Hooked Chamelaucium
| Hooked Chamelaucium | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chamelaucium uncinatum |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chamelaucium uncinatum | ||||||||||||
| shower |
The Hakige Chamelaucium ( Chamelaucium uncinatum ) is a species of the myrtle family (Myrtaceae). In its native Australia it grows in heathland . As an ornamental plant , this type of plant is offered in Europe as a cut or rare potted plant .
Chamelaucium uncinatum was first described in 1844 by the botanist Johann Konrad Schauer . He gave her the name of the species ( Latin uncinatum = hooked) because of the hook-shaped leaves that are bent downwards.
description
Chamelaucium uncinatum is an evergreen shrub . In their homeland they grow in bushes and reach a height of two to four meters. The summer heat and drought in Australia are survived with the water stored in the tissue. The needle-like, almost round, slightly fleshy leaves are only about half a millimeter to a millimeter wide and up to four centimeters long. The leaves face each other crosswise in alternating pairs. The sheet glands contain like all Myrtle easily evaporating essential oils , so that the leaves when crushed give off a pleasant scent reminiscent of lemons.
At the beginning of the flowering period, when the plant develops the first buds , the bushes appear as if they are studded with small pearls. The flowers give the impression of small works of art made of marzipan or wax. In the areas around Geraldton , Australia , the plants are therefore also called "Geraldton Waxflower".
distribution
The genus Chamelaucium comprises about 13 species, all of which are native to Western Australia . Chamelaucium uncinatum grows there in an approximately 600 km long coastal strip in summer-dry, sandy heathland areas.
Because of its appearance, Chamelaucium uncinatum is popular as an ornamental plant in the subtropics to the tropics and is grown in Australia, Israel and California . From here the branches are also sold to Europe as cut flowers .
maintenance
There is a wide range of different varieties that are characterized by different flowers. They do well in low soil moisture. Since the plants are not winter hardy in Europe , it is necessary to keep them in pots and shelter them during the cold season. Because of the slow growth, there is no need to repot them frequently. Likewise, the plant rarely needs fertilization.
The variety 'University' or 'University Red' with deep purple flowers is described as a particularly beautiful cultivar. "Chamelaucium Jasper" is a loosely growing variety with pink flowers on the market.
swell
- Robert Zander : Zander concise dictionary of plant names. Edited by Fritz Encke , Günther Buchheim, Siegmund Seybold . 15th edition, corrected reprint of the 14th edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 3-8001-5072-7 .
