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Phytolacca is a genus of perennial plants that prefer tropical regions. Phytolaccas are found on the American continents and East Asia. The genus contains 25-35 species. Scientists have not yet decided. Most of them are herbaceous, but there are also shrubs. Phytolacca dioica is a full-fledged vigorous tree. In Russia, phytolacca is found only as a decorative component in landscape design. The most common dual-purpose plant is berryweed (Phytolacca acinosa). It can be used as an ornamental bush and the berries are edible.
Description of the Lakonos flower
The name "phytolacca" comes from two words: the Greek "phyton" - plant and the Latin "lacca" - red paint. Almost all plants of this species have shiny berries with black skin. The juice of the berries is thick, sticky, dark red. It is possible that in ancient times the fruits of phytolacus growing in Asia were used to dye clothes.Yes, and the Indians got dyes for clothes from somewhere, and the American variety of phytolacca produces a lot of berries with red juice.
Phytolaccas came to Russian territory by accident and grew as weeds for a long time. In their homeland, lacquerids weeds and are.
The height of phytolaccas is from 1 to 25 m. Laconaceae are deciduous or evergreen.
The leaves on the shoots are simple, opposed. The edges may be smooth or jagged. Stems are pink, green or red. Depending on the species, the flowers range from greenish-white to pink. Collected in inflorescences-tassels at the ends of the stems. In autumn, the flowers of the lacedary plant develop into black spherical berries with a diameter of 4-12 mm. Initially the color of the fruit is green. After ripening it changes to dark purple or black.
American Laconia is bred as a garden flower. It is most popular as an ornamental plant. Laconia berry is often grown as an edible crop.
Types and varieties of phytolacca (polyweed)
No one has ever tried to domesticate Phytolacca, and all forms that can be found in the garden are wild species of Laconaceae. In addition to those listed, 2 more species can be found in gardens. Relatively low shrubs and herbs are suitable for growing for landscape design.
Phytolacca icosandra
Tropical very decorative lacconium. A large species of the genus Phytolacca. The bush grows up to 3 m in height. The leaves on the red shoots are very large: 10-20 cm long, 9-14 cm wide. Bright pink flowers are collected in brushes 10-15 cm long. The photo of the phytolacca is not to scale, and it is impossible to estimate the diameter of an individual flower, which is 5 -10 mm. Each flower contains 8-20 stamens. After flowering, the resulting fruits of the plant have a diameter of 5-8 mm.
Phytolaccaruinosa
Another species of the genus Phytolacca. Perennial shrub. When young, Lakonos is green, and when mature it turns red. During the flowering process, the brushes are red. The phytolacca berries of this species are also black.
The look is very unpretentious. It grows along roads, on dry rocky slopes, in forest clearings. Area:
- Syria;
- Lebanon;
- Cyprus;
- Southern Türkiye.
In these regions, phytolacca grows at an altitude of 1-1.5 km.
Phytolaccaacinosa
This plant with black berries on the stem is a plant with many names:
- grape;
- edible;
- berry;
- polycarpous;
- drupe.
Refers to herbaceous plants. The homeland of this phytolacca is Asia. The plant is distributed:
- in the Far East;
- in Japan;
- In Korea;
- in China;
- in India;
- in Vietnam.
The main places of cultivation in Russia are botanical gardens. But the weed cannot be kept in the garden, and in its wild form this laconiferous plant is already found in the Moscow and Voronezh regions, in Mordovia. Laconia drupe is winter-hardy enough to withstand the Russian cold.
The plant is edible. In populations growing in the Himalayas, Japan and China, roots, leaves and berries are eaten. In the tropics of America and Southeast Asia, phytolacca vine is cultivated as a vegetable: young shoots are edible boiled, and the leaves are used instead of spinach.
Such a mistake could be fatal. American lacquerade is poisonous. The plants actually look very similar when they bloom. If you look at a photo of the clusters of Laconaceae flowers, you will not be able to tell them apart from each other.The difference is visible when fruits form on the clusters: the clusters of the berry variety remain erect, while the clusters of the American variety droop.
Phytoláccaamericána
American lacconus is a herbaceous plant up to 3 m high. Another difference between Phytolacca berry and American phytolacus is their roots. The berry root has a tap-shaped root, similar to a carrot root. The American one has a thick and short multi-headed rhizome with a central fleshy stem. But this difference can only be seen by digging up adult plants.
The leaves are large, opposite, ovoid in shape. The tips are pointed. Leaf length 5-40 cm, width 2-10 cm. Petioles are short.
The plant is monoecious; the raceme contains flowers of both sexes. The diameter of the American flower is 0.5 cm. The length of the racemose inflorescences is 30 cm. American phytolacca blooms in June-September.
The ripe berry is purple-black in color and round in shape. Seeds are about 3 mm long. Fruiting begins in August.
The habitat is already beginning to occupy the entire globe. The plant was brought from North America to the Eastern Hemisphere by accident. Since this type of laccone reproduces well by seeds, today it has already spread throughout the Caucasus as a weed. It grows wild near homes, roads, in vegetable gardens and orchards. In the European part of Russia it is often used in landscape compositions.
Is Laconia poisonous?
Many phytolaccas have two substances in their chemical composition: phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccygmine, which are poisonous to mammals if the plants are not prepared correctly. Birds can eat milkweed fruits without harm to themselves, since most of the toxins are contained in the seeds.The tough outer shells protect the seeds from digestion, making birds sowers of this weed.
Information about the toxicity of phytolaccas is contradictory due to two factors:
- confusion between two species of lacquerids;
- other conditions of existence.
While the berry weed is almost entirely edible, the American one is poisonous. But they look similar, and people often don't differentiate between them.
The toxicity of plants often depends on climatic conditions and the chemical composition of the soil. Hellebore, which is poisonous in the southern regions, is harvested in Altai for livestock feed.
Perhaps the American lacquerade also loses its poisonous qualities in Russia due to cold weather and different soil composition. But this can only be verified experimentally. Therefore, it is better not to take risks.
Lakonos in landscape design
Phytolaccas are reluctant to be used in garden decoration, since these plants reproduce well by seeds. We constantly have to fight not only with the indecently growing bush, but also with its young shoots.
If you are not too lazy to trim the plants, they can be used to create high walls that enclose individual areas of the garden. Designers also often practice growing phytolacs to cover tree trunks.
In addition, laccones are grown:
- for the sake of bouquets, since the inflorescences last a very long time;
- as an ornamental crop that decorates the garden in the fall;
- single bushes;
- as a central figure in a decorative flower bed.
Phytolacca are especially noticeable in the fall, when the stems gain color and turn red.
Planting and caring for Lakonos in open ground
Phytolaccas tolerate transplantation very poorly. The best option for their propagation is seeds. You can also dig up very young plants before their taproot has grown to its full length.If you replant large bushes, they may die. Propagation by seeds and subsequent care of the laccone does not require much effort from the gardener.
Preparing the landing site
Laconaceous plants can grow in the shade, but the quality of the bush will be poor. Shaded phytolacca will be lower than usual and will produce few small inflorescences. For planting, choose a sunny place. As a weed, lacquoise is unpretentious and can grow in any soil.
To propagate a lacede flower by seeds, it is enough to find someone who grows this plant and ask him for planting material.
Preparation of planting material
Preparation of planting material consists of simple operations:
- picking ripe berries;
- grinding the fruits into a homogeneous mass;
- rinsing the resulting puree and washing your hands;
- collection of washed seeds.
Next, all that remains is to plant the seeds in the ground, as they need stratification. This stage of the seeds will go well in the ground without human intervention.
Landing rules
Planting and subsequent care of lacconium grown from seeds is also simple. In the prepared loosened soil, make grooves and plant the seeds in them. Phytolaccas germinate very well from seeds, so after the spring shoots appear, excess plants are removed.
When initially planting in a non-permanent location, it must be taken into account that the plant can only be replanted in a very young state, until it has developed a full-fledged root system. When planting, taking into account further movement to a permanent place, lacede plants are sown so that they can then be conveniently dug up.
Watering and fertilizing
An adult weed, being a self-respecting weed, does not require special care other than pruning. Pruning is necessary so that the plant does not fill all the free space. Watering is carried out as needed.
Watering time is determined by drooping leaves. Phytolacca recovers very quickly. After just a few hours, the leaves return to their normal position. On a very hot day, the leaves may droop to avoid excess moisture evaporation. But here you just need to remember the date of the last watering.
You should be careful with fertilizing. In fertile soil, weeds grow more than usual. Lakonos is no exception. If in Russia it usually does not reach the usual height for a particular type of phytolacca, then with feeding it can grow even more than in its homeland.
Transplanting a Lakonos flower
Phytolaccas do not tolerate transplantation very well, and ideally the plants should be planted as seeds in a permanent place. But sometimes it becomes necessary to move the bush.
To replant in a new place, dig a hole 60 cm deep and fill it with fertile soil. The bush is dug in from all sides and carefully turned out along with the lump of earth. Transfer to a new location and place it so that the root collar is at soil level.
It is best to replant phytolaccas in the fall, when they have shed the vegetative part and only the roots remain. At this time, the roots are dug up, moved to a new place and covered with mulch for the winter.
When replanting during the growing season, you must be prepared that the plant will completely shed its upper part and may even die. But there is a chance that lateral buds will sprout from the root next year, and the phytolacca will recover.
Pruning lacconium for the winter
Preparing the lacquerberry bush for winter involves mulching its roots with its own tops. In botany there is no such thing as a “lignified bush-like grass,” but in its essence, the lacede grass grown in Russia is such a grass. During the winter, their entire upper part dies off, and only the roots hidden in the ground remain. Thanks to this, phytolaccas are able to tolerate Russian frosts.
Sometimes the growth buds that are located at the top of the root may freeze out. But the plant recovers from lateral buds. For this reason, pruning the bush and covering the branches for the winter is not required.
How does Lakonos overwinter?
Only the roots and seeds of phytolacca overwinter. The vegetative part dies off annually. In spring the bush grows again. Young shoots emerge from the seeds, which can be transplanted to a new location while they are still about 10 cm high.
Reproduction of Lakonos
Reproduction of Laconaceae flowers occurs only by seeds. Cuttings are impossible due to the annual death of the ground part. Theoretically, it is possible to propagate phytolacca by roots, but these plants do not like such rough treatment and will most likely die.
The seeds have very good germination in the first year. It is enough to sow them in the fall and thin out the emerging shoots in the spring.
Diseases and pests
Phytolacca almost certainly have diseases and pests in their native places. There are no plants without pests. But in Russian conditions, lacquerids have no natural enemies. Which contributes to their aggressiveness. Moreover, phytolaccas are able to repel “European” pests. Often these perennials are planted around the trunks of fruit trees.
In the Russian climate, plants are also disease-free.This resilience makes Phytolacca a tempting plant for those who don't want to spend time maintaining a garden. But the “lazy ones” will have to fight the young shoots of laccones.
Conclusion
The plant Lakonos does not have serious economic importance. It is usually used in garden compositions for landscape design. Due to its toxicity, Phytolacca americana is considered a medicinal plant, but it is better not to check which dosage is curative and which is life-threatening.
My lacquernas multiplied on its own in the open ground. The seeds that fell into the ground sprouted the next year. I just dug them up and replanted them. They got along well. In the second year, a “jungle” was already formed. :-)) Lakonos generally has the character of a weed - hardy, undemanding to either the composition of the soil or watering. I pay attention to regular watering only when I plant very small lacconaceous seedlings. When it grows, and it grows very quickly, you don’t have to bother with watering at all. Even in a drought. A monster, not a plant. )) You can also get your hair cut whenever and however you want. I make huge two-meter fans from laccones that grow along the fence.