Murraya

Family Rutaceae. Native to South and Southeast Asia. As a houseplant only Murraya paniculata is cultivated. This is a small evergreen shrub with oval leathery leaves, fairly undemanding as a houseplant. It blooms with small white fragrant flowers that resemble the flowers of the white lilac.

Murraya produces entirely edible fruits - red berries about 1.5-2 cm in diameter. After the fruits ripen they are picked and the seeds can be sown.



Temperature: Moderate. In winter keep at 15-18°C, minimum 12°C. In summer it can be placed in the garden or on a balcony.

Light: Murraya is light-loving, but requires shading during the hottest hours of summer. The best location is an east or southeast window.

Watering: Abundant in spring and summer, reduced from autumn, and moderate in winter - the soil should dry out. Water should be soft - rainwater or well-settled water; you can use water filtered by a household filter or boiled.

Air humidity: Murraya is tolerant of dry air, but regular spraying is beneficial, especially in summer and in winter when kept indoors with central heating.

Repotting: Soil - 1 part sod, 1 part leaf mold, 1 part peat, 1 part humus and 1 part sand. You can use a commercial universal bio-soil for houseplants. Young Murraya plants are repotted annually; plants aged 4-5 years are repotted every other year.

Propagation: By seeds and cuttings. Cuttings root with the use of phytohormones (growth stimulants) and under a glass jar.