A Detailed Guide to the Distribution Range and Growth Habits of Stock (Matthiola incana)
Matthiola incana is native to the Mediterranean coast and is widely cultivated in the southern regions of China. The flowers are purplish red, and there are also pale red, pale yellow, or white ones, all fragrant. The fruit is slender and can be used for ornamental purposes. Stock lasts well in water and is also an important cut flower.
Other names for stock
Matthiola incana, also called stock, wallflower, and hoary stock, is the collective name for the various species under the genus Matthiola in the family Brassicaceae.
Morphological characteristics of stock
Matthiola incana is a 2-year-old or perennial herbaceous flower, generally sown in the autumn of the first year and blooming in the spring of the following year, with a plant height of 30-60cm. The whole plant is covered with gray stellate soft hairs, the stem is upright, and the base is slightly lignified. The leaves are broad, oblong or oblanceolate, with rounded and blunt tips. The raceme is terminal and axillary, the pedicels are thick and strong, and the flowers come in purplish red, pale red, pale yellow, white, and other colors. Single-petaled flowers can produce seeds, while double-petaled flowers do not. The fruit is a cylindrical silique, and the seeds are winged. The flowering period is from 12 to 4, and the fruit ripening period is from 6 to 7.
Growth habits of stock
Matthiola incana prefers a cool climate and avoids dry heat. It likes a well-ventilated environment, prefers mild climate in winter, but can also tolerate a brief low temperature of -5°C. The suitable temperature for flower bud differentiation is 15°C. It has no strict requirements for soil, but grows better in well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil, and avoids acidic soil. Stock is cold-resistant but not shade-tolerant, fears waterlogging, and is suitable for environments with a higher position, exposure to sunlight, and good ventilation and drainage. It should absolutely avoid stuffiness; in moldy rainy weather with hot temperatures and poor ventilation, it is prone to damage from pests and diseases. It requires fertile, moist, and deep loam soil; it likes sufficient sunlight, but is also slightly tolerant of semi-shade; fertilization should not be excessive, otherwise it is unfavorable for flowering; if light and ventilation are insufficient, it is prone to pests and diseases.
Varieties of stock
There are many horticultural varieties of stock, with two lines: single-petaled and double-petaled. The double-petaled line has high ornamental value; the single-petaled line can set seed, while the double-petaled line cannot. Generally, plants grown from flat seeds can usually produce a large number of double flowers; while plump and full seeds mostly produce plants with single flowers.
The main cultivated varieties of stock include the white "Aida" (Aida), the pale yellow "Carmen" (Carmen), the red "Francesco" (Francesco), the purple "Arabella" (Arabella), and the pale purplish red "Incana" (Incana), among others. According to plant height, they are divided into three types: tall, medium, and dwarf; according to different flowering periods, there are summer stock, autumn stock, and winter stock, among other varieties; according to different cultivation habits, they are divided into annual and biennial types.
Stock flower language
Matthiola incana (blue) - warning, loyalty, I will be forever loyal
Matthiola incana (white) - let us seize the opportunity for happiness
Matthiola incana (purple) -falling in love with you in a dream, to me you will always be so beautiful
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