exotic lovers who are ready to make an effort so that the bright shrub opens up in all its glory. Medinilla belongs to the Melastom family. Shrubs and small trees are known for large dark green leaves, under which the drooping graceful inflorescences, similar to multicolored grapes, are revealed.
Plant description
Medinilla is a large genus of tropical plants that includes herbaceous vines, shrubs, and trees. You can meet them on all the islands of the Pacific basin, as well as on the coasts of Africa, Australia and India. The medinilla flower has a fibrous, highly branched root system. The height of the shoot is from 30 cm to 2 m.
Ribbed greenish-brown stems occasionally covered with bristles. Large leaves with a solid edge have a dense leaf plate. In the center there is a relief vein of a lighter color, from which 3-9 smaller veins depart. Volumetric leaves are opposite or whorls. They are painted dark green.
The most attention is attracted by the medinilla inflorescences, which bloom in spring. They are located on the tops of the shoots and in the axils of the leaves. Long drooping or erect pedicels grow below the main part of the crown. Miniature tubular or bell-shaped corollas are collected in thick brushes. They are surrounded by larger bracts, which fall shortly after the beginning of flowering. Delicate buds are painted in pink, purple or salmon. The lush core consists of elongated stamens with bright anthers and an ovary.
After pollination, pear-shaped or oblong berries with many seeds ripen. Small seeds are covered with smooth brown skin and are wedge-shaped.
Types of Medinilla
In total, more than 400 varieties are registered in the genus of medinilla, however, domestic flower growers most often prefer only a few of the most decorative species and varieties.
Medinilla is magnificent (magnifica). Shrub 1-1.5 m high is found in the lowlands of the Philippines and about. Java. It consists of erect thick branches that are covered in internodes by setae. The length of the oblong leaves reaches 35 cm, and the width is 15 cm. The leaves at the base sit tightly on the stem, they have a leathery dark green surface. Large racemose inflorescences hang down under the crown and reach a length of 30 cm. White-pink bracts hide small bells. The plant medinilla magnifica prefers a warm and humid climate. Decorative varieties:
- Dolce Vita - above the large bright pink brush there are several narrow bracts;
- Trezor - inflorescence without bracts consists of small blue and white flowers with 4 triangular petals;
- Belo - short, but dense inflorescences are painted in a bright red tone.
Medinilla veins. The semi-epiphytic shrub with thin tubular shoots is covered with bristles. It grows beautiful dark green oval leaves with a pointed edge. Their length is 9-20 cm, and their width is 5-9 cm, 7 relief veins are clearly visible on the surface of the sheet. Umbrella inflorescences with white tubular flowers are located under the foliage.
Medinilla Cumming. A low, sprawling shrub exists as a semi-epiphyte. It is covered with shiny oval leaves up to 30 cm long and 12-20 cm wide. The surface of the sheet is slightly concave. 7 veins are visible on it. Flowers are collected in upright racemose inflorescences. Each corolla in diameter reaches 5 cm. The color of the flowers is pink.
Medinilla Javanica. Plants are famous for their less capricious nature. Low bushes with dark green ovoid leaves easily adapt to the usual humidity in the room. Drooping brushes are painted in a bright purple hue, however, large beautiful bracts are absent.
Propagation Features
At home, the reproduction of medinilla is quite difficult. The cuttings are usually used, but only a small fraction of the cuttings take root. For this, from January to May, half-lignified stems with 2-3 internodes are cut. The bottom edge is treated with "Kornevin" and rooted in a mixture of sand and peat at high humidity and temperature + 25 ... + 30 ° C. When the stalk starts to sprout, it must be pinched to form lateral shoots.
If you can get fresh medinilla seeds, you can grow a flower from the seeds. Crops are produced in February-March, in shallow containers with soddy soil and sand. Seeds are distributed at a depth of 5 mm, moistened and covered with a film. For better germination, lower heating is required. Sprouts appear within 3-4 weeks. After the formation of 2 true leaves, the seedlings dive in separate pots and are grown in high humidity. Water them with caution.
Home Care
Medinilla is rather capricious, not every grower will be able to create comfortable conditions for her. A resident of the rainforest needs to maintain a comfortable temperature and high humidity.
Lighting. Medinilla needs bright diffused light and a long daylight hours. In winter, you can put plants on the southern windowsill in direct sunlight, but in the hot season you need to carefully protect the crown from direct sunlight.
Temperature. The optimum air temperature throughout the year is + 20 ... + 25 ° C. In winter, temperatures below + 16 ° C are allowed, but they are not required. A more significant cooling will lead to the death of the plant. Strong heat is also painful for the flower and requires increased humidity.
Humidity. In order for the medinilla to feel comfortable, the air humidity should be more than 75%. To maintain it, pallets with wet pebbles and expanded clay are placed next to the flower, and it is also necessary to spray the leaves with well-protected, clean water several times a day. It is recommended to use humidifiers, especially in winter, when the heaters are working.
Watering. At the end of winter, when flower buds begin to form, the medinilla should be watered abundantly and often so that the soil is constantly slightly moist. In the middle of flowering, straits are less frequent, and by the beginning of winter they are significantly limited, allowing the loss of turgor between waterings. Water should be thoroughly cleaned of chlorine and lime impurities.
Fertilizers Twice a month, medinilla bushes are fertilized with mineral compounds for indoor flowers. Top dressing is carried out from March to September.
Transfer. Medinilla should be transplanted before the formation of flowers. Adult plants are transplanted every 2-3 years. It is recommended to free the roots from part of the old earthen coma, check them and remove damaged areas. Since most varieties are semi-epiphytes, the land must be fertile, light and loose. It is made up of turf and leaf soil, peat, deciduous humus and sand. You can use a small amount of pieces of pine bark. The bottom of the pot is lined with large drainage material.
Pruning. After flowering is completed, the medinilla is pruned. You can remove not only withered inflorescences, but also part of the overgrown shoots. This stimulates the appearance of lateral processes.
Possible difficulties
The main difficulty in caring for the medinilla is to maintain high humidity. With its shortage, the leaves begin to fade and curl from the ends. The flower prefers to be in the same place all the time, if it is often rearranged, it will discard part of the foliage.
With insufficient lighting, the formation of flower buds is worse, therefore, if medinilla has not bloomed for a long time, it is necessary to pay attention to this factor. In winter, they often use additional lighting.
Medinilla is notable for its strong immunity, but in a damp climate and when water stagnates in the soil, it can suffer from leaf spot and root rot. Damaged areas are immediately cut, and the rest of the plant is treated with fungicide.
The most common pests are mealybug and spider mite. When they appear, the plants are treated with insecticides, according to the scheme in the instructions.
