Tacca

Family. Taccaceae.

Origin. West Africa, Southeast Asia.

Description. Tacca is a large evergreen perennial plant. The leaves are very large - up to 60 cm long, glossy, green, oval, with numerous pronounced veins, on long petioles. The flowering of tacca is an extremely unusual sight. The flowers reach a diameter of 3 cm, and long, numerous tendrils descend from the flower to 60 cm. Shades of flowers include white, dark burgundy, almost black, purple, beige, green. 

Plants bloom for the first time at the age of 2 - 3 years, when 2 - 3 true leaves are formed. Each plant can form 6 to 12 flower stalks during the warmer months. 

Height. It grows slowly, depending on the species, it can reach a height of 1 m.

Home care

Reproduction - growing from seeds 

The seeds are sown in spring, the seedlings are kept under a glass cover to maintain uniform humidity, in a warm place with a temperature of 21 - 25 ° C this is quite difficult. The planting material is pre-soaked in warm water for a day. Tacca is most successfully propagated by division during transplantation.

Soil

The soil should be very light, nutritious, loose, it should easily allow moisture and air to pass through. Peat-based soil or a ready-made mixture for growing orchids is suitable. pH is acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline. 

Maintenance 

The flower is not suitable for beginner gardeners - it is quite capricious in cultivation. Faded buds should be removed from the plant immediately. Bushes should be placed away from heat sources.

Diseases and pests 

In insufficient light, tacca does not bloom. With excessive watering, plants suffer from rot. Leaves droop and turn brown when there is insufficient soil or air moisture.

In a dry and warm atmosphere, the flower may be attacked by spider mites.

Flowering time 

It blooms from June to December, the flowering period is very long. Plants bloom for the first time at the age of 2 - 3 years. 

Light 

A brightly lit area with plenty of indirect sunlight. Shading is necessary from scorching rays during the daytime. Rotate the pot with the plant every week ¼ turn so that the flower develops evenly and does not tilt towards the light source.

Containment temperature

Tacca thrives best in warm, year-round conditions of 18 - 21°C. During the cold season, the room temperature should not fall below 10°C, as the plant does not like sudden temperature changes.

Feeding

During the growth period, feed with liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 2 weeks. In autumn, feeding is stopped until spring. 

Spraying 

If the air humidity is less than 60%, the tacca will suffer from overdrying. Place the pot on a tray of damp pebbles or use a room humidifier. The preferred location is in a ventilated area without cold drafts.

Watering the tacca

The soil should dry out between waterings by 1 - 2 centimeters in depth during the period of active growth. For irrigation, use softened water at room temperature. In autumn, watering is slightly reduced. Excess water from the pan is drained a few minutes after watering.

Transfer

Transplantation is carried out in the spring, before flowering. The plant loves spacious, but not very deep pots with large drainage holes. When planting, do not compact the substrate around the roots. 

Purpose

An extremely valuable flowering plant that looks attractive at any time of the year, but during the flowering period it is a unique sight.

Varieties:

Tacca chantrieri

A herbaceous perennial plant with very showy, almost black flowers. This variety is most often found in floriculture. The leaves are glossy, green, entire, on long, curved basal petioles. The length of the leaf plates reaches 40 - 60 cm; on their surface there are slightly indented leaf veins. The peduncles are tall, leafless, reaching 65 cm. The inflorescences are very dark, burgundy - almost black, the bracts reach a length of 15 cm. The flowers are small, collected in inflorescences - umbrellas and over time turn into bright red fruits, reminiscent of bell peppers. The inflorescences have long and thin tendrils, reaching 60 cm in length. 

Tacca integrifolia

 Herbaceous perennial with basal, green, glossy leaves. The leaf blades are entire, reach a length of 60 cm, and are located on long basal petioles. During the flowering period, plants form vertical flower stalks up to 120 cm high, on the tops of which there are inflorescences - umbrellas with wide pinkish-white bracts and purple flowers. Long, thread-like tendrils hanging from the inflorescences can reach 1 m.