|
Uncarina decaryi
This is a most attractive plant ,but still
not very well known. It is indeed a stunning
plant, and probably one of the best examples of
the new generation of succulent caudiciforms.
This Uncarina blooms easily, and when covered with flowers, it is a
striking vision.
|
Description: Deciduous tropical shrub or small
caudiciform tree to 7.5 m (but
usually less), trunk up to 30 cm in diameter.
Stem: Stout, that becomes
thickened with age. Stems may ultimately
attain a height of 3 meters. Flowers: The flower resembles a large
Petunia in form and is bright yellow with a dark throat.
Leaves: Lobed, finely hairy, soft and sticky to the touch,
yielding a musty odor when rubbed. The leaves are deciduous during the
winter resting season.
Flowers: Bright yellow flowers with black centers.
Blooming season: Warmer months.
Fruit: The fruit (capsules) has small inwardly pointed barbs
looking like small hooked harpoons and are mounted on 2 cm pedicels.
Don't touch this fruit unless you want to spend some time trying to
remove it from your fingers.
Uncarina
decaryi is. similar to
U. grandidieri, but with smaller flowers and deeply lobed
leaves.
|
|
|
Bright yellow flowers with
black centres. Blooming season: Warmer months.
|
In winter |
Apex (In spring) |
|
|
|
Advertising
|
|
|
Family: Pedaliaceae
Scientific name: Uncarina
grandidieri (Baill.) Stapf
Engl. and Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. iv. 3b. 261 (1895)
Origin: Madagascar.
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Common Names include: Succulent Sesame, Mouse trap tree
Etymology: The species is named in honor of
Alfred Grandidier (1836-1921), an intrepid explorer and collector in
Madagascar.
Synonyms:
- Uncarina grandidieri Ihlenfeldt &
Straka 1962
- Harpagophytum grandidieri Baillon
1887
- Uncaria grandidieri Kuntze 1891
|
|
Uncarina blooms
easily, and when covered with its flowers, it is a striking vision.
Cultivation:
They are
easy to grow heat resistant plant, which grow better
than the average. They do best when grown in part shade to full sun.
Their attractiveness is further enhanced because they will flourish very
easily in any pseudo-tropical environment. Growing in well-drained soil
with lots of water, when in growth and keep dry when dormant.
It can tolerate neglect, and as soon as
you pay it a little attention (like repotting
or fertilizing) it recovers and puts out
plentiful new growth. Use diluted fertilizer on young plants to speed up
growth.
They are tender, cannot endure temperatures below 2° C, if grown outdoors
they will probably grow back from roots, if frozen. They are
quite heat tolerant.
Reproduction: Seeds,
and it can be reproduced by cuttings as well. |
|