What flower is the five-pointed star flower? I'll teach you the correct cultivation methods
The five-pointed star flower has a unique flower shape and bright colors, and it is not difficult to grow, so it has very high cultivation value.
I. Morphological characteristics of the five-pointed star flower
Annual slender twining herb, hairless. Leaves ovate or oblong, 2-10 cm long, 1-6 cm wide, simple leaves alternate, leaf lobes slender as threads, pinnately parted to the midrib, with 10-18 pairs of linear to filiform flat fine lobes, lobe tips acute; petiole 8-40 mm long, base often with pseudostipules. Inflorescences axillary, composed of a few flowers in cymes; peduncles mostly longer than the leaves, 1.5-10 cm long, flowers upright, pedicels longer than the calyx, 9-20 mm long, thickened into a club shape when fruiting; sepals green, slightly unequal in length, elliptic to oblong-spatulate, the outer one slightly shorter, about 5 mm long, apex obtuse with a small mucro; corolla salverform, more than about 2.5 cm long, deep red, hairless, tube slender, slightly enlarged above, limb spreading, about 1.7-2 cm in diameter, 5-lobed; stamens and style exserted; filaments hairy at the base; ovary hairless. Several five-pointed star-shaped small flowers are borne on it, deep red and bright; besides red, there is also white. Capsule ovate, 7-8 mm long, 4-locular, dehiscing into 4 valves, septum persistent, transparent. Seeds 4, ovate-oblong, 5-6 mm long, blackish brown. Flowering period from early July to late September, with a batch opening every day, opening in the morning and wilting in the afternoon.
II. Garden uses of the five-pointed star flower
The vines and leaves are slender and elegant, making it an excellent plant for courtyard trellises and flower hedges, and it can also be potted and displayed indoors. When it blooms, although the flowers are small, they are scattered like stars among the green leaves, lively and charming. Together with morning glory, it is an annual vine flower of the Convolvulaceae, and its flowering period is almost the same as that of morning glory, but because the plant is slender and small, it is not arranged on tall trellises and tall hedges like morning glory; it is generally used to decorate low walls and short hedges, or to green balconies. When the green leaves cover the trellis, one sees layer upon layer of emerald feathers, delicate and light, like a cage of green smoke, like a drape of green gauze, swaying in the wind with graceful shadows. In the past, florists often made bamboo frames shaped like lions, around which it twined and spread until covered to form a green lion, lifelike and with a special charm. This kind of garden art is called "landscape art," and together with bonsai it forms another style.
III. Cultivation methods for the five-pointed star flower
Habits: It likes light and prefers a warm, humid environment; it is not cold-tolerant, can self-sow, and requires fertile soil. The five-pointed star flower has strong stress resistance and is easy to manage. The capsule contains 4 seeds, which after maturity fall to the ground on their own and grow by themselves the next year. If sowing by hand, sow in March. Transplant when the seedlings are 10 cm long. To make it bloom more, it should be planted in fertile soil in a sunny place. Pot cultivation requires a support for it to twine around, and when in bloom it is extremely delicate and beautiful. Native to tropical America, it is now widely distributed in temperate and tropical regions worldwide. It is a beautiful ornamental garden plant.
Propagation: Propagate by sowing. Take plump and fresh seeds, and sow them in a flowerpot in early April; the potting soil can be made by mixing half sandy soil and half culture soil evenly, cover with soil to a depth 2 times the diameter of the seeds, water thoroughly, and place in a leeward, sunny place with slight shade; afterward, water whenever the potting soil is slightly dry. The suitable germination temperature is 18-20 degrees, and seedlings emerge in 7-10 days.
Watering: During the growing period, water once a day in general; in summer when the climate is hot and the plants grow vigorously, water once in the morning and once in the afternoon, but never allow water to accumulate in the pot.
Fertilizing: Apply once a month a topdressing of decomposed liquid fertilizer water. During the entire growing period, there is no need to pinch out the growing tips; let it climb naturally. As long as you pay attention to watering and fertilizing to promote rapid growth of the stems and vines, the flowering will be even more abundant.
Seed collection: The capsule fruits of the five-pointed star flower do not ripen uniformly, and they easily split after ripening, so the seeds should be collected in batches in time; the seeds have a lifespan of 4-5 years. The roots of the five-pointed star flower can be used as medicine and have the effect of clearing heat and reducing swelling, treating ear sores and hemorrhoids.
All right, that is all for the introduction to the five-pointed star flower. I hope that after the above introduction, everyone's confidence in growing the five-pointed star flower and the survival rate will be increased, so that everyone can grow beautiful five-pointed star flowers.