Akalifa Wilksa

Acalypha wilkesiana

Homeland - Polynesia.

Evergreen shrub up to 3 m high. The shoots are erect, with a reddish bark, slightly eroded. Leaves opposite, simple egg-shaped, apex long-pointed, edge serrate. The leaf plate is bronze-green with bright copper-red spots.

The nondescript small flowers of the reddish color are collected in thin, upwardly directed spicate inflorescences up to 5-10 cm long.

Based on this species, numerous varieties are obtained, differing in the variety of colors of the leaves. The most famous of them are the following:

• Cypress Elf( formerly known as Mardi Grass) - a rather high( 40-60 cm) plant, stems sometimes drooping, leaf blades narrow, wavy, bright pink or almost crimson;

• Ceylon - sometimes a few twisted wavy leaves, the edge slightly thickened, with reddish-white spots on a copper or bronze-red background;

• Godseffiana - leaves are lanceolate, but less than the original species, are strongly pubescent, white, cream or golden border passes along the edge of the leaf blade;

• Halleakana - the leaves have "filigree" incised or deeply dissected edges, painted from copper-magenta to chestnut-colored;• Heterophylla - leaves from linear to lanceolate, unevenly jagged, there is sport - vegetative mutation, with narrow-line green with uneven yellowish or white border along the edge of the leaves;

• Hoffmanii - leaves narrower than the original species, irregularly dentate. The color is bright green, very thin at the margin, sometimes only in the teeth white fringe;Inferno - an effective combination of shades of yellow, orange and red colors of a leaf plate;

• Java White - leaves are almost yellow with greenish dots;

• Coast kapa - some leaves have bright yellow dots and stripes on a green background;in others, half of the leaf blade is yellow, half is green;

• Kilanea - low plant, almost dwarfish, leaves thin dark green with a hint of red or copper-red color;

• Loisiana Red - three-color leaves: on a dark green background light green and cream spots, the underside is purple;

• Macrophylla - leaves are heart-shaped, rather large, so in English-speaking countries this variety is sometimes called "giant heart-shaped."The color of the leaf blade combines red, bronze or rusty-bronze tones with a pale red marking in the form of dots;

• Marginata-leaves are large, with a crenate edge, dark, olive-green, with a white stripe in the center and pink-red on the periphery. Greenish flowers are collected in a spicate inflorescence;

• Musaica - leaves broad-oval or back-ovoid, green with orange and bronze dabs;

• Obovata - long-petioled leaves, large( more than 20 cm long), oval. The color of the leaf blade varies from olive-green to light green and pink, with age - bronze-green with carmine-pink and shaded with greenish-pink flowers;

• Petticoat - obviously corrugated edges of leaves with dark teeth and rim;

• Raggidy - leaves are cut into narrow lobes, each of which ends with two narrow long branches, the upper side is blue-violet with a pink border, the lower side is purple;

• Raggedy Ann - leaves with narrow lobes from dark red to almost brown;

• Tahiti - the leaf shares are often twisted, the edge and blurred spots from the yellow-green DO;dark green color;

• Tequila Sunrise - stripes and spots on green leaves are painted in red and golden colors;

• Tricolor - the color of the leaf blade combines red, green and yellow tones.

Courtship. Akalifa prefers intense scattered light, from direct sunlight it is pritenyayut. Very well it feels in light kitchens, bathrooms with windows. In the summer it is useful to take out on a balcony, or in the garden in a semi-shady place.

The plant is thermophilic, the optimum temperature in the summer is 22-24 ° C, at a lower temperature growth slows down, leaves can fall off. In winter, the temperature is reduced to 16-18 ° C, but not lower.

Watering is carried out evenly throughout the year, at room temperature, in winter - a few degrees higher. The lack of moisture is more dangerous: when the substrate is dried, the plant dies. However, it should not be filled, since the roots easily rot. When the ambient temperature is high, it is necessary to spray or install the pot in a tray with wet moss or pebbles.

Several substrates are used as substrates: 1) sheet, peat, turf and sand in the ratio 2: 1: 1: 1;2) Leafy, sod, sand in the ratio of 1: 1: 0.5;3) leaf, garden, coarse sand in equal parts with the addition of dried mullein. In any case, the substrate must have a sufficient amount of humus, the reaction is weakly acidic. Feeding in the spring-summer period Once in 2-3 weeks organic fertilizers( mullein 1: 10 or infusion of bird droppings 1: 25).In the absence of organic matter, a full mineral fertilizer with microelements can be used.

Transplant the plant once a year in spring if the roots appear from the drainage hole. For decorative-deciduous species it is necessary to pinch-2-3 times during the growing season for more intensive branching. Two or three-year-old specimens that have lost their decorative qualities are cut at the end of winter, leaving a stump 25-30 cm high. For faster growth and awakening of sleeping buds, frequent and abundant spraying is necessary.

A. bristly pigs will bloom better if you shoot the shoots once or plant several specimens( 2-4) in a small( 12-13 cm diameter) pot.

Akalifa is very afraid of drafts, and this must be taken into account when choosing a location for it.

If the cultivation conditions are not observed, the plants show signs of non-infectious diseases.

Lack of light causes increased growth of the stem, the internodes are stretched, the strength of the stem is reduced, the leaves turn pale. It is necessary to prune and rearrange the plant in a lighter place.

If the humidity of the air is low, the tips of the leaves and the shoot tip become brown and brown.

If the soil lacks nitrogen or iron, the leaves turn yellow, thin and dry out.

In case of lack of lighting, low temperature and unbalanced nutrition, flowering is delayed in plants, the number of inflorescences is reduced.

Akalifa is affected by a mealybug, whitefly, spider mite.

Warning! Care should be taken when growing acaliphas, especially A. bristly beetles. The plant is poisonous!

Propagates acalify quite successfully both vegetatively and semenically, but seed reproduction is mainly used in breeding new varieties.

Seeds are sown in March-April, in a mixture of leaf land and sand in equal proportions, a thin layer of substrate is sprinkled from above. Germination is carried out at a temperature of 20-22 ° C.

More successful reproduction occurs by apical cuttings. Decorative-deciduous species do not have a definite selection period, the cuttings successfully root themselves throughout the year. Can be used for reproduction and shoots left after pruning. To get plants with a fast flowering period, Akalif cuttings in September.2-3 sheets are left on the cuttings, the section is treated with heteroauxin and rooted in a mixture of sand with peat or leaf, peat, turf and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1: 1.Good results are also obtained when rooted in water. To increase the moisture, the cuttings are covered with a glass jar, a piece of plastic bottle or a plastic bag.