Today we are going to talk about a rustic plant that is quite resistant to changes in temperature and other environmental factors. Its about Matagallo. His scientific name is phlomis purpurea and it is nicknamed this name because its shape is very similar to the crest of a rooster. It has other common names such as lamps, melera or red roving, but they are less used and known. It is an evergreen shrub that belongs to the Lamiaceae family.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, uses and care that the phlomis purpurea to add it to our garden. Do not miss it!
Key features
This bush usually has heights between 0,5 and 2 meters. It has vertical branches that are covered by whitish hairs. It has a low density since it has simple, lanceolate leaves with a widened base. We find that the flowers are grouped around the stem and have narrow bracts.
The lilac color of the flowers are very showy and match other color combinations for our garden. They can also be white or pink. It blooms when temperatures start to rise and spring arrives. Normally we see more boom of these flowers in the months of March to May. The soil where it develops in nature It is made up of marl, clay or gypsum.
You can usually find it in nature next to bushes such as palmetto and the erguen. It has a high capacity to germinate in good conditions. Usually, it is enough that it has a period of 12 hours of light and 12 of darkness so that the seeds germinate in just 30 days.
These flowers have a curious characteristic and that is that can be sucked like a candy. This is because inside they have some droplets of sweet nectar, as is the case with the honeysuckle.
Properties and uses of Matagallo
The properties of this plant were well known for many years. It has quite a few applications in various fields that make it quite versatile. Thanks to the texture of its leaves They were used as a scrubber to wash the skin. For many people, the leaves were perfect substitutes for tobacco.
One of its common names is melera or chupadera due to the fact that many people sucked the flowers and the sweet nectar that they housed inside. It was kind of a treat for everyone. Today the Matagallo is used to making a cough and cold syrup.
Among the current uses we can undoubtedly highlight that of ornamentation in gardening. And it is a very resistant and tolerant plant to a multitude of conditions, thus facilitating its care and maintenance. Showy plants with little care are the ones that gain the most fame in gardening. The resistance it has makes it almost able to grow anywhere.
Another of its most curious uses is to help some walkers and people in the countryside. The call of nature comes at any time and must be answered. If he catches you in the field and you have a rooster nearby, you will be in luck because the texture of its sheets makes it perfect to become natural toilet paper.
The stems and leaves of this plant were also useful for making candle wicks. For this reason, another of its common names is that of lamps or candilera. In the cosmetic field, it can also help by acting as an exfoliator for the skin, just like the white rockrose or the altabaca.
Caring for the phlomis purpurea
These plants are used in gardens and dry areas that require low maintenance thanks to their great resistance to various climatic and environmental conditions. Typically, they are placed to form borders and hedges or simply for decoration as isolated specimens. They adapt very well in Mediterranean coastal gardens.
Although it is a very resistant plant, it needs some minimal care or optimal conditions so that it can grow well. The most necessary thing is that you have direct sun exposure and high temperatures. It can tolerate some frosts, but you have to think that it is a plant that likes heat and direct sun.
It can grow in more degraded, stony and alkaline soils. In this we do not have to have a problem. All we have to see is the sewer system. As with most plants, poor drainage can lead to excessive accumulation of water when watered and the plant eventually drowning or weakening. To do this, it is best that the soil drains the irrigation water well and does not accumulate.
It is a plant that it does not need abundant watering because it tolerates drought quite well. The indicator to water it again is that the soil is completely dry. In spring and summer it is when they will have to be watered very occasionally. In winter and autumn, natural rainfall is more than enough.
Maintenance and multiplication
Since it has a great resistance to all kinds of conditions, except for persistent or very extreme frosts, there is no need to watch over your compost. It does not need any fertilizer. It is more important to consider the drainage of the soil than the soil type or the amount of organic matter there is.
The only maintenance task that the Matagallo has is a recommended pruning of branches that are too long. Pruning is more convenient to do in the spring time. At this time the temperatures are more pleasant and it is the moment in which it begins to bloom. If we can make the branches longer, we will give it a more compact and striking appearance.
There are no problems with pests and diseases because it is not usually attacked by any of them. The ways we can multiply them they are by cuttings and by seeds. If we choose the first one, it will have to be done at the end of summer so that they have time to grow and develop flowers the following spring. If it is for seeds, we will do it in spring to take advantage of all the heat and germinate as soon as possible.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about phlomis purpurea and enjoy it in the garden.