Zephyranthes (Zephyranthes) – indoor flower: care, reproduction and photo

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Zephyranthes (Zephyranthes) is a genus of perennial bulbous plants of the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae), naturally growing in tropical and subtropical regions of the American continent. Some species are used in indoor floriculture , in warm climates they are grown in the garden .

  • Family: Amaryllis.
  • Origin: North, Central and South America
  • Rootstock: bulb.
  • Stem: tall tubular peduncle.
  • Leaves: narrow linear.
  • Fruit: box.
  • Reproductive capacity: propagated by bulbs and seeds.
  • Illumination: photophilous, tolerates direct sun.
  • Watering: moderate, limited during dormancy.
  • Content temperature: 19-23 ° C, during the dormant period 8-14 ° C.
  • Flowering time: spring, summer, winter depending on the species.

Zephyranthes – bulbous plant

A beautifully flowering herbaceous bulbous plant with fleshy basal leaves of a belt-like or linear shape, narrow, up to 30 cm long, and a tubular leafless peduncle up to 25 cm high, developing outside the rosette of leaves from last year’s bud. At the end of the peduncle, single flowers bloom up to 8 cm in diameter, white, pink, red, yellow, crocus-shaped or star-shaped, wide open, with a tubular perianth. Underground bulbs are small, up to 3 cm in diameter, ovate-rounded, with an elongated or short neck, covered with membranous dark brown scales.

Zephyranthes in the photo

The scientific name of a flower is due to the peculiarities of its behavior in nature. It comes from the Greek words “Zephyr”, west wind, and “anthes”, flower, and reflects the fact that in their homeland zephyranthes appear from the ground and bloom when the rainy season comes to the region along with warm west winds. In some countries, the flowers are also called the water lily, and the locals call it the rain flower or the rain lily. Another interesting property of the plant is the rapid growth of flower stalks that appear from the ground and bloom literally in 1-2 days, which is why in Russian it is customary to call zephyranthes an upstart.

In the dry season, in natural species, the aerial part dies off, and the bulbs remaining in the ground remain dormant until favorable weather conditions occur. The bulbs themselves are extremely resistant to drought and even fires, and are not damaged by pests, as they are poisonous.

In countries with a subtropical climate, some species are bred in gardens like crocuses, we grow them as indoor flowers. Indoor Zephyranthes bloom in spring, summer or winter, depending on the species. Each flower lives no more than 5-7 days, then new ones come to replace it, therefore, when grown as a houseplant, zephyranthes are planted in a group in a large diameter pot, which creates the effect of continuous flowering.

Robustus and other types of zephyranthes – pink, white, yellow

Of the 90 species that exist in nature, about 10 are used in decorative floriculture . Below are descriptions and photos of zephyranthes, the most common in room culture, grouped by flower color.

White-flowered species include:

Zephyranthes atamas (Z. atamasca) , blooming in March-April, petals up to 4 cm long, bulbs ovoid 2-2.5 cm in diameter, with a short neck;

Zephyranthes white (Z. candida) has narrow (0.5 cm) and long (30 – 45 cm) tubular leaves and rounded bulbs 3-4 cm in diameter. When planted, the bulbs are completely buried in the ground. Solitary funnel-shaped flowers up to 6 cm in diameter with white, sometimes reddish perianths on the outside, bloom on peduncles about 20 cm high in July – October.

From yellow zephyranthes in rooms they grow:

Zephyranthes golden (Z. aurea) , with ovoid bulbs 3.5 m in size, linear leaves 30 cm long and 0.8 cm wide, and yellow flowers expanded in the middle part, up to 8 cm in diameter, appearing in December-January. In warm climates, it is widely grown in gardens;

Zephyranthes lemon (Z. citrina) , about 30 cm high with golden yellow flowers appearing in late summer – early autumn.

Popular red-flowered species:

Large-flowered zephyranthes (Z. grandiflora) , with large, up to 5 cm in diameter, rounded bulbs with a short neck and belt-like leaves 0.8 – 1 cm wide, 15 – 40 cm long. Peduncle about 30 cm tall, funnel-shaped flowers, 8 cm diameter, pink with bright orange stamens. Blooms in April – July;

Zefirantes robustus or powerful (Z. robustus) , with light pink flowers that bloom in June-September on peduncles 20-30 cm high;

Zephyranthes pink (Z. rosea) , 15-20 cm tall, with shiny dark green leaves and medium-sized (up to 5 cm) delicate pink flowers that appear in spring and summer.

Zephyranthes flower care during flowering and dormancy

For the successful cultivation of indoor zephyranthes, flower care must take into account its biological characteristics. A plant in a pot culture annually goes through a stage of flowering and active growth, after which a dormant period occurs when its vegetative part dies off.

In the phase of active growth, zephyranthes requires good lighting, tolerates direct sun, so it is placed in the room on the south, west or east windows. In the summer, you can keep the flower pot outdoors or even plant it in a flower bed in a sunny place. This contributes to the formation of a large healthy bulb, which will bloom profusely next year.

During flowering and intensive growth, the flower is provided with an optimal temperature of 18 to 25 ° C and regular watering with soft settled water as the soil surface dries. The culture does not tolerate stagnation of liquid in a pot; waterlogging contributes to the decay of the bulbs. If the air is too dry in summer, spraying can be done.

From the moment the sprouts appear until the end of flowering, the plant is fed once every 1-2 weeks with liquid flower mineral fertilizers in the dosages of the manufacturer.

Starting in September, the flower goes into a dormant state. At this time, it is limited, and after the leaves fall or are cut, watering is completely stopped and placed in a dark, cool room, for example, in a refrigerator, providing a temperature of 10-12 ° C. If the plant hibernates with leaves, it is left on the window and occasionally watered. Such specimens bloom worse, in addition, the dry content of the bulbs eliminates the risk of their decay.

The rest period of Zephyranthes lasts at least until November, it can be extended until March or April if you leave the pot in the refrigerator. To resume growth, the flower is put on a lighted window, they begin to water it regularly, and soon it blooms.

Growing problems: why zephyranthes do not bloom and bulb rot

If the zephyranthes does not bloom, the reason for this is care errors: warm and humid wintering, lack of lighting, excess fertilizer, too deep planting.

Other growing problems include bulb rot due to waterlogging. The flower is rarely affected by pests, sometimes it suffers from scale insects, whiteflies and root mites. For destruction, insecticides and soil disinfection are used before planting.

Transplantation and reproduction of zephyranthes

The plant is transplanted annually in the spring. For planting use small pots, a few centimeters larger than the diameter of the bulb, you can plant several copies in one container. It is recommended to leave a third of the bulb above the surface, this stimulates flowering. The soil for planting should be loose, you can use a mixture of equal parts of sand, humus and leafy soil with the addition of phosphate fertilizers. The pot needs good drainage. After transplanting, in order to avoid rotting of the bulbs, they are rarely watered.

Reproduction of zephyranthes usually does not cause difficulties. Each mother bulb forms 10-15 children, which quickly fill the entire space of the pot. They are separated before or during the dormant period, planted in 5-10 pieces. into separate containers, completely deepening if the bulb has a short neck, or, if the neck is long, leaving it above the soil surface. Plantings bloom next year. Seed propagation is possible, but it is more laborious. To obtain seeds, an indoor flower of zephyranthes must be artificially pollinated, seedlings bloom for three, and sometimes for 5-6 years.

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