Acnistus

Family. Solanaceae.

Origin. Argentina and (possibly) Bolivia.

Description. Often found among wild plants of the nightshade family. Acnistus are multi-stemmed, fast-growing perennial shrubs, deciduous or evergreen, 4 m high, or small trees with drooping, brittle branches. The leaves are alternate, simple, 5 - 10 cm long, elliptical or oblong, leathery, and often velvety-pubescent. Flowers with a diameter of 5 - 6 cm are tubular, purple, blue, white or reddish, long, in hanging racemose inflorescences located in the upper axils of the leaves. There are 5 petals, they are connected at the base to form a bell-shaped cup. They are pollinated by hummingbirds and insects, especially bumblebees. The fruits are fleshy berries, usually orange in color when ripe. Quite a rare plant that blooms for a long period. It blooms from spring to summer, creating a huge blue ball. 

Height. Acnistus flower reaches a height of 4 meters in natural conditions.

Acnistus - care at home

Temperature conditions

The plant feels best in moderate temperatures with cool nights, in winter about 10 - 15 ° C. It does not tolerate frost, although adult plants can briefly tolerate down to -5 ° C, but in this case it will shed its leaves. 

Lighting

The plant loves sunny conditions. At elevated temperatures, shade the plant or keep the pots shaded to avoid overheating of the roots.

Care

Overly long shoots can be trimmed to maintain a compact shape, but do not remove many branches at once. 

Substrate

Use small pots that have drainage holes. For soil, use a soil mixture, for example, 2 parts humus to 1 part perlite or coarse sand. pH value from 5.1 to 5.5 (highly acidic).

Feeding

Approximately every 2 months during the growing season with slowly soluble fertilizers.

Purpose

A very beautiful flowering plant.

Flowering time

In good conditions it can bloom at any time of the year. 

Air humidity

Indoors, if the humidity is too low, you can use a humidifier or mist your indoor shrubs. 

Soil moisture

Water abundantly during the growing season, but let the substrate dry out before the next watering; reduce watering in winter.

Transfer

Transplant young indoor plants at the age of 2 - 3 months into larger containers. Try not to damage the earthen ball when transplanting. During the first week after transplanting, do not place the pot in direct sunlight and do not feed the acnistus.

Reproduction

Sprinkle the seeds with a thin layer of soil - just enough to barely cover them, since the acnistus needs light to germinate. Keep the soil evenly moist. Until the seeds germinate, make sure the surface of the soil does not dry out. You can place the pots with the sown seeds under a plastic cover, leaving a gap for fresh air to enter. Keep the pots warm at around 18 - 24°C, but not higher. Seedlings appear within 4 - 6 weeks, but sometimes only after 10 weeks, especially at low temperatures. Avoid direct sunlight for the first 4 to 6 weeks. Vegetative propagation by cuttings is possible.

Pests and diseases

At elevated temperatures, keep whiteflies and spider mites.

Note

Please note that the leaves, flowers and fruit are poisonous, so keep the plant away from children and pets.