order: malvales
family: malvaceae
genus: grewia
species: occidentalis
Today's subject is an African species from the mallow family, a family that consists of some wellknown members such as hibiscus, cacao and durian. Last year during winter while visiting the family of a friend, his family suggested making a trip to flora-toskana when the days are warmer, which we did early this summer. The exotic plants business isn't far from where they live. From the visit there I got the impression that they much prefer you do your orders online, which is what they actually do. But for me, I like to see what I'm getting, especially if we're talking about sizeable bushes. In the end I brought home this plant together with a small pandan.
This is an evergreen shrub with scandent climber habit and can grow into a tree of upto 6m tall. The purple star-shaped flowers are borne consistently throughout the summer. They are about 3cm across, resembling miniature waterlilies that are held together in cymes. Each flower lasts for only a day, but is quickly replaced with new ones each day. The alternate leaves are a dark dull green, toothed at margin. During the summer growth, I could count upto 2 new leaves per day on each terminal. This is pretty vigorous.
The care tips on a grewia I can advice is to use only lime-free soil and water. Always keep the soil evenly moist. Frequent feeding with organic fertiliser helps it grow and bear flowers. Restrictive pruning can be carried out anytime of the year to keep the spindly branches in order. According to plantzafrica.com, this plant is mostly deciduous in its natural habitat and can withstand the cold down to subzero temperatures. Although, I'm inclined to follow the advice of the Royal Horticultural Society to give it a minimum of 7°C. I haven't come across any devastating infestation of insects, but ants, bees, wasps seem to be very much attracted to the plant.
family: malvaceae
genus: grewia
species: occidentalis
Today's subject is an African species from the mallow family, a family that consists of some wellknown members such as hibiscus, cacao and durian. Last year during winter while visiting the family of a friend, his family suggested making a trip to flora-toskana when the days are warmer, which we did early this summer. The exotic plants business isn't far from where they live. From the visit there I got the impression that they much prefer you do your orders online, which is what they actually do. But for me, I like to see what I'm getting, especially if we're talking about sizeable bushes. In the end I brought home this plant together with a small pandan.
This is an evergreen shrub with scandent climber habit and can grow into a tree of upto 6m tall. The purple star-shaped flowers are borne consistently throughout the summer. They are about 3cm across, resembling miniature waterlilies that are held together in cymes. Each flower lasts for only a day, but is quickly replaced with new ones each day. The alternate leaves are a dark dull green, toothed at margin. During the summer growth, I could count upto 2 new leaves per day on each terminal. This is pretty vigorous.
The care tips on a grewia I can advice is to use only lime-free soil and water. Always keep the soil evenly moist. Frequent feeding with organic fertiliser helps it grow and bear flowers. Restrictive pruning can be carried out anytime of the year to keep the spindly branches in order. According to plantzafrica.com, this plant is mostly deciduous in its natural habitat and can withstand the cold down to subzero temperatures. Although, I'm inclined to follow the advice of the Royal Horticultural Society to give it a minimum of 7°C. I haven't come across any devastating infestation of insects, but ants, bees, wasps seem to be very much attracted to the plant.
 |
| flowers against foliage. |
No Comments yet.
Post a Comment