Fragrant Callisia

Family Commelinaceae In indoor conditions it is forced into a rest period (from October to February) due to reduced light and air humidity.

Repotting: annually or every two years, into wide and shallow pots, since the root system of Callisia is weak but rapidly spreads, so with each subsequent repotting the container should be taken slightly wider.

Winter care (October–February): optimal temperature - 13-17°C

Watering: abundant.

Specific cultural requirements: does not tolerate direct sunlight; for normal growth and development a day length of 8–10 hours is required; air humidity should preferably be kept at 70–75%; the shoots of Callisia need support; during the period of relative dormancy it must be watered abundantly, otherwise leaves may be dropped.

Recommended for growing: in rooms primarily on west or east windows, on south windows with shading; as a hanging plant in suspended baskets or wall planters; as a groundcover plant in containers with large specimens (dracaenas, ficuses and others); in winter gardens; in greenhouses or in beds under plastic; only young shoots with dark purple leaves are used for preparing medicinal infusions.

Propagation: the main method is by apical cuttings: in water, roots appear in about 7–10 days; in soil under plastic in a mini-greenhouse; by rooting side shoots without separating them from the mother plant; less often by dividing the bush or by seeds.

Problems in cultivation: with insufficient light the leaves lose their characteristic dark purple color, become pale or green, and the plant elongates; does not tolerate being moved relative to the light source; it is advisable to mist the plant several times a day; the weak root system suffers from soil drying out; the plant relatively quickly ages, losing its decorative value, the lower part of the stems becomes bare, so a short rejuvenating pruning is necessary once every 2–3 years or annual pinching of shoots; at air humidity of 60% and below infestation by spider mites is possible.

Life form: herbaceous plant.

Maximum size in cultivation: from 70 cm to 2 m.

Ornamental features: leaves, stem.

Leaf color and shape: large, 20–30 cm long, 5–6 cm wide, dark purple; underdeveloped long tubular leaves with cilia along the edge, sheathing the stem.

Stem: erect, fleshy, with a large rosette of leaves; horizontal stems with underdeveloped leaves for capturing new territory.

based on materials from the website www.greeninfo.ru