Nyctagine family. Homeland - Central America, Australia, New Zealand. About 50 species are found in nature.
Pisonia umbellifera is common in culture. The plant is similar in appearance to ficus, but surprisingly it is a member of the same family as Bougainvillea.
This is an evergreen tree, in nature reaching 5 m in height, with strongly branching shoots. The leaves are oppositely located, oblong in shape, smooth, with a wavy edge, about 15-20 cm long, when grown at home in nature up to 30 cm. The flowers are very fragrant. More often you can find the variegated variety Pisonia umbellifera variegata - with wide white or yellowish irregularly shaped spots from the edges of the leaf. This plant is called the bird tree by the local population. This is due to the fact that its inflorescences and fruits, which are formed only in natural conditions, secrete sticky resin. It is so sticky that it catches everything that touches it - clothes, hair, but small birds, not to mention insects, are especially affected. But, despite this, pisonia variegated began to spread in home floriculture, sometimes it is even used as potensai, forming like miniature trees.
Caring for pisonia
Temperature: Grows well in warm rooms at 18-20 ° C, preferably not higher than 23 ° C, and in winter about 16-17 ° C, not lower than 12 ° C. Pisonia will grow quietly all year round in warm home conditions only if it is sufficiently lit in winter and humidity rises by any means.
Lighting: Bright diffused light, mandatory shading from direct sunlight in summer in the afternoon. It grows well on the east and northwest windows. Ideal place: where the plant will receive at least four hours of direct sunlight every day, and bright light the rest of the time.
Watering: Moderate in spring and summer - be sure the ground should dry well in the upper third of the pot. In winter, with cool maintenance, watering is rare, when the soil dries thoroughly. The soil should not completely dry out or be too raw. Water for irrigation is used soft and warm (better filtered and boiled).
Fertilizer: In the period of active growth from March to August in two weeks, liquid fertilizer for indoor plants.
Air humidity: This plant needs high humidity, preferably in the form of fog daily in summer and at any time when the air temperature is above 23-24 ° C. In the heating season in winter - only a humidifier, otherwise the leaves dry and fly around. Spraying is allowed only with soft water. You can give her a hot shower once a month (water temperature 45 ° C) in order to prevent the appearance of a spider mite.
Transplantation: Annually in spring young plants, adults - after 2 years. The soil is 2 part of the sheet earth, the 1 part of the turf, the 1 part of the humus and the 1 part of the sand. Good drainage to the bottom and large holes for water runoff. You can use the universal soil from the store, adding several handfuls of chopped pine bark to it. Attention: Pisonia does not like rough transplants, it is better to carefully pass, shaking off only the land that easily lags behind the roots itself.
Breeding: Stem cuttings that are cut in summer. Cuttings are rooted using phytohormones and soil heating.
