Helipterum (lat. Helipterum ) is a genus of brightly flowering plants of the Compositae family. It includes about 100 perennial and annual varieties that grow naturally in Australia. In ornamental horticulture, this culture is valued for its resistance to harsh growing conditions, unpretentiousness and large expressive inflorescences, which are distinguished by a color range of saturated tones. It bears the second name “akroklinum”.
Description
Helipterum ( akroklinum ) – a herbaceous plant up to half a meter high, with straight thick graceful stems covered with a silvery pile. The leaves are collected in a basal rosette. Leaf plates are oval, up to 4 cm long. Smaller leaves are symmetrically located along the entire length of the shoot compared to the lower basal ones.
Helipterum flowers are single baskets 4 cm in diameter, with many thin, pointed at the end petals of gray, lilac, pink, white color. The central part of the flower is yellow. The flowering of this culture lasts throughout the summer season. In early September, the plant develops fruits – small spherical achenes.
Kinds
On the sites of domestic gardeners, several types of this crop are most often found, described below.
Pink Helipterum ( Helipterum roseum ) is a shrub 50-60 cm high, consisting of straight unbranched shoots. In their lower part is a lush leaf rosette. Leaf plates are oval-elongated, gray-green. There are several small pairs of leaves in the middle and upper part of the stem. Flowers – baskets with a diameter of 5 cm with a yellow core and pink narrow petals. This species is suitable for breeding in central Russia.
Helipterum mangles ( Helipterum manglesii ). Bush about 30 cm high with thin stems branching in the upper part. Inflorescences – baskets with a diameter of 3 cm with a yellow core and purple petals. This variety looks fragile and graceful.
Helipterum corymbiflorum ( Helipterum corymbiflorum ). The central part of the flower is slightly convex, intense yellow. Petals are white, arranged in one row. This variety looks like a chamomile.
Landing and care
Propagation of helipterum is carried out with the help of seeds, which are immediately planted in open ground after the establishment of stable warm weather. Usually this work is carried out in the second half of May. For sowing, a small ridge is made, then the seed is evenly scattered on it, sprinkled with a layer of earth on top, and watered.
Crops are covered with covering material to prevent them from freezing when night frosts return. Sprouts will hatch in 7 to 12 days. After a couple of weeks, grown plants will need to be thinned out, leaving a distance between them of at least 20 cm.
You can plant the seeds of the acroclinum in April for seedlings, and the grown seedlings in early June can be planted on the site in a permanent place. For this culture, an open place in the garden is suitable, where direct sunlight will fall on it. However, young, only planted plants will need to create shading.
Care after planting helipterum should consist in regular watering, timely elimination of weeds, loosening the area around the bush. Mulching the soil around it will help minimize the work of caring for this crop. For this, sawdust, dry foliage, grass, straw are suitable.
Top dressing should be applied throughout the entire growing season with an interval of 2 weeks, using a universal mineral complex for flowering plants. Fertilization is recommended to be combined with irrigation.
The photo below shows an acroclinum planted on a site next to other bright flowers:
