Name
An unpretentious houseplant with unusual large leaves reminiscent of butterfly wings, it gained popularity among gardeners back in the 18th century. The name “oxalis” or “hare cabbage” indicates the possibility of using the above-ground part of the plant for food. The tender leaves have a pleasant sour taste; they can be put in salads or stewed.
The Latin name for wood sorrel is Oxalis. The genus includes about eight hundred species of plants; they belong to the sorrel family. There are perennial and annual plants. Many varieties of sorrel are grown in culture; they are suitable not only for placement on window sills, but also grow well in the garden.
Important ! Oxalis is a rather aggressive plant, growing rapidly using underground creeping roots!
What it looks like and where it comes from
In Russia, sorrel is called hare cabbage, sour clover, and clover of happiness. These are not all the names of useful indoor plants.
The homeland of indoor oxalis is South Africa, South and Central America.
Some representatives of the numerous Kislicaceae family, numbering about 800 species, are also common in Europe.
The trifoliate leaves of sorrel are similar to clover , so it has become very popular in Ireland, and in many other European countries, it is considered a symbol of happiness and it is customary to give it to loved ones as a symbol of good luck, prosperity and success.
Trifoliate leaves of oxalis
Bicolor leaves
Flowers
Flowers
It has trifoliate or finger-compound leaves on long petioles, which fold in the dark to protect from direct sunlight and any mechanical stress. For this feature, it is sometimes called butterfly wings.
Due to the abundance of species, it can be a perennial or annual plant, herb, subshrub or shrub .
There are tuberous and bulbous species, but many species of sorrel form rhizomes. May have dark purple, purple or green leaves. Five-petalled flowers come in white, pink and yellow. In many species, the flowers close in the same way as the leaves.
Description
In natural conditions, herbaceous and shrubby forms of the butterfly flower are found. Herbaceous plants are common in culture, which are planted as ground covers or hanging plants when grown in pots.
Oxalis foliage is similar to clover leaves, with different colors. In some varieties, the blades of the leaf blades are not in the same plane, which is why the leaves resemble fluttering butterflies. At night or in anticipation of rain, some varieties of the plant fold their leaves. The color of the foliage can be green, silver, burgundy, brown. Oxalis leaves are edible and are collected in early spring along with sorrel. The rich composition of beneficial substances in oxalis leaves helps replenish the supply of vitamins in the body after winter.
The roots of different types of hare cabbage can be in the form of bulbs, tubers or creeping rhizomes.
Oxalis flowers are small, grow in an inflorescence - an umbrella, and can be colored white, yellow, pink, purple.
Varieties of indoor butterfly flower:
- Rose sorrel (perennial with small pink flowers enclosed in small inflorescences);
Rose sorrel
- Nine-leaved (perennial, blooms with white or pink flowers);
Nine-leaved
- Triangular (the flower has deep purple foliage, snow-white or pink blooms);
Triangular
- Carob (leaf color is brown-burgundy, flowers are yellow);
Rozhkova
- Common (perennial, up to 10 cm high, white flowers);
- Deppa (perennial with beautiful green leaves, with a dark spot according to src=»https://rasteniyadom.ru/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/babochka-7.jpg» class=»aligncenter» width=»500″ height ="313″[/img] Depp
- Ferruginous (dwarf plant, up to 8 cm in height, with silvery foliage and pinkish-gray flowers).
From the presented photos, you can appreciate the discreet beauty of the butterfly flower.
Oxalis (Butterfly): propagation and care at home + photo
They say that indoor plants can bring either happiness or misfortune. An acquaintance who is fascinated by various signs, superstitions and omens recommended that I plant indoor sorrel. She called it "the flower of happiness." After having this beautiful plant as a part of my home, I truly felt happier and calmer.
The plant has many names. Botanists call it oxalis. People gave her names for her appearance or her qualities:
- Madame Butterfly;
- Day and night;
- Lucky Clover;
- Butterfly flower;
- Iron Cross;
- Hare cabbage.
The most popular name “oxalis” was given to the plant for its oxalic acid content.
This sweetest flower does not require special conditions for growing, and it will look very impressive and unusual on the windowsill. Even the most inexperienced gardener can handle the care.
Location
The indoor butterfly flower loves bright and diffused light. Under natural conditions, the plant lives in forests, under the canopy of trees. Direct rays of the sun hitting delicate leaves can cause burns. It will be successful to place the sorrel on the eastern and western windows; on the south side you will need to shade the bushes during the midday hours.
Butterfly flower grows well at normal room temperature. Some types of hare cabbage, whose foliage dies off during the winter, are suited to a cool environment with a temperature of +13 degrees. In the summer, sorrel can be taken outside, placed in lace shade.
Useful properties of sorrel
In folk medicine, parts of the carob oxalis , or horned wood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) - flowers, peduncles, leaves - are more often used. The plant contains organic acids (oxalic, malic, citric). Raw materials are harvested in spring or early summer (May–June) and dried at a temperature of 40-50 °C.
The plant improves metabolism, increases appetite, has anthelmintic, hemostatic, wound-healing, urinary and choleretic effects. Oxalis is a good antiseptic. In addition, sorrel eliminates heartburn and vomiting, normalizes the acidity of gastric juice, and lowers blood pressure.
Infusions, decoctions and tinctures are used for diseases of the liver, kidneys, gall and bladder, gastritis, diathesis, cardiovascular diseases, bleeding, stomatitis, putrefactive processes in the oral cavity (for rinsing). Oxalis juice is used to treat scabies.
Self-medication is strictly prohibited!
The soil
The substrate for the plant is slightly acidic or neutral, loose. An earthen mixture is prepared from equal parts of turf soil, high peat, river sand, and leaf humus. You can buy a universal soil for indoor flowers in the store; the “butterfly” is not capricious in choosing a substrate.
The root system of sorrel lies superficially, so the flower pot should be shallow and wide. Be sure to have drainage holes in the bottom. Additionally, to drain excess water, a small layer of expanded clay or small pebbles is poured onto the bottom of the container.
Oxalis in a pot
Flower Night Beauty - photo and description of species
Mirabilis flowers, depending on the variety, can have a variegated or pastel color: white, pink, yellow, red, purple, etc. The flowers of the plant have a funnel-shaped elongated shape, united in inflorescences of 3-5 buds.
The culture belongs to herbaceous perennial plants. The bushes can reach a height of 30 to 80 cm. The stems of the night flower are straight with a widely branched structure and have a red tint. With age, the stems at the base of the plant become woody. The root system is tuberous, but flower propagation also occurs by seed. It blooms with the onset of the first stable warmth, usually in the first half of June.
Interesting fact! If you cross Mirabilis bushes with flowers of different colors, the plant will not inherit any of them. The result can be unpredictable, since the plant belongs to crops with incomplete dominance, where genes are of equal strength and are not suppressed by each other.
Among the many types of night beauty, we will highlight the most popular and suitable for growing in the middle climate.
Red lollipop
Night beauty - a flower with a bright red hue, is the largest representative of the culture. The bush can reach a height of up to 1 m, and the buds can be up to 6 cm in diameter. A characteristic feature of the plant is petals with wavy edges. In general, the bushes are resistant to disease and require careful care.
Iolanta
A low spherical bush (up to 50 m) with a varied bright palette of flower colors. The stems of the plant are thick and strong, and therefore can easily withstand strong winds. The variety is frost-resistant, blooms from early summer to late autumn.
Jalapa
The bush grows no more than 60 cm high. The stems, unlike other species, are green in color. The flowers are small, tubular in shape, and can be single-colored, multi-colored, or with characteristic stripes.
Elvira
The night beauty, whose flowers are small in size but of richly bright colors, have oblong foliage with characteristic pointed tips. The bush itself has a round shape and medium size.
Tea Time Red
A spherical shrub characterized by dense flowering. The buds are pink, rich in color. The stems, on the contrary, are pale and branched towards the top. Can be used for growing in regions with cold climates - the variety is frost-resistant.
Tea Time Formula Mixture
The height of the branches of a spherical bush can reach up to 90 cm. The foliage is denser in the upper part, while towards the bottom the stems are bare and smooth. The buds are small, only 3 cm in diameter, the edges are wavy, the color is variegated.
Helpful information! The high heat-loving nature of the plant, as a rule, leads to the fact that even bushes covered for the winter still die in severe frosts. But this does not mean that the crop is not worth growing - even in a cool climate, even as an annual plant, Mirabilis will fill the garden plot with bright colors and a pleasant aroma.
Care
Water the sorrel often, pouring the earthen lump well with cold water. It is especially demanding of watering in spring and summer, when the plant is actively growing. But the butterfly flower does not tolerate stagnation of water at the roots, so the gardener’s task will be to monitor the lack of water in the pan.
In autumn and winter, watering the flower is significantly reduced, keeping the soil slightly moist. From the beginning of April to September, once every 2 weeks, the indoor flower is fed with complex mineral fertilizers. It is more convenient to purchase ready-made mixtures for home flowers (Fertika, Raduga, Pokon). The dosage of the drug indicated in the instructions for hare cabbage is halved.
Important ! Do not water the sorrel with organic matter (infusion of mullein, bird droppings).
In winter, the wood sorrel goes dormant. Its leaves droop and dry up. The tops of the plant are cut off, leaving stems of 1.5 - 2 cm. The pots are put into a cool pantry until spring. The flower is rarely watered and no fertilizing is applied. They bring the butterfly into the light in March, gradually increasing watering and starting to fertilize the flower.
How to care at home
For long and bright flowering, sorrel, like many plants, needs proper care. It is not entirely complicated, and if followed, oxalis will please the owner for a very long time.
Landing
Loose soil is preferable for the plant. It must include 3 parts of leaf soil and 1 part each:
At the bottom, you must prepare a drainage layer of expanded clay or crushed brick.
Location, lighting and temperature
For placement you should choose southeast or southwest. However, it is not the window sill that is more suitable, but the inside of a bright room, where there is a lot of light and no direct sun. Under direct rays, the plant can get burned.
Insufficient lighting can negatively affect the flower of happiness. The stems will stretch out, the leaves will grow small. All this will affect the appearance.
For the period of active growing season and flowering, a comfortable temperature will be 20-27 o C, and for the rest period 12-18 o C. During this period, which takes place in winter, the flower must be additionally illuminated.
Oxalis will look good on special flower stands and will decorate the room.
Watering and humidity
Oxalis needs moderately moist soil. Drying out and waterlogging will have a detrimental effect on it. From spring to summer, you can water abundantly, but be sure to pour out excess water from the pan to avoid rotting of the roots. In the autumn-winter period, the volume of watering is reduced.
Humidification should also be good. During the growing season, the leaves are sprayed with plain, settled water. In winter, this procedure is carried out if the air in the room is too dry.
Top dressing
Additional fertilizer for sorrel is necessary, but it is worth remembering some points:
- You cannot fertilize immediately after transplantation, as this will be an additional burden for the plant;
- A sick plant cannot be fed. It must be healthy;
- To avoid burning the roots, water the sorrel before fertilizing;
- During the rest period, fertilize only 2 times.
Fertilizers require complex mineral fertilizers, which should contain sulfur, nitrogen, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. You can also use products from the kitchen for watering. The plant will benefit from tea leaves, coffee grounds diluted with water, or water from which eggs were boiled.
Diseases and pests
If kept incorrectly, sorrel may cause problems. For example, sun rays can cause burns, excessive moisture can cause roots to rot and leaves will fall off, and due to overdrying, the flower will begin to wither.
Pests, diseases
Oxalis is a very unpretentious plant; it rarely gets sick. If you violate agricultural practices, water the flower with cold water, or allow moisture to stagnate in the substrate, the butterfly may suffer from gray rot. The plant can be saved by removing the affected leaves, replanting it in a new dried substrate, and treating it with Fitosporin.
Among the pests, hare cabbage can be attacked by aphids, spider mites, and scale insects. Aphids can be washed off with soapy water, but for other parasites you will have to use chemicals (Actellik or Aktaru according to the instructions).
Attention ! It is prohibited to work with insecticides at home. The plants are taken outside and sprayed there. If this cannot be done, put a large plastic bag on the bush and pot, and spray the drug inside the bag. This way the poison will not get into the environment. The bag is removed from the bush 20 - 30 minutes after spraying.
Reproduction
The easiest way to plant sorrel is vegetative propagation. The plant can be planted with nodules or bulbs - baby plants that grow near the root of an adult plant. They are planted in a pot to a depth of no more than 10 mm, several pieces at a time. Planting material is obtained in the spring, when transplanting overgrown adult wood sorrel bushes.
Some types of flower - butterflies reproduce well by shoots and root suckers. They are separated from the plant during transplantation.
Oxalis Ortgis can be propagated by leaves by sticking leaves cut off with a petiole into wet sand. Rooting takes a couple of weeks.
Oxalis seeds are tiny; they are sown in the spring and scattered over the surface of the soil.
