Gesnerium family. Homeland Central America. More than 25 species are common in nature. They are all perennial herbaceous plants, with creeping rhizome (tuberous) and erect or slightly drooping stems. I.e. the shrub shape is usually half-ampel, so Achymenes can be grown in regular pots and hanging planters. The leaves are whole, with a serrated edge, dark green. Both leaves and stems are covered with small velvety pubescence. Flowers with a five-petalled corolla fused at the base into a narrow tube. The color of the flowers is the most diverse: purple, blue, bright pink, yellow, etc.
Achimenes is very popular with flower growers for abundant flowering and undemanding in agricultural technology.
Achimenes erect Achimenes erecta is a shrub with erect stems, about 50-60 cm high. The stems are reddish, the leaves are dark green, oblong in shape with a serrated edge, on short reddish petioles. Both stems and leaves are covered with dense short pubescence. The flowers are bright red, do not last long for only 2-3 days, but the flowering itself is abundant and long from mid-summer to autumn. There is a cultivar Achimenes erecta 'Tiny Red' with heart-shaped leaves (mint-like leaves).
Achimenes longiflora is a shrub with erect, sometimes drooping stems. The leaves are oblong, with a serrated margin, large, about 8-9 cm long and 3-4 cm wide. The stems and petioles are reddish purple. The flowers are large, the corolla is about 7 cm in diameter, the tube is about 5 cm long. The flowers are purple, with a white throat, there are varieties with pure white flowers (Achimenes longiflora 'Hanging Gardens').
Basically, there is only Achimenes hybrid Achimenes hibridia on sale - with different colors of flowers, mainly has a semi-ampel shape (first it grows in a bush, then the shoots droop).
Ahimenez care
Temperature: Moderate to warm, at least 17 ° C in the growth period, optimally 22-24 ° C. After flowering, achimenes are cut off, and nodules are removed to rest in winter storage, and stored at a temperature of at least 7 ° C until about February.
Lighting: Bright light with shading from direct sunlight in summer during hot hours of the day. Direct sunlight in the morning or evening is possible.
Watering: Plentiful during the growth period. By the next watering, the soil should dry out in the upper half of the pot, but not dry out completely. After flowering (in September, October), watering is reduced, and then completely stopped.
Fertilizers: 1.5 months after germination of fresh shoots in the spring, fertilizers are fed for indoor flowering plants, every two weeks (fertilizers: "rainbow," "fertica-lux," "uniflor-bud," etc.)
Air humidity: Achimenez does not like spraying leaves, but the air should be moist enough, arrange wide trays of water or spray nearby plants well.
Transplant: Nodules taken from winter storage are germinated in boxes in nutrient soil. Good drainage is needed, and the nodules are sprinkled with light sheet earth on top. Germination requires a temperature of 15-18 ° C and humid air. Sprouted nodules are planted in pots. Achimenes has short roots, so the pots should not be deep, but wide enough. A high layer of drainage is poured onto the bottom of the pot, occupying at least 1/3 of the volume of dishes. This will protect the plants from overflow. The soil should be loose and nutritious - 3 part of the leaf land, 1 part of the peat, 1 part of the sand, dry cowpea is also added (crumble dry cow cake, take 1 tbsp. spoon on a pot), charcoal.
Reproduction: Nodules, cuttings, seeds. When achimenez is propagated by nodules, flowering begins faster than when propagated by cuttings.