The Piaranthus plant is a perennial representative of the Lastovnev family. The homeland of the flower is the south and southwest of the African continent. It belongs to succulents, the stems are light green and greenish-brown in color, there are teeth on the edges. The plant has spreading stems, which consist of small segments with edges, the length of each segment is 3-5 centimeters, the width is 1-1.5 cm.
The piarantus pleases with small flowers that are at the top of the shoot. The flower is located on a rounded corolla with a flat or bell-shaped tube, the petals are sharp, shaped like a triangle, stars or small lobes. Flowers are painted in various colors with contrasting spots.
Caring for pirantus at home
Lighting
Piarantus loves bright lighting. It tolerates direct sunlight well in autumn and winter, but in summer it is better to protect the plant from this method of lighting so that burns do not appear on the stems.
Temperature
In spring and summer, the piarantus feels comfortable at a temperature of 22-26 degrees. In the fall, the temperature is gradually lowered. In winter, the plant is dormant, in which it prefers a temperature in the range of 12-16 degrees. It is important not to allow the temperature to drop below 12 degrees so that the succulent does not freeze over.
Air humidity
The piarantus feels great in dry air; additional humidification or spraying is not required at all.
Watering
In spring and summer, piaranthus can be watered with a moderate amount of water, adjusting the watering by drying the soil in the pot. In autumn, watering is reduced as much as possible, and in winter the plant may not be watered at all or watered with a small amount of water in case of excessive drying of the soil. The main thing is to make sure that the stems do not wither or dry out.
The soil
You can buy ready-made soil for cacti and succulents or prepare it yourself from a mixture of turf soil and coarse sand in a ratio of 2 to 1.
Top dressing and fertilizers
The piarantus is fertilized from March to August once every two weeks with special fertilizers for cacti, observing the proportions indicated on the package.
Transfer
It is best to transplant piarantus in the spring, before the start of its active phase. Young plants need to be replanted every year, mature plants every 2-3 years. Pots are chosen not deep and, if possible, wide. But the bottom of the container must be laid out with a drainage layer.
Reproduction of piarantus
Pirantus can be propagated in different ways: by seeds, by dividing a bush or by cuttings.
When propagating by cuttings, it is necessary to cut off shoots from adult stems, leave them for 5-7 days at natural room temperature, dry out and preserved. Then they need to be planted in the ground made of coarse sand with peat chips.The stalk takes root quickly, after which they can be planted in small pots with ready-made soil for succulents and put them in a permanent place.
When propagating piarantus from seeds, it is important to know that in adult cacti, seeds ripen for about 1 year. After collecting the seeds, they are planted in saucers with sandy soil, in which they usually germinate within 3-4 weeks at room temperature. After germination, young plants are planted in pots, each year being transplanted into a larger container.
Types of piarantus with photos and names
Horned piarantus (Piaranthus cornutus)
Succulent is a perennial, creeping stems, in cross section are not multifaceted, but round. The color of the stems is blue-green. Stems with ribs, on which small denticles or tubercles grow, about 3-5 pieces each. The upper parts of the stems are decorated with flowers, white or light yellow, with a bright yellow center and lilac or crimson strokes on the petals.
Smelly piarantus (Piaranthus foetidus)
Succulent perennial, creeping stems, slightly rough to the touch, 2-5 cm long and about 1 cm wide. They are divided into low cylindrical parts-vertebrae with a ribbed surface, on each rib there are 2-4 small thorns. The flowers are velvety, similar to stars with five lobes, have dense petals, light beige in color with terracotta or reddish dots and small streaks. When blooming, they emit an unpleasant aroma.
Piaranthus framesii
Perennial succulent with pentahedral segments. On the edges of the shoots there are sharp tubercles of bluish-green or terracotta color. It blooms with light-colored flowers with red spots.
Round piarantus (Piaranthus globosus)
Succulent perennial with creeping or slightly rising stems. Shoots are glabrous, with slightly pronounced edges, round in shape. Approximately 2 cm long, 1 cm wide. On the edges there are small teeth of a pale green color with red tops. It blooms with two flowers, which are located at the top of the shoot. The petals of the flower are ovoid, pointed, strongly open, located on a rounded corolla, have a lemon-yellow color with red or lilac specks.
Pale piarantus (Piaranthus pallidus)
A perennial succulent, similar to other species with spreading stems with a round section, pale green in color, with blunt edges and tubercles. The flowers are star-like, beige-yellow, velvety with a yellow core.
Piaranthus pillansii
A perennial plant with spreading and slightly rising stems with terracotta or red shoots with small segments. Unexpressed blunt edges. The flowers look like stars, sit on a round corolla, the diameter of the flowers is about 3 cm. The flower is dissected towards the base, the petals are slightly curved at the edges, light lime or yellow.
