Clerodendrum Thomsoniae flower - home care

Clerodendrum Thompson is a beautiful and unusual plant that is happily grown at home, and it, in turn, pleases the eye and decorates the windowsill. This article discusses the care, reproduction and other features of Thompson's Clerodendrum.

Biological characteristics

Clerodendrum Thomsoniae is a type of flowering vine from the genus Clerodendrum, Verbenaceae family. It is an evergreen plant that can grow up to 4 m in height. Its leaves are bright green, oblong, up to 17 cm long, on average 13-14 cm with pronounced veins. Five-petalled flowers up to 2.5 cm in diameter are formed in clusters from 8 to 20 pcs. on one in sympodial inflorescences. The color ranges from pure white to lilac and crimson hues. Corolla is red with 5 petals and 2 cm long.

Clerodendrum Thompson

Plant name

Translated from the Greek "Kleros" - "fate, lot, luck", and "Dendron" - "tree". The name of the flower can be different: bleeding glory, grapes with a bleeding heart, begflower, but these names can also be applied to the other 400 species of the genus Clerodendrum.

Where the name comes from is unknown to the end. There are several versions:

• In the nineteenth century. lived Scottish missionary D. Thompson, who came to Cameroon to collect flowers for the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew and the British Museum.
• George had a nephew W. Cooper Thompson, who was also a missionary, but already in Nigeria, and it was in his honor that the plant was named (originally a bleeding heart, after it was renamed to Clerodendrum Thompson).
• William was married, and after his wife died, he asked to name a flower after her. Therefore, sometimes you can hear the name Clerodendrum of Mrs. Thompson.

In general, there is no exact version, but it is clear that the name revolves around one family of missionaries.

Natural habitat

The plant was brought from western Africa, or rather from Cameroon westward to Senegal. In some regions, it was never possible to cultivate it, so it has been naturalized.

Clerodendrum Thompson: home care

Clerodendrum Thompson is one of the few species of the genus Clerodendrum that can take root at home. However, for this to happen, certain conditions must be met.

Correct lighting

Clerodendrum needs a lot of light, direct sunlight will not damage the flower. Therefore, the plant will get along well on the east, south and west sides. However, in the north, it may not have enough light to form buds.

Clerodendrum Thomsoniаe

Watering and feeding mode for flowering

It is necessary to water the plant regularly and abundantly (especially in spring and summer), since clerodendrum loves moisture.

The plant will also do well with regular spraying, especially in summer when it is very hot or if the room is running powerful batteries or heaters. Otherwise, the leaves will turn yellow and the plant will dry out.

In winter (during rest), the vine can simply shed the leaves. If this happens, do not worry and try to increase the humidity. This is a natural process. Although it would be nice to protect the flower from direct hot air.

How to propagate Clerodendrum Thompson vine at home

Liana can be propagated in two ways: cuttings and seeds.

Cuttings

To do this, you need to cut off the stem, semi-lignified cuttings about 8-10 cm long and remove the bottom pair of leaves.

Sprouts of clerodendrum

Then you need to prepare the soil mixture. It should consist of peat soil and perlite (or coarse sand). It should be mixed in proportions 1: 1. Plant, cover with plastic wrap and place in a well-lit place with a temperature of 20-21 ° C.

If everything is done correctly, then after about 4-6 weeks it will be possible to replant the shoots. The pots should be filled with compost soil. When transplanting, the container should not be large.

During this stage, it is also necessary to carry out the procedure of pinching the tops of the shoots in order to induce the flower to tiller. After it grows a little, it will be possible to transplant it into wider containers.

Seeds

It is necessary to collect seeds from the mother plant when the flower is wilted, and the seeds are hard and dark in color. The soil is needed the same as for the cuttings, then make a greenhouse. Here you need to especially carefully monitor the temperature, humidity and lighting, because the seeds are much weaker than cuttings, so they may not germinate. In about 7-10 days, you will see sprouts if everything is done correctly. After 6-8 weeks, the plant can be planted in a large pot.

Mother plant seeds

Even if reproduction does not occur, it is necessary to transplant both young and adult plants. The first need to be replanted every year, increasing the pot, and the second - once every 2-3 years. The pot may not be changed, but it is important to replace the soil. This is done in the spring before the stage of active growth.

Soil for Thompson's Clerodendrum

The soil for good growth of clerodendrum should be:

• nutritious, otherwise the clerodendrum will lack minerals for growth and vegetation;
• slightly acidic, otherwise the plant will rot;
• easy.

You can either buy ready-made mixtures (for roses and azaleas, mix in a 4: 1 ratio) or prepare yourself. This will require sand, peat, humus, leafy and soddy types of land in equal amounts. At the bottom, you need to lay out a good layer of expanded clay or broken brick.

Bush formation

Forming a bush is a very interesting procedure, and Thompson's clerodendrum works well for this. It can be grown as an ampelous flower, or, for example, you can let it go along the perimeter that the owner of the plant wants. That is, you can make some kind of frame and grow along it, either around the room, or in any other shape.

Why Thompson's Clerodendrum does not bloom

Clerodendrum may not bloom because it lacks light, nutrients, and water. In general, artificial conditions are not so close to natural ones. Therefore, you need to monitor the characteristics vital for the clerodendrum.You can also carry out the following operation: after the formation of the crown (somewhere in February), you need to leave the shoots (about 60 cm in length), and cut the leaves in turn. In late March - early April, there will already be the first flowers. But for this procedure, the plant must be an adult.

Lush green flower

Clerodendrum Thompson needs to arrange conditions that are as close to natural as possible in order to get flowering and proper flower development. However, this will not require a lot of time and effort. Clerodendrum Thomsoniae is an interesting, not very whimsical plant, which is easy to care for and which will delight the residents of the house with its appearance.