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Phytolacca is a genus of perennial plants that prefer tropical regions. Phytolaccs are found on the American continents and in East Asia. The genus contains 25-35 species. Scientists have not yet decided themselves. Most of them are herbaceous, but there are also shrubs. Phytolacca dioica is a full-fledged powerful tree. In Russia, phytolacca is found only as a decorative component in landscape design. The most common dual-purpose plant is berry lakonos (Phytolacca acinosa). It can be used as an ornamental shrub and the berries are edible.
Description of the lakonos flower
The name "phytolacca" comes from two words: Greek "fiton" - plant and Latin "varnish" - red paint. Almost all plants of this species have shiny black-skinned berries. The juice of the berries is thick, sticky, dark red. It is possible that in ancient times, the fruits of the phytolaccs growing in Asia were used to dye clothes. And the Indians took paint for their clothes from somewhere, and the American variety of phytolacca produces a lot of berries with red juice.
Phytolacci came to the territory of Russia by accident and for a long time grew like weeds. Lakonos in their homeland weeds and are.
The height of phytolaccs is from 1 to 25 m. Lakonos are deciduous or evergreen.
The leaves on the shoots are simple opposed. Edges can be smooth or jagged. The stems are pink, green, or red. Depending on the species, the flowers can be greenish-white to pink in color. Collected in cluster inflorescences at the ends of the stems. In autumn, lakonos flowers 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 Lakonos is bred like a garden flower. It is most popular as an ornamental plant. Berry lakonos is often grown as an edible crop.
Types and varieties of phytolacca (lakonos)
Nobody has ever tried to domesticate Phytolacchi, and all the forms that can be found in the garden are wild species of Lakonos. In addition to those listed, 2 more species can be found in the gardens. Suitable for growing for landscape design are relatively low shrubs and grasses.
Phytolacca icosandra
Tropical very decorative lakonos. A large species of the phytolacc. 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.The bright pink flowers are collected in a brush 10-15 cm long. -10 mm. Each flower contains 8-20 stamens. After flowering, the resulting fruits of the plant have a diameter of 5-8 mm.
Phytolaccapruinosa
Another species of the phytolacca genus. Perennial shrub. At a young age, the lakonos is green, at maturity it becomes red. In the process of flowering, the brushes are red. The phytolacca berries of this species are also black.
The view is very unpretentious. It grows along roads, on dry rocky slopes, in forest glades. Areal:
- Syria;
- Lebanon;
- Cyprus;
- Southern Turkey.
In these regions, phytolacca grows at an altitude of 1-1.5 km.
Phytolaccaacinosa
This lakonos 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 phytolacc is Asia. The plant is widespread:
- in the Far East;
- in Japan;
- In Korea;
- in China;
- in India;
- in Vietnam.
The main cultivation areas in Russia are botanical gardens. But the weed cannot be kept in the garden, and this lakonos is already found in the wild in the Moscow and Voronezh regions, in Mordovia. The drupe lakonos 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, grape phytolacca is cultivated as a vegetable: young shoots are edible boiled, and the leaves are used instead of spinach.
This error can be fatal. The American lakonos is poisonous. The plants are indeed very similar during flowering. If you look at the photos of the brushes of laconos flowers, then they cannot be distinguished from each other. The difference can be seen when fruits are formed on the brushes: in the berry brush they remain standing, and in the American one they droop.
Phytoláccaamericána
American lakonos is a herbaceous plant up to 3 m high. Another difference between phytolaccus berry and American is their roots. In the berry, the root is tap-shaped, similar to that of a carrot. The American one has a thick and short multi-headed rhizome with a central fleshy core. But this difference can only be seen by digging up mature plants.
The leaves are large, opposite, ovoid. Pointed tips. Leaf length 5-40 cm, width 2-10 cm. Petioles are short.
The plant is monoecious, the brush contains flowers of both sexes. The diameter of the American lakonos flower is 0.5 cm. The length of the racemose inflorescences is 30 cm. The American phytolacca blooms in June-September.
The ripe berry has a purple-black color and a rounded shape. Seeds are about 3 mm long. Fruiting begins in August.
The area is already beginning to occupy the entire globe. The plant was introduced from North America to the Eastern Hemisphere by accident. Since this species of lakonos reproduces well by seeds, today it has already spread throughout the Caucasus as a weed. In the wild, it grows near dwellings, roads, in kitchen gardens and orchards. In the European part of Russia, it is often used in landscape compositions.
Is the lakonos poisonous
Many phytolaccs have 2 substances in the chemical composition: phytolaccatoxin and phytolaccigmin, which are poisonous to mammals if the plants were not prepared correctly. Birds can eat lakonos 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 the birds the sowers of this weed.
Information about the toxicity of phytolaccs is contradictory due to two factors:
- confusion between the two types of lakonos;
- other conditions of existence.
If the berry lakonos is almost completely edible, then 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 poisonous in the southern regions in Altai is harvested for livestock feed.
Perhaps the American lakonos also loses its poisonous qualities in Russia due to cold weather and a different composition of the soil. But this can only be verified experimentally. Therefore, it is better not to risk it.
Lakonos in landscape design
Phytolaccs are reluctant to use in garden design, since these plants reproduce well by seeds. We constantly have to fight not only with an indecently growing bush, but also with its young growth.
If you are not lazy to cut the plants, then they can be used to create high walls that fence off certain areas of the garden. Also, designers often practice growing phytolaccs to hide tree trunks.
In addition, lakonos are grown:
- for the sake of bouquets, since the inflorescences stand for a very long time;
- as a decorative culture that adorns the garden in autumn;
- single bushes;
- as a central figure in a decorative flower bed.
Phytolaccs are especially noticeable in autumn, when the stems gain color and turn red.
Planting and caring for lakonos in the open field
Phytolaccs tolerate transplants very poorly. The best way to reproduce them is seeds. You can also dig up very young plants until their main root has grown to its full length. If large bushes are transplanted, they may die. Seed propagation and subsequent care of the lakonos do not require much effort from the gardener.
Landing site preparation
Lakonosy can grow in the shade, but the quality of the bush will be poor. Shaded phytolacca will be lower than usual, will give few small inflorescences. For planting plants choose a sunny place. Like a weed, Lakonos is unpretentious and can grow on any soil.
To propagate the pomaceous flower by seeds, it is enough to find the one who grows this plant and ask him for planting material.
Preparation of planting material
The preparation of planting material consists of simple operations:
- picking ripe berries;
- grinding fruits into a homogeneous mass;
- washing the resulting puree and washing hands;
- collection of washed seeds.
Further, it remains only to plant the seeds in the ground, since they need stratification. This stage, the seeds will perfectly pass in the ground without human intervention.
Landing rules
Planting and subsequent care of the seed-grown lakonos is also simple. In the prepared loosened soil, grooves are made and seeds are planted in them. Phytolaccs germinate very well from seeds, therefore, after the emergence of spring shoots, excess plants are removed.
During the initial planting in a non-permanent place, it should be borne in mind that the lakonos can be transplanted only 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, the lakonos sow so that it would be convenient to dig them later.
Watering and feeding
An adult lakonos, being a self-respecting weed, does not need 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 a few hours, the leaves return to their normal position. On a very hot day, the leaves may wilt to avoid excess moisture evaporation. But here you just need to remember the time of the last watering.
You should be careful with feeding. On fertile soil, weeds grow more than usual. Lakonos is no exception. If in Russia it usually does not reach the height usual for a particular type of phytolacca, then on top dressing it can grow even more than in its homeland.
Lakonos flower transplant
Phytolaccs do not tolerate transplants very well, and ideally, the plants should also be planted with seeds in a permanent place. But sometimes it becomes necessary to move the bush.
To transplant 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 together with a lump of earth. They are transferred to a new place and placed so that the root collar is at the level of the soil.
It is best to transplant phytolaccs in the fall, when they have dropped 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 transplanting during the growing season, you must be prepared that the plant will completely throw off the 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 lakonos for the winter
The preparation of the lakonos shrub for winter consists in mulching its roots with its own tops. In botany, there is no such thing as "lignified bushy grass", but in essence the lakonos grown in Russia are such a grass. For the winter, their entire upper part dies off, and only the roots hidden in the ground remain. Thanks to this, phytolaccs are able to withstand Russian frosts.
Sometimes growth buds that are at the top of the root can freeze out. But the plant is recovering from lateral buds. For this reason, pruning the bush and sheltering the branches for the winter is not required.
How the Lakonos winters
Only the root and seeds overwinter in phytolaccs. The vegetative part dies off annually. In the spring, the bush grows again. Young shoots appear from the seeds, which can be transplanted to a new place while it is still about 10 cm high.
Reproduction of lakonos
Reproduction of lakonos flowers occurs only by seeds. Cutting is impossible due to the annual withering away of the ground part. Theoretically, phytolacca can be propagated by roots, but these plants do not like such rough treatment and will most likely die.
The seeds germinate very well in the first year. It is enough to sow them in the fall and in the spring to thin out the emerging seedlings.
Diseases and pests
Diseases and pests in phytolaccs are almost certainly found in their native places. There are no plants without pests. But in the conditions of Russia, lakonos have no natural enemies. What contributes to their aggressiveness. Moreover, phytolaccs are capable of repelling "European" pests. Often these perennials are planted around the trunks of fruit trees.
In the conditions of the Russian climate, plants also lack diseases. This resistance makes phytolacca a tempting plant for those who do not want to waste time caring for the garden. But the "lazy" will have to fight with the young growth of Lakonos.
Conclusion
The lakonos plant has no serious economic value. It is usually used in garden compositions for landscaping. American phytolacca, due to its toxicity, is considered a medicinal plant, but it is better not to check which dosage heals and which is life-threatening.
