Tritsirtis is a perennial, highly ornamental herbaceous plant. With its miniature flowers, it resembles a delicate orchid. Translated from Greek, the name means "triple nekratnik." Indeed, unusual flowers attract a unique aroma of a large number of butterflies and other insects.
Description
Common in Japan and the Himalayas, a herbaceous perennial is decorated with large flowers of white, cream and yellow. The entire surface of the petals is covered with red or raspberry dots. Plain inflorescences are also found. The flower has a funnel-shaped structure with thin, bent outward petals. The buds are located at the ends of the stems or in the axils of the leaves singly, as well as small inflorescences. Due to the pockmarked color, the garden orchid received another, less attractive name - the frog orchid (similar to the color of some amphibians). The flowering period begins in July.
After flowering, an elongated capsule is formed with black or brownish seeds.
The stems of tricirtis are dense and straight with a cylindrical section. They may have small branches. The height of an adult plant is 70-80 cm, although there are also low-growing varieties. Most varieties have a hairy coating on the stem and base of the leaves.
Regular leaves without stalks cover the entire length of the stem, sometimes wrapping it around its base. The shape of the leaf plate is oval or elongated.
In the genus of tricirtis, there are more than 10 species. They can be divided by their resistance to cold to winter-hardy and heat-loving.
Winter-hardy species of tricirtis
Among the varieties resistant to cold, there are:
- Short-haired (Hirta). Grows in the shady forests of the Japanese subtropics. Stem height 40-80 cm, pubescent along the entire length with short, light cilia. The stems are branched, have long horizontal processes. The leaves are oval and lanceolate with a slight pubescence, 8-15 cm long, 2-5 cm wide. Several flowers are located in the leaf sinuses and one at the top. Petals are white, covered with purple dots. Lanceolate petals are turned outward and pointed, 2-3 cm in length. Blossoms in August-September.
Tritsirtis short-haired (hirta) - Broadleaf. A beautiful white flower with a greenish tint is revealed on a stem up to 60 cm long. Petals are covered with dark flies. It begins to bloom earlier than other brothers in the middle of summer. The ovoid large leaves also cover dark spots. They are more pronounced in the spring on young greenery.
Tritsirtis broadleaf - Weakly pubescent. The plant is covered with beautiful variegated leaves and yellow pockmarked flowers. The inflorescence is located at the top of the stem and consists of 3-4 flowers. It blooms early, which allows the seeds to ripen well. The variety is resistant to frost.
Tritsirtis slightly pubescent - Tritsirtis Purple Beauty. A low plant with leathery leaves and rare flowers. Petals are painted white with purple spots. The flowers have a beautiful white-red core, consisting of half-fused pestles. A yellow circle is drawn on the bottom of the fused petals.
Tritsirtis Purple Beauty
Frost-resistant varieties
Heat-loving species do not withstand even the slightest frost. Representatives of this group are:
- Hairy. A plant about 70 cm high above has an inflorescence of white flowers with bright red dots. Flowering begins in August and lasts about a month. The stem and foliage are abundantly covered with villi.
Tritsirtis hairy - Long-legged. Large oval leaves with soft pubescence are located on a cylindrical stem 40-70 cm long. Leaf length - up to 13 cm, and width - up to 6 cm. The flowers are pink-white with red dots.
Tritsirtis long-legged - Dark Beauty. Differs in more saturated and even dark coloring of petals. The predominant colors are raspberry and pink with small white patches.
Tritsirtis Dark Beauty - Yellow. On a medium-sized bush, 25-50 cm high, yellow flowers bloom, almost without spots. Small dots are present only on the upper buds. It blooms in late summer and needs good shelter for the winter.
Tricirtis yellow - Taiwanese or formosana. On the hairy stems 80 cm high, there are oval, light green leaves with a pointed end. Flowers have a different color of petals: pink-lilac and white-pink. On the entire surface of the petal are burgundy or brown dots. The hue of the background and the number of dots increases closer to the core.
Taiwanese tritsirtis (formosana)
Breeding
For the propagation of tricirtis, three main methods are used:
- sowing seeds;
- cuttings (stem or root);
- division of the bush.
For sowing, it is important to use freshly picked seeds. In warm regions, they are sown in the fall before the cold in the open ground. If planting is planned for spring, then in March the seeds are stratified in the cold for a month, and then also sown in the garden. Seedlings are not grown, as the roots of young shoots are very sensitive and cannot tolerate transplants. Flowering begins the next year after planting the seeds.
Due to its high regeneration, the best way to propagate is by cutting cuttings or dividing the rhizome. In early spring, root shoots are used, and in summer, stem shoots. They are dug in a new place and awaiting the formation of young roots. Even from small fragments of rhizome remaining in the soil, young shoots may appear.
Conditions for growing and caring for plants
The plant is quite capricious and not every gardener will be able to grow it the first time, as well as achieve flowering. But subject to all the rules, this garden orchid will grow stronger and grow every year, and the number of flowers will increase.
Tritsirtis are forest inhabitants, therefore they need shady and humid places. It prefers fertile forest soils rich in organic humus and peat. For normal growth, it is important to monitor regular soil moisture; drying out negatively affects flowering and growth. However, excessively flooded clay soils are undesirable for the plant. To reduce evaporation in the heat, you should timely mulch the top layer with a leafy substrate.
They select places in the garden where a strong cold or hot wind does not reach. Negative to spraying. From drops of water on the foliage appear dull spots, which eventually become brown. In winter, the bush should also be protected from excess moisture with the help of polyethylene and other waterproof shelters.
For wintering, it is necessary to cover the rhizomes with fallen leaves or spruce branches. For a more severe climate, a frame shelter using a special non-woven material is suitable. But this method is suitable for frost-resistant varieties. In other cases, plants are dug up and placed in tubs or pots for storage indoors.
Using
Varieties of tricirtis are a spectacular rare culture that can become a real gem of various corners of the garden. While most bloomers prefer the sun, it will create an elegant frame at the base of trees and lush bushes.
Can be used to decorate rockeries and the foot of rocky slopes. Beautiful flowers on long legs resemble a hybrid of lilies and orchids, so they are often used to design bouquet compositions. Tritsirtis will become a good neighbor to an orchid, fern, hosts, arisem or trillium.
