Liana scindapsus belongs to the Aroidae family (Araceae). The place of origin of the culture is the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. The genus includes about 25 species of vines. The name comes from the Greek word “Skindapsos”, which means “ivy-like tree”. Among the popular names there are Pictus, muzhegon, widow ivy, golden sweat. In the wild, a liana can climb trees up to 15 meters high. As a home culture, scindapsus attracts attention with its oval-shaped leaves with a colorful pattern. One of the most common types of creepers is golden scindapsus.
Golden scindapsus: description and features
In the wild, it is a semi-epiphyte vine. The root system of the scindapsus is simultaneously represented by 2 types - fibrous underground and air. Thanks to the aboveground roots, a liana can climb long distances along tree trunks and grow several kilometers. In some countries and regions (for example, Florida, Sri Lanka) it occupies so much space that it has to be fought with as a parasite that destroys the ecology of the area.
Scindapsus is a spectacular ampelous plant, shoots easily cling to a support and can reach a length of 3 m
In home floriculture, the liana acts as a decorative climbing culture. The plant is valued for lush foliage with a glossy tint and unpretentiousness in care.
The location of the oval-shaped leaf plates is yet another. The color of the foliage is bright green with a pattern, the surface is shiny and fleshy to the touch.
During the flowering period, a small inflorescence is formed, resembling a corncob wrapped in a stipulus. At home, the liana almost never blooms.
For your information! Quite often, this plant is confused with epipremnum, which also belongs to the Aroid family and looks very similar to scindapsus. The main differences between these vines are different requirements for the conditions of detention.
Golden scindapsus
The following varieties of golden scindapsus possess the greatest decorativeness:
- Tricolor. The surface of leaf blades has greenish, beige and dark green stains;
- Scindapsus Marble Queen (Marble Queen). It is characterized by bright foliage, almost completely painted white. On the surface there are green blotches, due to which the leaves have a colorful look. The drawing resembles thin strokes or stains;
- Golden Queen (Golden Queen). The color of the foliage is predominantly green with yellow (as the name implies) and randomly scattered spots;
- Neon. It is distinguished by elongated leaves of bright yellow color;
- Scindapsus N Joy. The color of the leaves is green with a white border and blotches of the same color.
Grade Neon
Note! The rest period for all varieties begins in the second half of November and ends at the end of February.
Types of Scindus Pods
Common types of scindusus:
- painted. The birthplace of the flower is Malaysia. It is characterized by warty shoots, dense foliage of a deep dark green color with small but numerous white spots. The shape of the foliage is heart-shaped. The most popular variety is Agirees;
- golden (scindapsus golden). The leaves have a characteristic golden coating. The variety has several popular varieties that differ in color.
- Siamese. The plant has large mottled white-green leaves;
- perakensis. A characteristic feature is elongated leaves with pointed ends. In wild conditions, the length of the stems can reach 60 m, and when growing a house - from 10 to 15 m. Liana prefers warm air with high humidity.
Scindapsus Pictus
Home Care
Regardless of what species the liana belongs to, be it spotted, Siamese, peracensis or golden scindapsus, home care is almost always the same. In all cases, it is enough to follow simple rules and follow the recommendations for growing a flower at home.
Lighting
Scindapsus prefers shaded space or partial shade. It is recommended to arrange the flower 2 meters from the south window. Species and varieties with plain foliage need less light than variegated varieties.
Important! With a lack of light, the pattern on the leaves can fade and even completely disappear, and the foliage itself can be crushed. If you stay in a too dark room for a long time, the flower will begin to drop leaves en masse. Excess light leads to the fact that they begin to dry and curl.
Temperature
The recommended temperature regime in the warm season is from 18 ° C to 24 ° C, in winter - from 13 ° C to 16 ° C (the permissible minimum limit is 12 degrees).
Watering and humidity
Liana requires systematic moisture in the soil in moderation. Watering time is determined by the degree of soil drying: when the soil dries a few centimeters in depth, the substrate must be moistened. In spring and summer, the frequency of watering is 1 time in 4-5 days, in winter - 1 time in 7-8 days.
Humidity should be around 60%. In the warm season, it is recommended to spray the plant 3-5 times a week. In winter, the liana should be placed away from heating appliances and regularly wipe the foliage with a damp cloth. The support to which the scindapsus is attached is also useful for spraying. It is desirable that in the pan of the pot there is wet expanded clay.
Watering the scindapsus
Top dressing
Fertilize the culture during the entire growing season. In spring and autumn, the frequency of top dressing is 1 time in 15-20 days, in winter it is reduced to 1 time in 6 weeks. As fertilizer, liquid mineral complexes should be used in the amount of 1/2 of the dosage recommended by the manufacturer.
Scindapsus Reproduction
Propagate the vine in three ways:
- layering;
- cuttings;
- division of stems.
For your information! The most common way is grafting.
For this, the apical stems of the flower, which are obtained as a result of the formation of vines, are placed in a vessel with water or planted in the ground. In order for the cuttings to take root, it is important to observe the following conditions:
- on each stalk there should be 2-3 leaves;
- good lighting;
- minimum air temperature - 22 ° C.
Cuttings are cut at an angle of 45 °, then the places of cuts are treated with a special tool to enhance root growth. Next, the cuttings are planted in the soil, consisting of sand and sphagnum, or in a glass with water (first you need to throw an activated carbon tablet into it to disinfect and prevent the seedling from decaying). On top of the seedlings stretch the polyethylene or cover with a glass jar. Rooting will occur in 15-20 days.
Scindapsus Reproduction
Important! Cuttings are carried out at any time of the year, however, roots are best formed in the summer and spring seasons. In winter, roots form very slowly.
Reproduction by layering involves obtaining new copies due to the rooting of aerial roots. To do this, you must:
- put a container with soil next to the main pot;
- send a part of the shoot into it and fix it in this position (you can use a hairpin);
- sprinkle the stem with earth;
- roots will appear a few weeks later at the site of contact of the soil with the shoot. After rooting, the stem can be separated from the parent plant;
- continue to grow a young specimen in a new pot.
Transfer
Young culture needs an annual transplant. An adult plant is transferred to a new pot at least 1 time in 2-3 years. The procedure is recommended to be carried out at the beginning of the growing season (i.e., in February-March).
The planting pot should be low and wide. In the future, this will allow the planting of rooted cuttings to the liana to make the bush even more magnificent. The transplant soil mixture should include the following components in equal amounts:
- sand;
- leaf soil;
- humus;
- peat.
For your information! The substrate is recommended to be diluted with a small amount of perlite or expanded clay. At the bottom of the pot should lay a quality drainage layer.
Harm from scindapsus
It is impossible to say unequivocally whether the scindapsus is poisonous or not. On the one hand, a skin burn from scindapsus due to touching a vine cannot be obtained. On the other hand, experts do not recommend keeping a flower in the apartment if pets live in it. Having tasted any part of this plant, the pet can get irritation of the mouth, lips, tongue. Eating a flower is fraught with increased salivation, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
Popular varieties
In Russia, the following varieties of scindapsus are most often planted:
Scindapsus Painted
He is scindapsus piktus, spotted or mottled. The stem of the flower is covered with warts over time. The form of bright green, located on the short petioles of the leaves, is ovoid.
For your information! The width of the plate is about 7 cm, the length is about 15 cm. The surface is decorated with a silver pattern, similar to stains.
Scindapsus N Joy
The variety was bred relatively recently by Dutch breeders. The leaves are dense, numerous, hard, bright green in color, covered with silver spots.
Scindapsus Marble Queen
Heart-shaped leaves are located on long petioles, covered with silver spots and stripes.
Grade Scindapsus Marble Queen
Scindapsus Exotic
An unusual hybrid, which boasts not only a silver pattern, but also embossed leaves, consisting of two parts, one of which is larger than the other (because of this the central vein is slightly shifted to the side).
Scindapsus Moonlight
Very rare variety. The bush is about 20 cm wide.
Scindapsus Moonlight
Scindapsus Happy Life
The scope of the bush reaches 20 cm.
Happy Leaf variety
Scindapsus is a very beautiful tropical vine. Due to its decorative properties, a variety of species and varieties, it is actively used for decorating rooms. Rich foliage can bring not only aesthetic pleasure, but also effectively clean the air.
