Operculicaria

 
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Family of anacardia (sumac). Homeland - the island of Madagascar. Another name for the operculica is false Japanese pepper, as this plant is very similar to zantoxylum, a plant of the root family. The similarities are so strong that confusion has arisen among suppliers of indoor plants and on many Russian and foreign flower sites.

Relatives of this plant are mangoes, pistachios, sumac, etc. As you can see, some members of this family have edible fruits, others contain poisonous and burning substances, as well as tannins, resins, wax, etc.

  • Operculicaria decari Operculicarya decaryi is an evergreen tree that reaches 9 meters in height in nature. With a thick trunk (in a perennial tree in nature, the thickness of the trunk reaches 1 meter in diameter). The bark of the trunk is rough, tuberous on the old trunk, smoother on young branches. It has complex pinnately dissected leaves with an odd number of segments (leaflets). The leaves are leathery, with a glossy sheen. Looking at false Japanese peppers, you can see lionfish, like those that most representatives of the root family have. The flowers are dioecious, dark red, small - only about 2 mm in diameter, solitary or collected in small-flowered (no more than 6 pcs.) Inflorescences. Flowering in February-March.
  • Operculicaria thick-legged Operculicarya pachypus is a stunted shrub, about 1 meter tall. With a thick caudex trunk up to 50 cm in diameter. The bark on the branches is smoother than that of Operculicarya decaryi, and the shoots grow with kinks, almost zigzag. The flowers are dioecious, up to 2 mm in diameter, yellow-green in color, solitary or in small-flowered inflorescences. Flowering in February-March. Flowering requires a dry and cool dormant period (at 10 ° C watering about once a month).
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Care for Operculcaria

Temperature: Operculicaria, unlike Zantoxylum, is more cold-resistant, the winter minimum for it is + 8 ° C, and optimally 10-15 ° C. Does not tolerate hypothermia with wet soil! It does not tolerate hot rooms where the air is stale, so it is completely unsuitable for growing in the kitchen.

Lighting: Bright sunlight, shading will only be needed in the spring on the southern windowsill if the winter was cloudy enough. Nature protected the leaves of the operkulikaria from the scorching sun with a waxy coating on the leaves.

Watering: Quite plentiful from spring to autumn, after drying the upper layers of the soil. In winter, water is limited, preventing the soil from only completely drying out. With excessive watering, the roots rot, the leaves turn yellow and fly around. It is easier to tolerate drying than excess moisture.

Fertilizer: From April to September, they are fed with complex fertilizer for indoor plants in half a dosage, but weekly, since the operkulikaria is characterized by intensive growth. In autumn and winter they do not feed.

Air humidity: The operculica requires very high humidity, so it is regularly sprayed. She tolerates weekly hot showers well (as a spider mite prophylaxis) or placement on a wide tray of water during the hot summer months.

Transplant: Transplantation in spring, before the buds bloom, young annually, more mature - once every 2-3 years. Good drainage is needed. Soil for a potted plant: 2 parts of sod, 1 part of leaf earth, 1 part of humus, 1 part of sand (small expanded clay, vermiculite). Soil for bonsai: 2/3 acadama and 1/3 humusa. Bonsai container - medium depth, too flat pot does not fit.

Reproduction: Cuttings and branches in early spring, seeds in autumn. Seeds are sown in mini-furnaces into a mixture of universal soil and vermiculite in equal parts, deepening by 2-3 mm. Uniform humidification, airing , temperature 25 ° C. Seeds germinate in 2-4 weeks.

   

By the way

Operkulikaria, one of the most successful plants for the formation of bonsai, but is grown in this capacity relatively recently .

Its advantage is that it already has small leaves, branches well, easily tolerates crown pruning. As well as transplanting and pruning roots. However, it is better to observe the interval between operations. So, between pruning the roots, transplanting and pruning the crown should take about 3-4 weeks.

The operculica is formed in a variety of styles, which allows you to make good growth and bushiness of the plant. Leaf defoliation is carried out in spring during the growth period. The ligature is applied in the fall, having previously protected the bark. The ligature needs to be checked, as the plant quickly gains growth and the wire can cut into and grow into the bark of the plant.

Operkulikaria-bonsai is watered by immersion method. For this, the plate is soaked in warm soft water for several hours .

In general, the operculica is unpretentious, but easily affected by a spider mite, aphids and sensitive to excess moisture.

By the way

Operculica is often sold under a different name - as Zantoxylum peppery. Although in fact, these are two completely different plants of different families. Zantoxylum belongs to the root family, Operculicaria - anacardia (or sumac), but, nevertheless, they are relatives, because both families belong to the Root Rutales order. And if there is a similarity of operculica with Zantoxylum, then only with the species Zanthoxylum fagara.

The main differences are that operculicaria have a thickened powerful caudex trunk, except for plants grown from a handle. Bonsai operculars, sold in stores under the wrong name Zantoxylum peppermint, do not have a thickened trunk, apparently in view of the fact that they were grown not from seeds, but from a handle. Operkulikaria (false Japanese pepper), unlike Zantoxylum (Japanese pepper), does not have thorns and spikes (but also has a strong smell ).