Eonium tree - a decorative indoor plant, which in the natural environment grows in the tropical forests of northern Africa. The shrub has a wide variety of varieties that are distinguished by the color and variegation of their leaves.
Eonium - what is this flower
Eonium treelike flower belongs to the family Crassulaceae. There are both perennial and annual varieties of this species. If the bush has one outlet, then it will live no more than two years, therefore, in order to preserve it, the procedure of reproduction is faster.
The flower has a high decorative effect, which is why it is in demand in floriculture
Succulent aeonium does not have petioles on the leaves, the plates are collected in spiral rosettes. Some varieties have almost bare stems, but there are species with densely arranged plates. They are elongated and pointed to the edges, very dense and fleshy in structure.
For reference! The birthplace of the species is Morocco and the hills of the Canary Islands, where it grows at an altitude of 200 to 1500 meters above sea level.
Varieties of Home Flower
Species of aeonium have many amazing characteristic features, so its cultivation in indoor conditions is so common.
- Eonium undulate (Aeonium undulatum)
There are small scars on the entire surface of the stem of the eonium Wavy. At the very top of the shoots, leaf rosettes with a diameter of 30 centimeters grow. Bright green leaves are collected in flower-shaped forms.
- Eonium arboreum (Aeonium arboreum)
A tree species (Aeonium arboretum) is the most famous of its kind. Its height reaches 1 meter. The main trunk has a slightly brown hue, the crown itself is slightly branched.
Thick leafy rosettes form the shape of cup-shaped flowers. Plates are dense in structure, can reach from 10 to 20 centimeters. There are plants with green and dark scarlet flowers of leaves.
It is interesting! The most popular variety is Eonium Nigrum, which is also called the Black Eonium. It has a black or dark gray-brown color of leaves.
At a young age, the Eonium Nigrum bush has greenish plates, but the older the plant, the darker the foliage. The Shelley variety has similar characteristics - aeonium with lighter leaves.
- Eonium home (Aeonium domesticum)
The domestic species is not tall - only 15-30 centimeters. The short trunk is highly branched and painted in a brownish-red tint. Dark green leaves have a spade shape, their width is greater than the length. Yellow flowers are located on a high peduncle.
- Eonium decorative (Aeonium decorum)
Decorum, as it is sometimes called, is widely used to decorate interiors and greenhouses. A low plant has a crown of a ball. At a young age, the leaves are colored green, but eventually begin to turn pink.
The plates are collected in beautiful pink-like sockets and are located on the tops of lignified shoots. Externally, the bush looks like a tree with roses.
- Eonium virginsky (Aeonium virgineum)
Virginia is another flower with a rosette of leaves that looks like a rose. However, its difference is that it has almost no stem. Leaves are painted in a plain light green color.
- Eonium tiered or plate-shaped (Aeonium tabuliforme)
Unusual appearance has an eonium Longline (Aeonium tabuliforme). He has one outlet with sheets, which is formed in the form of a pancake with scales. The leaves are small and painted in a very bright green tint. Blooms in the second year after planting with small yellow flowers.
Note! Due to the fact that the Longline variety has only one outlet, it is a biennial, that is, after flowering, the bush immediately dies.
- Eonium Lindley (Aeonium lindleyi)
Eonium Lindley has small bright green leaves that are very densely arranged to each other. They form sockets in the form of baskets.
- Haworth or Kiwi (Percarneum "Kiwi" or Haworthii)
Eonium Kiwi (Aeonium kiwi) or Haworta - a very unpretentious elegant flower with a height of 50 centimeters.
Fleecy leaves are slightly pointed to the ends, have a pinkish border. Along the edges of the lateral shoots are air rhizomes, with the help of which it is easy to propagate the bush.
- Sedifolium (Aeonium Sedifolium)
Aeonium sedifolium is one of the lowest species. It was bred artificially, therefore, refers to hybrid varieties.
Small rosettes have fluffy light green leaves that are sticky to the touch due to the release of nectar.
In indoor conditions, caring for a flower is not difficult
Eonium tree: home care
Caring for any plant involves the implementation of a number of recommendations. However, the eonium tree is completely unpretentious, so even beginners can easily cope with it.
Illumination and temperature
Care for the flower should begin with the organization of proper lighting and temperature conditions. There should be a lot of light, so it is better to keep a flower pot on the southern or eastern windows. During hot summer days, it is transferred to a place with diffused light.
But the temperature should be slightly cool - from +16 to +22 degrees. Therefore, in the summer, a container with a flower is best taken to the garden or balcony.
Watering rules and humidity
Watering a small tree at home should only be done after the topsoil has dried. And in winter, the procedure is completely reduced to 1 watering per month.
Important! Be sure to defend tap water before irrigation (at least 24 hours).
Top dressing and soil quality
They feed the bush once a month with ready-made mineral fertilizers for succulents. Soil acidity should be neutral.
Humus is added to increase acidity, and wood ash is added to neutralize it.
Flower Tank Size
Capacity for landing should not be too spacious. It is best to choose not wide, but moderately deep pots, with good drainage and a tray.
Pruning and transplanting
The plant does not need pruning, as it has a small number of outlets. Periodically conduct only sanitary procedures, removing dried leaves.
Care for eonium implies a transplant, which is carried out only if necessary. Usually its cause is insufficient capacity, with the growth of the root system.
Methods of breeding eonium
The method of propagation of the plant will depend on its type and variety. For stemless eonium, only the seed method is suitable.
The plant is propagated most often vegetatively
Biennial species are planted only with seeds. First, seedlings are grown in a box with a substrate and only then planted in separate pots.
Other species are propagated by cutting the top of the stem along with a rosette. This scrap can be placed for rooting immediately in a substrate or water. The root system should develop at 2 weeks of rooting.
How aeonium blooms, periods of activity and rest
Paniculate inflorescences are located on a stable and thick peduncle. Very small flowers can have a different color: yellow, pink, white.
Eoniums bloom for about 3-4 weeks. The flowering period falls on different dates (depending on the type of flower). Usually this is the beginning of summer - June or July. From November to February, the shrub should retire and rest.
Growing problems, diseases and pests
The flower practically does not get sick and does not suffer from pests. Dry air can provoke the appearance of a spider mite, which can be destroyed by washing the bush in the shower.
Due to root rot, the lower leaves may begin to fall and turn yellow.
Sometimes with excessive watering, root rot occurs, which causes the leaves to fall. In this case, the bush is transplanted into a new container and a clean substrate. During the transplant, the roots are washed, cut out rotted areas.
Eonium can have an unusual shape and color of foliage, care for it at home is very simple. Already in the second year, the first flowers appear, which can strike with their unusual appearance. Of course, among domestic hostesses there are few admirers of this plant, but succulent is steadily gaining popularity.
