The genus Leea (Leea) belongs to the Lea family, is found naturally in Southeast Asia.
As you can see in the photo, lei is a sprawling shrub with complex pinnately dissected leaves located on long red-brown petioles.
A separate leaf segment 7-10 cm long has a lanceolate shape, pointed at the end, with a wavy edge. A whole leaf of a lei plant, consisting of several pairs of segments (leaves), reaches a length of 60-80 cm. Young leaves are maroon in color. As they grow older, the color of the upper side changes – the leaves become green with a purple tint.
Lea bright red (Leea coccinea) is the only species grown indoors.
Numerous bright red lei flowers with a pink limb of the corolla are collected in umbrella inflorescences.
When cultivated in a greenhouse, it blooms in summer, then black fruits are formed.
In room conditions, the lei shrub blooms extremely rarely. There is a Burgundy cultivar with rich dark purple leaves.
lei shrub care
The plant prefers bright light, but tolerates light partial shade. With a lack of light, the shoots are drawn out, but the plant should be shaded from direct midday sunlight. In summer they are kept at a temperature of about 20-22 ° C, they are taken out into fresh air, but the plant must be protected from strong winds. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 16-18°C. At lower rates, plant growth stops, leaf fall may begin. Leia does not respond well to sudden temperature fluctuations and drafts.
Water abundantly in spring and summer, the soil should always be slightly moist. Reduce watering in winter. Use only soft water at room temperature. With insufficient watering or using cold water, the leaves of the lei turn yellow, the flowers fall off. Leia prefers high humidity, so the leaves are regularly sprayed on both sides.
Leah care provides for regular feeding during the period of active growth and flowering: once every two weeks with a liquid complex mineral fertilizer for flowering plants.
Young plants are transplanted annually in spring into a pot 2 cm in diameter larger than the previous one. The soil mixture is prepared from soddy and leafy soil, peat and sand, taken in equal amounts (pH 5.5-6.8). Good drainage is required with a layer of at least 2-3 cm. In adult plants, the top layer of soil in pots is renewed annually.
lei breeding
Propagated by apical cuttings, which are cut in the spring. The cut of the cutting is treated with a root formation stimulator. Rooted in a mixture of peat and sand, taken in equal quantities.
Contain in a slightly shaded place, covering the stalk with a transparent cap. The cap is periodically removed for two hours to ventilate the soil. Until the rooting of the cuttings, the soil temperature is maintained at 22-25 ° C.
You can grow a leu from seeds that are sown in February. Seeds germinate for quite a long time, from one to three months. For sowing, wide containers are used, which are filled with a mixture of sand and leafy soil or sand and peat, taken in equal parts.
Lei seeds are first soaked for two to three days using growth stimulants. Then it is sown, sprinkling with earth with a layer of 2-3 mm, moistened from above with a fine spray atomizer and covered with a transparent cap. Seed germination occurs at a temperature of 25-27°C. The grown seedlings are planted in separate pots and kept under a transparent cover or in a room greenhouse until the plants get stronger.
The main pest that damages the lei shrub is thrips.
Attention! The plant is poisonous and the leaves can cause skin irritation. It is required to wear gloves when working with it.