A small evergreen bush with thin shoots, dark green leaves and bright sunny inflorescences – “sultans” that delight the eye for several weeks – this is the Pachystachys plant, so loved by all flower growers.
The genus includes 12 species of shrubs and herbaceous plants growing in the tropical regions of America. However, not all of them are adapted to room conditions. In home floriculture, indoor flower pachistachis is grown mainly in two types: yellow and bright red (a rarer variety).
The name of the genus is formed from the Greek words pachys – “thick” and stachys – “ear” and is associated with the characteristic appearance of the inflorescences.
Photo of pachistachis yellow
Pachystachys yellow (Pachystachys lutea) is an evergreen shrub up to 1 m high with thin erect shoots. Dark green oval-shaped leaves with a pointed end are arranged oppositely.
The photo of pachistachis yellow shows that the surface of the leaf plates is embossed due to a clear venation.
The flowers are small (up to 5 cm long), white, collected in large spike-shaped inflorescences, quickly fade. A decorative appearance of the plant is given by bright orange bracts that do not fall for a long time. Inflorescences of ears on a plant can simultaneously be up to 15-20 pieces.
Pachistachis flower bright red
Pachystachys bright red (Pachystachys cossinea) – a larger species (grows up to 2 m). Unlike the previous species, this plant has dark green bracts, and the flowers of pachistachis cossinea are bright, with scarlet-red corollas.
Care for pachistachis at home
To place an indoor pachistachis, a bright, warm place is required, for example, a south or southeast window with shading at noon. The flower is thermophilic, the temperature in winter should not fall below +14 ° C, but already at a soil temperature below +18 ° C, the plant begins to wither.
Care for pachistachis at home provides for abundant summer and moderate winter watering. In the hot season, spraying is desirable. Feed from spring to autumn every two weeks, occasionally in winter.
As the pachistachis grows, the lower part of the stem is exposed, so it must be shaped by pinching the top and side shoots, and also periodically rejuvenated by renewing from cuttings. Pinching and shaping pruning are best done in the fall, as a flower bud develops at the end of almost every branch in the spring.
Pachistachis is transplanted in the spring every two years. It reproduces well by apical cuttings, the rooting of which is carried out at a temperature of +25 ° C.