The genus Zantedeschia belongs to the Aroid family. The homeland of this plant is South Africa, where zantedeschia lives in tropical rainforests, along the banks of rivers and reservoirs. The zantecdeschia flower is named after the Italian botanist F. Zantedeschi (17731846).
Types of zantedeschia: Ethiopian and white-spotted
Ethiopian Zantedeschia (Zantedeschia aethiopica) is grown in room culture – a perennial herbaceous rhizome plant with dense, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves on long petioles. The peduncle reaches a length of 1 m, rises above the leaves.
As can be seen in the photo, the cover of santedexia is white, short-tubular at the base, funnel-shaped, smoothly expanding upwards, pointed at the apex.
The inflorescence is an ear of almost the same length as the spathe, yellowish in color. There are many varieties in the culture:
“Green Goddess”
Picasso
“Pink Diamond”
Siberia .
Zantedeschia white-spotted (Zantedeschia albomaculata) is a large tuberous plant with erect stems. Green leaves with small white spots, oblong-arrow-shaped, about 30-40 cm long, are located on high (up to 1 m) petioles. When flowering, it forms several peduncles. Inflorescence-cob with a light yellow or white spathe, purple at the base, up to 10 cm long and about 5 cm wide.
Varieties:
Golden Stan
“Dark Stan”
“Edge of Night”
Mango .
Zantedeschia Elliot (Zantedeschia elliottiana) is a tuberous plant, a shorter species. Leaves on petioles up to 60 cm, wide heart-shaped, about 20-25 cm long and 18-20 cm wide, green with long white strokes.
Inflorescence-cob with a veil of yellow-green color (pale yellow inside) about 15 cm long. This species after the end of flowering requires a dry and cool dormant period.
Caring for zantedescia at home
Plants are placed in a bright or semi-shaded place, protected from direct sunlight. In the summer they are kept at room temperature. Tubers overwinter at a temperature of about 15°C without watering.
When caring for zantedescia at home, abundant watering and regular spraying are required. At the same time, water should not get on the bedspreads of the flowers, otherwise they will become stained. During the growing season, the plant is fed once every two weeks with mineral and organic fertilizers. After flowering, watering is sharply limited, and then stopped.
Mature plants are transplanted at the end of September. The soil mixture is used the same as when propagating plants by division.
Leaves and flowers stand well in water. They can be cut at any stage of flowering, but the leaves should be immersed in water for one hour before being placed in a vase. It is advisable to sprinkle the slices with ash or coal; in this case, the decay process is partially suspended. Water and sections should be renewed daily.
Reproduction of zantedeschia
The plant is propagated by seeds, but mainly vegetatively by division.
Seeds for sowing must be freshly harvested. After sowing, the temperature is maintained at 20-22°C. When the seedlings get stronger, they dive. One and a half to two months after picking, young plants are planted in pots with a diameter of 7 cm. The soil mixture for planting is prepared from soddy, leafy soil, peat and sand (1: 1: 1: 1). Plant care consists in abundant watering and maintaining a temperature of 15-18 ° C. In the summer of the following year (June-July), watering is reduced and gradually stopped. In September, the plants are transplanted into pots with a diameter of 11-13 cm.
For reproduction, division separates the lateral shoots that form around the mother plant. In August – September, the separated shoots are planted in a soil mixture of soddy and leafy soil, peat and sand (2: 1: 1: 1). Watered abundantly. Maintain a temperature of 10-12°C.
Zantedeschia flower is damaged by spider mites, thrips, whitefly, aphids.