Crossandra (Crossandra) – indoor flower

HomeCrossandraCrossandra (Crossandra) - indoor flower

Crossandra (Crossandra) is a genus of flowering perennial plants of the acanthaceae family (Acanthaceae), living in tropical forests of the eastern hemisphere. Some species are used as indoor crops.

  • Family: acanthus.
  • Origin: India, Sri Lanka.
  • Rhizome: powerful root system.
  • Stem: straight, branched.
  • Leaves: petiolate, oval.
  • Fruit: box.
  • Reproductive ability: propagated by cuttings, less often by seeds.
  • Illumination: diffused bright light or partial shade.
  • Watering: moderate, limited in winter.
  • Content temperature: 18 – 22°C.
  • Duration of flowering: in nature, almost continuous, in rooms – from spring to autumn.

General description of the crossandra flower

Crossanders are tropical herbs, shrubs or semi-shrubs up to 1 m high, with straight, bare, strongly branching trunks of green or green-blue color and shiny dark or bright green leaves arranged alternately or whorled (4 pcs each). The oval-shaped leaves have a slightly wavy edge, often pubescent with sparsely spaced hairs.

Crossandra flower in the photo

Crossandra flowers (see photo above) are tubular, with a two-lipped corolla and large pubescent bracts, collected in axillary spike-shaped inflorescences up to 15 cm long. Bright yellow, orange or red inflorescences grow gradually, constantly forming lateral shoots with new buds, which provides the plant with a long and profuse flowering.

The fruits are two-celled capsules that crack with two valves, scattering small light seeds over a large (up to several meters) distance.

In nature, representatives of the genus grow in the light forests of India, Sri Lanka, Africa, Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula, in a humid and warm tropical climate, they are characterized by rapid growth and almost continuous flowering.

The name of the flower consists of two parts, which are translated from Greek as “fringe” (“krossos”) and male (“andr”), it probably reflects the physiological feature of the plant – the presence of fringing of its stamens.

Interesting facts about the houseplant crossander

At home, in India and on the island of Sri Lanka, the crossandra flower is very popular, because traditionally, along with jasmine , women use it to decorate their hair when they visit temples. In Europe, the plant first appeared in 1817, but at first it did not cause much interest among flower growers.

It was believed that this tropical culture is very capricious, requires constantly high humidity and temperature, therefore it is not suitable for indoor floriculture and can only be grown in greenhouses.

Attitudes towards the flower changed after 1950, when the first crossandra funnel-shaped hybrid called “Mona Wallhead” was created in Sweden. The plant differed from the natural species in much greater endurance, unpretentiousness and compactness, which made it possible to grow it in a pot culture.

As a houseplant, the crossander of this and other modern varieties is distinguished by ease of care and long continuous flowering, has decorative bright foliage and small size, easily propagated by apical cuttings, begins to bloom within a few months after planting.

These advantages make it more and more popular among amateur flower growers and stimulate scientists to create new varieties. Currently, there are miniature and compact cultivars of funnel-shaped crossander of various colors on the market: white, yellow, salmon, pink, red, as well as some of its other decorative types.

Common Crossandra Diseases (Possible Growing Problems)

Despite the fact that crossanders are indoor flowers that are not difficult to breed and are not very susceptible to diseases and pests, their tropical origin can create some problems. All crossandra diseases are usually caused by physiological causes and care errors.

Most of all, the plant suffers from a lack of moisture. If the air is too dry, which is typical for apartments with central heating, its leaves curl, the tips turn yellow, in the most severe cases, the culture can completely shed its foliage. Daily spraying with water at room temperature will help prevent the problem, while remembering that excessive spraying can lead to damage to leaf plates by various molds. In the latter case, the affected leaves are removed, after which the plant is treated with any systemic fungicide.

Falling leaves can provoke too low air temperature or drafts, the flower must be provided with a suitable thermal regime without temperature changes and drafts.

Excessive watering causes rotting of the root system, which manifests itself in the yellowing of the leaves and their loss of elasticity. Such an overflow is especially dangerous in the winter, after which the plant is difficult to save, most likely it will die.

If the leaf plates turn yellow, but remain elastic, this indicates a lack of nutrition, the flower should be fed.

Why does the crossandra not bloom?

If the crossandra does not bloom or does not bloom abundantly enough, then perhaps it does not have enough light, it is necessary to rearrange the pot closer to the light. Proper pruning and pinching of young shoots also stimulates the appearance of buds. And, finally, the intensity of flowering decreases with age, it is recommended to renew the plant every 3-4 years.

The culture rarely suffers from pests, only occasionally, when the air is too dry, aphids or spider mites may appear on the leaves. With a small degree of damage, insects are washed off under running water, while not forgetting to protect the earthen ball from excessive waterlogging (for example, by wrapping it with polyethylene), after which they provide the flower with high air humidity. If this is not enough, insecticides are used.

Sometimes amateur flower growers have a question why the leaves of the crossandra turn red. It should be noted that such a change in color is not a disease, but reflects the natural aging process of the leaf plate. After full staining in red, it falls off and replaces the fallen ones, young green leaves appear on the plant.

Share with your friends

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Other flowers
Other people actively read

Saintpaulia care: watering the uzambar violet

Wasps with a bizarre flower shape and chimeras with a unique...

Brovallia (Browallia) american and magnificent – cultivation and care

Description: annual (some species are perennial ), flowering, shrubby plant of...

Flowers in an inexpensive hotel in Moscow: budget floral decor

It was Jack Trout, the world-class marketing guru, who said that...
Wednesday, November 8, 2023