What is the general situation of velvet arrowroot?

Also known as Apocynum venetum and Apocynum venetum Zebra, they belong to Apocynum venetum of Apocynaceae and are native to the tropical rain forest of Brazil (color map 94). Plant height 50 ~ 60 cm, underground stem, elliptic-lanceolate leaves, bright luster, velvety dark green, purple patches, purple back and purple flowers. It is a world-famous shade-loving foliage plant.

It belongs to 150 species, and the common cultivated species are:

1. Arrowhead bamboo pole

(Cassia willows)

Also known as pueraria lobata and pueraria lobata with needles. Native to Brazil and Costa Rica; Newly introduced from China. Plant height 100 cm or more, the leaves are oval, 25-30 cm long and 8- 15 cm wide, and the dark green bands and white bands on both sides of the main vein alternate with each other to form a pinnate arrangement, and the back of the leaves is purple. The stems are dark red, with fine hairs on them. They are very sensitive to temperature changes, and the leaves at low temperature will be rolled into a tube at night.

2. arrowroot

(Roselle)

Also known as rainbow arrowroot and colorful arrowroot, it is native to Brazil. Among the varieties introduced in recent years, the queen is 30 ~ 50 cm tall, with slightly leathery leaves, 20 cm long and 10 ~ 15 cm wide, oval, with turquoise leaves, dark green stripes on both sides of veins, yellow stripes on veins and leaf edges, like a gold chain, and purple spots on the back of leaves, like blooming roses. Because the plants are short and have no main roots, shallow pots with wide pots are used, and acidic humus soil is used as the substrate.

3. arrowroot with silver shadow

(c . picturav . argentea)

Also known as colorful arrowroot, it is native to Venezuela. Small plant type, dense cluster, oval leaves, length 10 ~ 15 cm, width 8 ~ 10 cm, silver-gray leaves at the center, green ribbons at the edges and brownish red at the back. Among them, there is a kind of silver-leafed plantain with pear-shaped leaves, emerald green edges, silvery metallic luster in other parts and chestnut color on the back.

4. Peacock arrowroot

(Makoja Na)

Also known as blue banana, five-color pueraria lobata, native to Brazil. Plants are densely clustered, with a plant height of 30-60 cm. Petiole grows from rhizome, and leaves are purplish red, oval and thin leather. The surface of the leaves has a faint metallic luster, and it is very bright at the bottom of the green. Feather-like dark green and oval velvet patches are distributed on both sides of the main vein, and the back of the leaf opposite to the stripes is purple, which is arranged alternately from left to right, which is very similar to the name of pride like peacock's tail feather. Leaves have sleep exercise. At night, the leaves extend upward from the leaf sheath to the leaves, fold like eggs, and unfold after dawn. The leaves are colorful and exotic, which are the treasures of indoor foliage plants and are popular all over the world. There is an enlarged seam between the leaf and the petiole, which is called a leaf pillow. There are water storage cells in the occipital, which can adjust the orientation of leaves. Suitable temperature and high humidity. The pillow is full of water and the leaves are obviously upright. High temperature and low humidity, leaf pillow wilting, low temperature and high humidity, rotten leaves and roots. Liquid fertilizer, mainly phosphorus and potassium, is applied every two weeks during the growing period.

5. arrowroot with golden leaves

(broom)

Also known as beautiful arrowroot and big-leaf blue-flowered banana, the petiole is slightly erect, the leaves are oval to lanceolate, the length is 10 ~ 16 cm, and the width is 5 ~ 8 cm. There are many pairs of milky white spots between lateral veins, which are pink when young and purple on the back. Originally from Colombia, there are red-feathered arrowheads and peach-feathered arrowheads.

6. Beckham's Blue Banana

The leaves are lanceolate, gray-green, covered with dark green spots, pinnate, and the back of the leaves is purplish.

7. Linde's blue banana

(Tilia amurensis)

The leaves are nearly basal, upright, oval, dark green, with olive green stripes on both sides of the leaf margin and midvein, and dark spots on the chestnut back.

Plants with vigorous growth can be divided into pots 1 ~ 2 times a year. When the temperature is high in spring and autumn, the lateral roots should be divided into several clusters. If the temperature is low, the root damage will be less, and there should be more than 3 ~ 4 seedlings in each cluster, and a certain amount of original soil should be reserved to avoid affecting the growth of plants.

Pot soil should be loose and breathable. Generally, humus soil or peat plus 1/3 river sand and a small amount of manure or bone meal should be selected, and sticky garden soil should not be used. Sensitive to water, there should be enough water in the growing period. For example, when the air is dry, the leaves are easy to curl and wither, so it is necessary to spray water frequently, but no water can be accumulated when spraying water, so as to avoid rotting fleshy roots. During the growing period, apply liquid fertilizer 1 ~ 2 times a month. After fertilization, wash the leaves with a small amount of water to avoid fertilizer damage, and spray 0.2% ~ 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate in late autumn to improve cold resistance. Grow in a cool place, grow well, and avoid direct sunlight and exposure.