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Growing streptocarpus and description of varieties
Streptocarpus are distant relatives of Saintpaulia and Gloxinia and are not inferior to them in beauty. Among the varieties, there are those that are successfully cultivated as a houseplant. Growing streptocarpus is not a troublesome business, but it has its own characteristics, which it is better to know about in advance.
Description of streptocarpus and subtleties of care
The streptocarpus flower belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. It has wrinkled, pubescent leaves of a dark green color. The flower resembles a bell, rests on a high peduncle. Coloring can be any. There are types with double, semi-double or simple bells. After flowering, streptocarpus forms a fruit, which contains seeds.
Growing streptocarpus won’t be a hassle
The flower differs from other Gesneriaceae in its unpretentiousness and long flowering period. With good care, the buds open from spring to late autumn. In short intervals between flowering, the plant does not shed its leaves, but retains its decorative effect.
Caring for an indoor flower is no different from caring for a Saintpaulia:
- place the pot in a bright place, without direct sunlight;
- poured into a pallet;
- humidify the air around, but do not spray the leaves;
- maintain the temperature in the range of 20-25 degrees in summer, decrease somewhat in winter;
- feed until winter every week;
- transplanted into a wide but small pot in February.
Streptocarpus is afraid of drafts and cold windowsills. In winter, the plant is placed in the room, supplementary lighting is organized. Water as needed, abundantly in summer, and allow the soil to dry out in winter. When transplanting, daughter rosettes are separated from the plant and rooted in loose nutrient soil.
Streptocarpus varieties for home cultivation
Wild species of streptocarpus are not suitable for indoor floriculture. Breeders have bred many hybrid plants that have adapted well to home conditions.
Among the variety of types of domestic breeding, the following varieties stand out: “Amaretto”, “Baltic Sea”, “Juliet”. These are bicolor varieties, the petals of which are colored in different shades. For example, the upper petals of “Juliet” are strongly corrugated, painted in a lilac shade. The lower wavy petals are more intense purple with a black pattern.
The selection of Vyacheslav Paramonov deserves attention. Among all the varieties stand out:
- “Sea patterns” – large, white flowers with blue veins, wavy petals;
- “Snows of Kilimanjaro” – the neck of a flower of a light purple hue, the petals are corrugated, white with a green border around the edges;
- “Spring Dreams” – white-pink flowers with lavender veins on wavy edges.
These are far from all varieties. The collection is distinguished by large bells, the petals of which are painted in unusual shades.
Growing streptocarpus is easy, you can quickly assemble your collection. Follow the basic care requirements to keep the flowers healthy at all times.