| Life form | Grassy, ampel |
| Family | Asteraceae (Compositeae) |
| Origin | South America: Brazil. |
| Ease of cultivation | Easy with small difficulties |
| The size | Up to 50-180 cm in length and in diameter. |
| Growth rate | Average |
| Lifespan | Many years, if the plant is grown in cold wintering conditions. |
| Temperature | In the summer: it is better to keep the temperature around 69,8 ° F, in winter – + 53,6 ° F. |
| Humidity | Humidity of air is suitable for 50-70%. Otherwise, drying and loss of leaves may occur. In winter, at temperatures above 59 ° F, it is desirable to place the plant in a pallet with moist pebbles. Do not spray the pubescent leaves of the flicker, tk. this can cause them to rot. In extreme cases, you can use a very thin nebulizer. |
| Lighting | Bright light. The south and east windows are suitable. Requires at least 3 hours of direct sunlight. In very bright sun, it should be slightly shaded. |
| The soil | The soil must be breathable. Sand or perlite with peat should be added if it is too dense. To a mixture of homemade should be taken: 1 part of humus, 1 part of coarse sand or perlite and 2 parts of peat or humus (leaf earth) can be added sphagnum. Always use a pot with an opening and drainage. |
| Watering | The soil must be constantly moist in summer, it should be watered every 3-4 days. However, one should beware of overflow. To water with warm water. In winter, between watering the soil should dry a little. |
| Fertilizer | During the growing season, every 15 days, liquid fertilizer in a half dose. |
| Reproduction | Propagation by apical cuttings, which are rooted in the sand at a temperature of + 71,6-77 ° F, putting the pot on the battery and covering with polyethylene. Also multiply by dividing the plant. Probably multiplication by seeds, which should be sown in early spring. Seeds should be planted in a mixture of moss and peat, sprinkling them on the surface and lightly pressing (do not cover the ground). Pots with seeds should be poured from below, placing in a vessel with water. Next, put the pots in a warm place (on a battery or on a refrigerator) and regularly spray. |
| Bloom | Small yellow flowers, rarely appear with room contents. |
| Transfer | In the spring every year. |
| Features of care | Mikania suitable for hanging baskets. In winter it is not allowed to get water on the leaves of the stitch. |
| Difficulties | It is affected by red spider mites, aphids and whitefly. In case the leaves fall on the tips of the shoots, they must be cut off. |
| Air cleaning | – |
| Toxicity | – |
| Life form | Shrub, tree. |
| Family | Melastomataceae |
| Names-synonyms | Velvet tree, Cyanophyllum. |
| Origin and distribution | The extensive genus Miсonia has over 1000 species, native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. For decorative purposes, the Miconia calvescens, Magnifica and Cyanophyllum magnificum is grown. Now in its wild form it is found in Sri Lanka, Australia, on some islands of the Pacific basin, cultivated in gardens and parks in the Philippines. In Europe, miconia first appeared in the mid-19th century, as a new exotic plant for botanical gardens and greenhouses. In the 30s of the last century, as an ornamental shrub, it was brought to Hawaii, where very soon it grew over a considerable area and began to pose a threat to local plant species. Due to the large surface of the leaves, the miconium thickets prevent the penetration of sunlight into the lower tier of the forest and thereby suppress the growth of the rest of the flora.For this reason, in the US and Australia, M. Calvescens is listed as the most dangerous weed species. |
| Category of difficulty | It is quite difficult to grow, not for beginners. In the room collections is very rare. |
| Appearance and dimensions | This plant attracts attention primarily with unusual color and appearance of leaves. They feel velvety, dark green, have an atypical venation, typical for many other representatives of the family melastom: three long, longitudinal veins of light green pass through the entire sheet and between them there are many small transverse veins. The reverse side of the leaf is purple or purple. The location of the leaves on the shoots is opposite, the petiole is very short. Adults M.calvescens leaves can reach gigantic size, up to 1 m long and 0.5 m wide. In natural, natural conditions, m. Usually grows to 15 m in height, forming a multitude of branches in the upper part of the main trunk. |
| Growth rate | It grows very quickly, up to 1 meter per year under favorable conditions, therefore periodic cutting of shoots is required. |
| Lifespan | Perennial. |
| Temperature | Mikonia is very thermophilic, for its successful cultivation, the temperature in the room should not be below 20 degrees. Absolutely contraindicated sharp fluctuations in temperature, otherwise the plant will dump leaves. |
| Humidity | It is necessary to maintain high humidity in the room in conjunction with frequent spraying of leaves with warm water. |
| Lighting | Miconia is a shade-loving plant. It is best to place it on the border of shadow and penumbra. Bright light is harmful to the plant, as well as direct sunlight, which can cause burns on the leaves. |
| The soil | A loose, fertile mixture of light type, consisting of equal proportions of garden soil, peat and sand, is suitable as a substrate. A pot or container with a plant must contain claydite drainage, which is at least a quarter of the volume. |
| Watering | Mikonium needs constant watering. It must be watered daily, the soil should never dry out between watering. |
| How to fertilize | Feed once a week in the usual liquid fertilizer, diluted to twice the recommended dose proizvoditetem, during the most intense growing season (spring, summer). The nutrient mixture can be added directly to the water for irrigation. |
| Bloom | Under ideal conditions, the plant can bloom 2-3 times a year and is characterized by very high fertility. The general view of the inflorescence of Miconia calvescens resembles a fluffy panicle, which consists of many pleasantly smelling small flowers of white or pinkish color. After pollination in place of flowers, small violet fruit-berries with a size of 0.4-0.6 cm ripen, the number of which on one panicle can be more than 500 pieces. Each berry contains about 200 very small seeds, and only one inflorescence can yield up to 100,000 seeds. |
