Botanical description of the plant rhoicissus. This plant crop belongs to the Vinogradov family, which has about 14 genera and more than 1000 varieties. The genus Roicissus consists of 10 species, the natural habitat of which is considered to be the tropics and subtropics.
Botanical description of the plant
Roicissus is an evergreen ornamental deciduous plant characterized by good branching. This liana belongs to the grape family, genus Roicissus, which unites more than 10 different species of liana-like plants. In the wild, it can be found in South Africa, and in the middle zone it is more often grown in greenhouses and as an indoor crop.
Roicissus can reach 2-3 m in length, growing up to 60–100 cm in the first year of life. Leaves are arranged alternately and, depending on the species, can be simple or complex. The trunk is flexible, with small shoots and opposite leaf blades. With age, the trunk vine becomes lignified and more and more resembles a thin grapevine. High branching is the main reason for pruning the plant, without which the leaves may become smaller and the rhizissus will lose its decorative functions. The fruit of rhoicissus is a berry.
Did you know? Tropical forests consist of 33% vines, while in European forest zones no more than 2% of loaches are found, which can be representatives of 200 different species.
Types of rhoicissus domestica with photos and names
Rhoicissus digitata
A very decorative appearance with unusual palmate leaves with a glossy leathery surface in a very deep emerald green hue. The reverse side of the leaf blade is covered with small reddish tufts. In nature, it blooms with inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers.
Rhoicissus rhomboidea
The most commonly grown indoor flowering plant with long, flexible stems covered with fairly large, mulberry-green leaves of complex shape, consisting of three diamond-shaped parts. In nature, it blooms with small greenish-white flowers.
Main types
The list of possible varieties of the described plant includes up to 12 names, but the following are considered the most common:
- Roicissus rhombicus. In its natural habitat, it is either a vine, up to 20 m long, or a bush, about 6 m wide. The houseplant is much smaller, but consists of the same main parts: light green, leathery, complex leaves with pointed edges and red hairs at the bottom parts; small, round fruits that can be eaten. The color of the fruit is dark red or purple.
- Roicissus capensis - a liana characterized by rapid growth and characterized by large leaf blades, about 20 cm wide. All of them are solid, lobed, smooth on top and reddish, slightly pubescent below. In a young plant they may be reddish, but with age they acquire a light green color. As in the previous case, dark red fruits can be eaten.
- Roicissus tomentosa - a liana-like plant that in tropical forests can reach 20 meters in length or take the form of a bush, up to 7 m in height. In a young specimen, all shoots are softly pubescent, but with age the hairs disappear. The tendrils of the vine are velvety to the touch, the leaves are simple, round, entire, up to 20 cm in diameter. Each leaf plate has shallow teeth at the ends, a slightly wavy, smooth upper side and a lower side covered with red hairs.
Important! When choosing a specific variety for your home, it is advisable to pay attention to the cape and rhombic rhoicissus, since in comparison with other representatives of the genus they adapt more easily to indoor conditions and their growth is easier to control.Young tomentose rhoicissus leaves have a rich dark green color, but with age it gives way to crimson, which persists until the leaf fall period. The flowers are creamy-green in color, small in size, collected in racemes. The fruits are black and red, edible.
- Roicissus tridentata. In its natural habitat, it is represented by a 10-meter vine or a small shrub reaching 3 meters in height. The entire surface of young shoots is covered with orange-red hairs. The leaves are compound (the leaf blade is divided into 3 parts), obovate, slightly serrated at the ends. Above, the dark green surface of the leaf blades is smooth, leathery and shiny, and in the lower part it is lighter and slightly pubescent. The flowers are small, green-yellow in color, with a slight greenish tint. The fruits are red-black, round, up to 2 cm in diameter.
- Roicissus palmata - a liana-like plant, with shoots up to 15 m long or a bush, about 4 m high. The vines of young plants have red-brown hairs, but with age they thin out and disappear. The dark green leaves consist of 4-5 parts, all of them are entire, with a smooth leathery surface on top and “rusty” hairs below. The flowers of the vine are small, greenish-yellow in color. The fruits are black-red, round, 1.5 cm in diameter.
3.Varieties:
3.1. Rhomboid rhomboid - Rhoicissus rhomboidea
An evergreen decorative deciduous vine with flexible and thin shoots up to 150 - 200 cm long. The shoots alternately have complex, large, dark green, glossy leaves. Leaf segments are diamond-shaped with large teeth along the edge. The underside of the leaf plates is painted in a lighter shade. The plant clings to the support with long and flexible tendrils. During the flowering period, small inflorescences with inconspicuous greenish flowers are formed, which over time turn into round berries.
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3.2. Cape Rhoicissus - Rhoicissus capensis
A fast-growing evergreen vine whose leaves resemble those of real grapes. The tendrils, which help plants climb the support, are located in each leaf node, opposite the leaves. Young leaves are colored reddish, become bronze with age, and then acquire a green tint. The flowers are small, greenish, collected in small branched inflorescences - racemes. The edible fruits are shiny dark berries produced in late autumn.
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Beneficial properties and harm
First of all, it should be noted that the vine has no harmful effects on the human body; on the contrary, it has a number of benefits that can be useful to completely different people. So, this plant is useful for those who are accustomed to constantly cleaning the house and cannot get rid of the obsessive feeling of excessive cleanliness, the need to restore order.
In terms of maintaining health, indoor birch is appropriate in the fight against gastrointestinal diseases and helps to increase the protective functions of the body, making it more resistant to the negative influences of the external environment.
And finally, roisissus will be an excellent solution for those gardeners who simply want to green up their home, but cannot devote much time to indoor vegetation. With minimal attention, the vine can surprise with its appearance, bringing a certain sophistication to the interior of almost any room.
Also learn about such indoor plants as tetrastigma and alsobia.
Popular beliefs
It is believed that an indoor “birch tree” helps its owners, giving them inspiration and a sense of beauty. She instills in them new ideas and the desire to create. Cissus is also good because it not only lifts your mood and improves overall well-being, but also promotes recovery.
Many people know that this plant perfectly cleanses the energy space of the home, creates harmony, relieves tension and helps get rid of grievances and quarrels. “Birch” blossoms at home very rarely, but even in this case the people have a sign. It is believed that if the cissus blooms in a house where quarrels often occur, then the warring parties will soon make peace and a time will come for them when they will live calmly and in mutual understanding.
There are also negative signs, but they are few. Thus, the “birch tree” is sometimes also called “muzhegon” due to the fact that it is capable of driving men out of the house. Therefore, it is not recommended to keep such a plant in the house for girls who have not yet gotten married.
Often this plant can be seen in a dream, and then it also has its own meaning. So, it is believed that if a sick person sees cissus in a dream, then recovery will soon come. If a woman sees such a plant in a dream, then she needs to take a closer look at her partner, as he may be unfaithful to her. If a woman dreams of a blooming “birch tree,” then her relationship with a man will move to a new romantic level.
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Selecting a location
For good health, roisissus needs long-lasting, but not bright, lighting. Direct sunlight is harmful to vine leaves and even with short exposure can lead to a change in their color. Taking this into account, when choosing a place to place a pot, it is advisable to give preference to the south or west side of the house.
During the dormant period, the birch tree can be placed inside the room, maintaining average temperature values within +15°C. In summer, the plant will feel great on the balcony or even outdoors, the main thing is to protect it from direct sunlight and protect it from drafts.
If there is not enough space for the vine near the windows, it can be left away from them. For example, shoots hanging from a pot will look great when placed in floor flower stands located in the corners of the room.
Air temperature and humidity
The optimal temperature for the growth of roisissus will be +16...+25°C during the warm period of the year, and about +12...+15°C during winter dormancy. In this case, the level of humidity in the room does not play a big role and can be maintained within the standard range of 50–60%.
Important! If the leaves of the vine begin to dry out at the tips, it means that the existing humidity level is not enough and you will have to periodically spray the plant with a spray bottle.
Home care
Regular watering, timely feeding and pruning of the plant are irreplaceable components of the good appearance of the rhizissus, so it is useful for every gardener to know about some of the nuances of their implementation.
Watering
Indoor birch prefers frequent and abundant application of soft liquid, without lime impurities and other undesirable additives that can get to the root system along with ordinary tap water. To avoid the accumulation of salts and heavy metals in the soil, it is advisable to first filter or at least settle the water, at the same time raising its temperature to room values.
As for the regularity of watering, you will have to monitor the condition of the top layer of soil: as soon as it dries 1-2 cm deep, you can take up the watering can. Both top and bottom watering are allowed, but in any case, it is better to drain the remaining water from the pan so as not to provoke rotting of the vine’s root system.
In winter, the frequency of watering is usually reduced, but if the room is hot, then this will not be necessary and you can still focus on the condition of the top layer of the substrate. In extreme heat, it is recommended to spray the leaves with a spray bottle, which will not only increase the humidity in the room, but will also rid the plant of accumulated dust.
Important! When trying to determine the norms for watering roisissus, do not forget to take into account the characteristics of its planting capacity. In ceramic pots, water evaporates faster, so the vine will need to be watered more often than when grown in plastic products.
Top dressing
The optimal solution for feeding rhoicissus is to apply liquid fertilizers simultaneously with watering, approximately once every 14 days during the warm season (from March to the end of October). As a nutritional composition, you can use any universal preparations intended for indoor decorative foliage plants (for example, Agricola). If there is a lack of important microelements in the soil, rhoissisus begins to lag in growth, and its leaves quickly turn yellow.
Trimming
Considering the natural length of the vine, pruning is one of the mandatory components of care, especially since the plant itself tolerates any trimming and shaping well. Typically, shoots are pruned to the level desired to limit rhoicissus growth, if possible in early spring. In addition, at this time it is worth carrying out sanitary pruning, removing all bare, thinned or damaged shoots of the plant. If you're worried about cutting them out completely, then just trim them down to the size of stumps.
Support
Many gardeners do not use support to support the thin and fairly flexible shoots of indoor vines, which can significantly harm its appearance. Stable and rigid ladders or trellises, with the help of which gardeners create green screens or even walls, will help to form attractive and densely leafy shoots, although to completely cover the surface you will have to manually guide the shoots, combining tying and pruning, until the desired result is achieved.
Transfer
Annual replantation of roisissus is carried out only in the first few years of development of a young plant, which is explained by intensive growth and rapid consumption of nutrients from the soil. Adult plants are replanted only when necessary, when the previous pot has become small and the roots have completely “mastered” the earthen ball. On average, this takes about 2-3 years.
Did you know? The longest vines are those of the so-called rattan palm, the shoots of which extend from the center to a distance of 200–250 m.
There are no strict requirements for the timing of transplanting a vine, because the procedure can be performed both at the very beginning of its active development and throughout the spring period. The new planting container should be at least 3-4 cm larger than the previous one, so that the plant feels free over the next 2-3 years. A drainage layer must be laid at the bottom of the pot, a support is installed and a small amount of soil mixture is poured from equal parts of leaf and turf soil, humus and half of river sand (the optimal pH level is 6.0).
After this, perform the following transplant steps:
- Remove the plant from the old pot using the transshipment method.
- Place it in a new container and cover it with earth.
- Gently water with a small amount of water.
Video: roiscissus (cissus) transplantation
Immediately after transplantation, it is recommended to carry out watering procedures as often as possible, but using a small amount of liquid to moisten the soil. In the first 2 days, it is recommended to place the transplanted vine in a shady or semi-shaded area, and only after that return it to its usual growing location. It is advisable to wait with fertilizing for at least 4 weeks after transplantation.
Birch tree transplant
Indoor birch trees periodically require replanting. As a rule, this procedure should be carried out once every 3 years. First you need to prepare the substrate. You can buy it in finished form at a flower shop or prepare it yourself. To do this, you will need to take 2 parts each of turf and garden soil, then add part of the humus and the same amount of sand. As for the latter, it must be river and have large fractions. Due to its looseness, such a substrate will allow water, oxygen and nutritional compounds to pass through well.
You also need to choose a pot. It should be larger than the previous one, but not very high. It is best to choose medium-sized containers. If the pot is too large, the additional space will create discomfort for the flower. It is recommended to choose containers made from natural materials. The best option is ceramics.
There should be several holes at the bottom of the container to allow soil to pass through. Be sure to lay a couple of centimeters of drainage layer underneath. Pebbles, expanded clay, broken bricks or tiles, etc. are perfect for this. Before placing a birch flower in a new pot, you need to inspect its roots and remove those that are broken or dry. The bush should be placed in the center of the container, and then sprinkled with soil from different sides. The substrate needs to be compacted, but not very hard. This is necessary so that there is no empty space left around the roots. The roots should be located no deeper than 5 cm below the soil. For the first three days, you should keep the container with the plant in a dark place. Only after this is it possible to install the pot in a permanent place. Be sure to water the flower after transplanting. Use only settled water at room temperature. For the first six months, fertilizing is not required, since there are enough useful substances present in the soil.
How to propagate at home
If there is a mother plant, the most successful option for propagating rhoicissus will be cuttings, since rooting and further development of the taken part occurs faster than germination of seeds. However, you should not completely abandon the seed growing method, because in some cases it turns out to be the only possible one. Let's look at the features of each option.
Cuttings
To get a new plant, the apical part with at least 2 internodes is usually cut off from the mother bush. Of course, only an adult and completely healthy plant is suitable for preparing such cuttings, which will give more guarantees for the successful rooting of the cut part.
Important! Sometimes other parts of the plant obtained as a result of planned pruning can be used to propagate birch trees by cuttings.
The rooting process can take place either in clean warm water or in a mixture of sand and peat, and a plastic cap over the cutting will help speed it up. During the entire rooting period, the temperature in the room must be maintained within +20...+23°C and the cap must be raised only to spray the soil or ventilate the planting material.
After roots appear on the cuttings, they can be transplanted into a regular small pot (no more than 8 cm in diameter) filled with soil for adult plants.
Video: propagation of roisissus by cuttings
Propagation of rhoicissus in this way is almost always successful, because the first roots appear on the planted cuttings within a few weeks. The optimal time for planting planting material is March-April.
It happens that during the process of replanting, a plant can be propagated by dividing the rhizome, but it is advisable to perform this procedure only if you have the appropriate experience, so as not to injure the plant by careless action.
Seeds
The soil for planting indoor birch seeds is prepared according to the same recipe as for adult plants when transplanting. Its composition must necessarily include sand, humus, leaf and turf soil, with the addition of river sand (the optimal proportion is 1/2: 1: 1: 1). It is advisable to deepen the seeds no more than 1 cm, however, even in this case high germination cannot be guaranteed. In indoor conditions, seeds rarely set, and flowering of an adult plant is almost impossible. For this reason, it is advisable to propagate rhoicissus by cuttings.
Roisissus propagation methods
- Seeds . Sowing at a shallow depth in a nutrient substrate and greenhouse conditions gives low germination. The plant is much easier to obtain from cuttings; seeds do not set in indoor conditions (Roisissus bloom only in exceptional cases), and are rarely found on sale.
- By cuttings . In terms of the ease of rooting cuttings, Roicissus is no different from other indoor grape relatives. The tops of the shoots, if cut off with 3-4 internodes, easily take root either in water or in a peat-sand substrate. The main thing is to provide them with stable humidity and warmth, temperatures from 20 degrees. You can take cuttings to produce new plants literally at any time of the year, but it is better to choose a period of active growth.
- Dividing bushes, which can be done during transplantation.
Possible difficulties during cultivation
Any indoor plant can get sick or reduce its decorative value due to violations of the rules of care, so it is not surprising that when growing indoor birch, a gardener may encounter one of the following problems:
- The color of the leaves fades. The main reason is the lack of useful minerals and microelements in the soil, which should enter the substrate along with fertilizers. Try changing the composition you are using or increasing its dosage.
- Leaves wrinkle and become covered with dark spots, the basis for which is often insufficient watering and excessive dry air. In addition, under such conditions, leaf plates can bend and change shape.
- The leaves dry out and the shoots decrease in size. It may be necessary to reduce the amount of watering and stop spraying for a while, which will help reduce air humidity.
- Excessive leaf loss - a frequent sign of the development of root rot or a consequence of sharp fluctuations in temperature in the room.
- Slow growth. If in the cold season such a phenomenon can be explained by the dormant period of the rhoicissus, then limited growth in summer most likely indicates a lack of nutritional components in the soil. Reconsider your fertilizing plan or change the nutrient composition you are using.
A separate group of reasons for possible problems in growing plants includes the development of fungal diseases and the activity of pests, the most common of which are whiteflies, aphids, spider mites and mealybugs.
In the fight against them, such insecticides as “Akarin”, “Aktara”, “Bikol”, “Fufvnon” are relevant. The fungicides “Mikosan”, “Oksikhom” or “Agate” should help in the treatment of fungal diseases (the required dosage is always indicated on the package). Having put a little effort into growing rhoicissus, very soon you will get an excellent vine that can become a good addition to the interior, but each gardener can decide for himself how and where to place it for greater decorativeness.
Difficulties of growing indoor birch
In general, this plant variety adapts to any conditions and is not considered capricious. It is rarely affected by pests and diseases, but only if it is properly cared for. Rhoicissus diseases manifest themselves in the form of rot or deterioration in appearance due to improper care:
- brown spots may indicate sunburn and in this case the plant should be covered with a curtain from the midday sun;
- small leaves and elongated shoots indicate a lack of light;
- yellowing of leaves is a sign of moisture disturbance and soil depletion;
- if the leaves dry out and fall off, this may indicate both a lack of air humidity and a natural renewal process.
Among the pests on the vine and most often you can find spider mites, aphids, thrips and scale insects. In this case, the plant is isolated from other flowers in the room and treated with insecticides.
