Have you ever seen this magical plant, the silver fan plant, in your life?
Common plants like pothos, spider plant, money tree, and Chinese rose can all be seen in daily life, while in nature there are many more wonderful plants that are relatively rare. So today I will introduce a plant called silver fan plant. Why is it said to be quite unique, and what kind of plant is it? Let us explore the world of this magical plant, silver fan plant, together.
Silver fan plant is relatively common throughout Europe, but in Asia it is only relatively common in parts of Southeast Asia. As for the origin of its name, it is because its silique part looks very similar to a silver palm-leaf fan, hence it is called silver fan plant. At the same time, because the shape of its seed pod is quite similar to ancient copper coins, it is often also called money flower, etc.
From its appearance, its leaves are generally ovate-elliptic or elliptic, and the leaf margins have a relatively rough serrated form. The entire plant is covered with a certain amount of fine hairs. If compared by plant height, it is a small to medium-sized plant, with a height of about 60-90 cm. Silver fan plant does not have intricate branching; from bottom to top it only has a moderate number of leaves, and the number gradually decreases.
Its flowers are mostly white or purplish-red, and during the flowering period they are also accompanied by a faint fragrance. The peculiarity of silver fan plant is that after the flowers begin to wither, its embryo rapidly begins to widen, and after a period of time, it forms the seed pods we usually see. According to its growth characteristics, the seed pods located lower down usually mature faster than those above, and the color gradually changes from light green to brown. If the color of the seed pods all turns brown, this indicates that the fruit of silver fan plant has matured.
Once its seed pods have developed a certain color, their appearance is very popular among people, so silver fan plant is also quite good as an ornamental plant. In addition, its white flowers can be used as dried flowers, while the purplish-red flowers can be used as cut flower material. Because of this, silver fan plant often appears among cut flowers too.
Silver fan plant is generally propagated by sowing seeds, and can be cultivated by direct sowing in the open field or in pots. After the seeds are sown, appropriate watering will allow them to germinate. During this period, the surrounding temperature needs to be 15-22 degrees, and germination can be completed in about 2-5 days. If you want silver fan plant to grow fully, temperature is often crucial. Since it is not tolerant of high temperatures and is extremely sensitive to environmental temperature, silver fan plant in summer must be cultivated indoors in a cool place. On the contrary, its cold tolerance is very good; even in an open-air environment, it can safely overwinter.
At the same time, its disease resistance is not excellent either. For example, when transplanting it, especially when transplanting in summer, silver fan plant is very prone to root rot, so the transplanting time should be chosen in autumn and winter. In addition, the soil chosen for cultivating silver fan plant must have good drainage, otherwise water accumulation in the soil can easily cause root rot. As mentioned earlier, it is not suited to high temperatures, and one reason is that relatively high temperatures will attract some pests and diseases to infest silver fan plant. During the flowering period of silver fan plant, it is also a period when it suffers more seriously from aphids, so within a certain time during the flowering period, a certain amount of insecticide or pest repellent should be sprayed.