Crossandra, flowers for the whole year

The Crossandra is about a perennial species and subshrub, belonging to the family acanthaceae, which is considered as herbaceous frequently; it is usually quite grown in both gardens and tropical indoors around the world, due to its beautiful flowering and easy maintenance and is that the Crossandra is often used frequently in order to decorate illuminated interiors as it is grown in pots that may well be planters or medium-sized pots.

This species consists of a vertical plant which has a high level of ramifications on its stems and reaches a not very great height; although in the wild it may grow up to a meter, when growing in containers it only reaches 60cm; while in relation to the width, it is possible that the Crossandra forms dense bushes that exceed a diameter of 50cm.

The leaves of the Crossandra are usually quite decorative, since they are of a color Bright green; They also have an elliptical or rounded shape which has a slightly rounded and narrow apex; likewise, on the edge of the same, it is possible to see undulations. The leaves have a size ranging from 6 to 18cm long and 1,5 or 1,6cm wide in its most central part, being somewhat curious that the Crossandra leaves do not have a corner, which is why they turn out to be sessile.

Crossandra bloom

The main attraction of the Crossandra being a ornamental plant, is usually its flowering; the flowers of this species are located in quadrangular spikes, that is, with 4 sides, which they could be around 8cm long and a width of 1 or 1,5cm. The spikes sprout from the rear region of the stems during the May-September season, which may extend in hot weather.

Its flowers are born on each side of the spikes, in which it is possible to appreciate the multilobed petals salmon or orange, which have a yellowish center. They are usually born continuously between 2 and 5 flowers, which are usually renewed as time passes.

The fruits of the Crossandra sprout at the base of the spikes, are dark brown and have an elongated and elliptical shape.

Recommendations for growing Crossandra

By far, the Crossandra is usually a really easy to maintain, which only needs certain fairly basic requirements:

Lighting design: It needs to receive enough light to take place, both its development and its flowering. It is recommended to place it under filtered sunlight through trees with dense foliage or through protective meshes to achieve a much more optimal result, but it never has to be exposed to the sun directly as it will burn.

Generally, it is usually grown indoors, but for this it is essential that it receives great lighting, since being in very dark spaces its flowering would slow down and it would grow disproportionately.

Temperature: It is recommended for places with cool or warm climates in which the temperatures vary between 15 and 35 ° C, since the Crossandra is not able to tolerate temperatures that are below 5 ° C.

Substratum: It is essential supply a substrate that has a pH equal to or less than 7, which means, that it must be a neutral substrate or an acid one; In this case, the best substrate that can be provided would be the acid used to grow azaleas. In addition, the earth has to be rich in organic matter, so on certain occasions it is necessary to incorporate a peat. It is advisable lay a layer of gravel in the lowest part of the substrate, in order to optimize its drainage.

Irrigation: It should be watered moderately and always avoiding excesses, since receiving a large amount of water, can be the certain death of this species.