Smithianta: types and varieties, care and reproduction

HomeAll flowers that start with SSmithianta: types and varieties, care and reproduction

Smithiantha belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. Homeland – the tropics of America.

Smitianta is a perennial herbaceous rhizomatous plant with shoots. Smithianth leaves are very beautiful – velvety green with red-purple veins and stains. The bell-shaped flowers of smitianta on high peduncles are yellow-orange or orange-red in color, collected in racemose inflorescences, up to 4 cm long. A scaly rhizome spreads along the soil, from which the leaves depart. Blooms in July – September.

Smithianth plant species

In total, the genus includes 9 species of smitianta, and several varieties bred in recent years.

Smitianta striped is a perennial compact shrub, reaching up to 40 cm in height. Shoots are straight, fleshy, rising above a fibrous, scaly root system. The leaf plates are green, with a velvety surface and burgundy veins, heart-shaped in shape, up to 18 cm long, arranged oppositely. The flowers are large, reminiscent of a long elongated tube of a reddish-orange hue with slightly bent petals. The pharynx of flowers is bright yellow with small burgundy patches.

Smitianth cinnabar red – reaches about 30 cm in height, is distinguished by spectacular dark green velvety leaves with many burgundy villi. The length of the leaf plate reaches 15 cm. The pyramidal inflorescence, 25 cm long, consists of many orange bells. Flowering lasts from April to October. By the end of flowering, up to a hundred flowers can form on one plant.

Smitianta multiflorous is a herbaceous perennial about 30 cm high. The leaves are heart-shaped, with small denticles along the edges, of a light green hue. The flowers are cream or white, formed in loose clusters of inflorescences. The bud reaches 4 cm in length. Flowering occurs in the summer.

Smithianta hybrid – is an upright low perennial. The leaves are dark green and heart-shaped. Paniculate inflorescences bloom on the tops of the shoots and from the axils of the leaves. They consist of many scarlet, orange or cream flowers on elongated pedicels.

Smithiantha zebra is a perennial shrub with soft shoots, reaching more than 50 cm in height. The foliage is dark green, wide, oval in shape, with pronounced burgundy stains located along the veins. The leaf plate is slightly pubescent, reaches a length of 15 cm.

Loose inflorescences form large scarlet flowers with an orange throat and many burgundy blotches. The most popular in indoor floriculture: S. hybrid (S. hybrida), S. striped (S. zebrina) .

Early spring and other varieties of smitianta

Among flower growers, the hybrid cultivar Eearly spring , which is distinguished by the attractiveness of inflorescences, is popular. Flowers are collected in a beautiful lush inflorescence.
The buds are formed into a pale pink tube, the throat is light yellow, the petals are white, covered with numerous red dots. This variety is a real decoration of any room. Like other Smithiant varieties, Prelude also has a very showy appearance.
The flowers are formed with a purple tube, which is bright yellow inside and has many red blotches. The edges of the petals are white, with pink stains and dots.

Smithiantha Dawnseen – this variety is a compact shrub with inflorescences resembling narrow peach-colored long tubes. Zev is bright yellow. The petals are painted with thick specks in peach color, at the edges the shade from the speck turns into a continuous border. The leaves are olive green with brown veins, velvety to the touch. Some flower growers experience difficulties with this variety, because due to the lack of color in the autumn-winter period, it may not bloom at all.

Therefore, special home care is required for the Dawnseen Smithian , in the photo below you can see how this work is carried out.

What a smitint looks like is shown in the photo below.

Caring for Dawnseen Smithianthus and other varieties at home (with photo)

Caring for a smetant at home includes several important rules, following which you can get a beautiful, flowering plant. The flower requires a light, but not sunny location. It grows and blooms best in diffused bright light away from direct sunlight, which can cause leaf scorch. It is best to place the plant in window greenhouses or in a pallet with wet gravel.
The temperature in summer is 18-24°C. In winter – not lower than 15-18 ° С. Winters like achimenes, in the form of rhizomes. The substrate is prepared from leaf and peat soil and sand (4:1:1).
Smithianth care includes regular watering, in addition, this plant requires high humidity. Watering should be moderate, soft water, preferably through a pan. The flower should be watered only when the earthen lump dries out, avoiding an excess of moisture in the soil.
During the dormant period, the aerial part of the plant dies, so watering at this time should be reduced. Spraying is contraindicated, it can cause leaf rot. The plant is placed on a pallet with wet gravel. Top dressing with flower fertilizers in small doses from March to September 1 time per week. Transplantation is carried out a year later in the spring.
Direct sunlight negatively affects the smith. With prolonged exposure to the sun, yellow spots appear on the leaves. Lack of lighting affects the flowering and growth of this plant. If a flower grows in a place where the sun rarely looks, it, flowering, is likely to be scarce or not at all.
When watering, water should not be allowed to get on the leaves of the smitian, this will cause brown spots to appear on them. From an excess of fertilizers in the soil, as well as from dry air, the leaves of the smitian will dry or turn yellow.

Reproduction of simtiants

The smitianta is propagated by seeds, rhizome division, cuttings, which take root well in plain water.
Seed propagation is most effective. Smithianta seeds are sown in a container with a substrate without backfilling with earth. The pot is covered with a film or glass, creating a mini-greenhouse. Periodically, crops are watered and ventilated. The greenhouse is kept in a warm, well-lit place. If the conditions are met, the first shoots will appear in 3-4 weeks.
Propagated by smithianta and cuttings. To do this, cut the cuttings 5 cm long and put in a container with water until the roots appear. After the formation of the measles system, the plant can be planted in a pot with a substrate.
The most common is the reproduction of smitianta by dividing rhizomes. This work is carried out in cases where the plant becomes crowded in a pot and needs to be transplanted. Each plot should have one or more buds. Divided rhizomes are laid in the soil in a horizontal position to a depth of 3 cm, sprinkled with earth, watered, cleaned in a hot, sunny place.

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