Liana Tunbergia (Thunbergia) belongs to the genus of ornamental flowering plants that belong to the Acanthus family. The plant got its distribution in hot tropical countries located in the south of Asia and Africa. There are about 200 varieties of this genus.
The origin of the name is associated with the name of the famous naturalist and scientist Peter Thunberg, who conducted deep research among flora and fauna. The flower has another name - black-eyed Suzanne. In Europe, you can often find such a definition, since the middle of the buds is painted in a dark color. Tunbergia cultivars are grown outdoors or indoors.
Description of the tunbergia plant
Tunbergia looks like a liana or shrub, which has heart-shaped opposite serrated leaves with a pubescent surface. They can grow up to 2.5-10 cm long. The flowers are funnel-shaped buds up to 4 cm in diameter, formed on elongated peduncles. They are collected in inflorescences, the color of which depends on the variety, or are located on the stems separately. Certain plant species have a pleasant, persistent scent during flowering, which can be observed from July to September.
Thunbergia has the properties of a perennial, but our climatic conditions do not allow growing a flower in flower beds every year in a row. This is hampered by the plant's instability to the effects of low temperatures, therefore, as a rule, it does not survive the winter. Serves as a decoration of the garden plot only as an annual and is used to create compositions of vertical gardening. If you provide reliable support to the plant, it can reach a height of about 2 meters.
The plant is successfully grown as an evergreen decoration in apartments or greenhouses.
Growing tunbergia from seeds
Tunbergia is grown from seeds in early spring. Before this, the planting material is processed with epin or fumar. Sowing is carried out in a prepared substrate, which will consist of the same ratio of peat, earth, sand. From above, the seeds are covered with a small layer of earth and watered with water.
To create a greenhouse effect, containers with crops are covered with foil or glass. They are placed on window sills located on the illuminated side of the building. Do not allow the top surface of the soil to dry out. The optimum temperature for growing is 22-24 ºC. If you strictly follow the rules of care, then after 7 days the first shoots will appear. After that, the film or glass is removed.
Seedling of tunbergia
If the seedlings seem thick enough, it is necessary to cut them out and leave only the best specimens. For seedlings that have reached a height of about 12 cm, pinching the tops is done.To get thick and lush greenery, you need to apply nitrogen fertilization to the site after the pick every week. However, top dressing can interfere with long-lasting and vibrant flowering.
If you don't want to waste time picking seedlings, then you can plant tunbergia immediately in cups filled with peat. It will be enough to pour 3 seeds into each of them.
Planting tunbergia in open ground
The site for planting tunbergia should be in the shade. Drafts should be avoided. As a substrate, choose a fertile soil with good drainage properties and a neutral environment. Before planting, the site is dug up, while a small amount of lime is added to the soil.
After the spring frosts recede, you can send the seedlings to the flower bed.
It is necessary to plant individual bushes at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other. So that in the future the shoots can cling and stretch upwards, support gratings or wire are installed on the site. The flowering of seed-grown tunbergia occurs three months after the pinching of the tops.
Caring for tunbergia in the garden
Caring for tunbergia in the open field is not difficult, even an inexperienced amateur gardener can handle it. The plant only needs timely watering, which needs to be increased during flowering, so that the bushes do not lose their foliage or the forming bud ovaries. If there is a prolonged drought in the summer, then it is better to spray the leaves of the plant in the evenings.
At the beginning of the budding process in a moderate amount, the soil is fertilized with complex mineral compositions. Sluggish, damaged stems and wilted inflorescences should also be removed.
Thunbergia after flowering
After the completion of flowering, seed pods are formed in place of wilted buds, which must be collected in a timely manner in order to prevent self-seeding. Then the content is extracted from them. The seeds are thoroughly dried, poured into paper boxes or bags and left in a dry room until spring. They retain germination properties for several years.
Preparing for winter
Vines grown in flower beds will have to be dug up after the end of the season, because the plant almost always dies in winter. However, if the tunbergia grew in a flowerpot, then in the fall it will be enough to cut off its shoots and leave only a few healthy buds on them. Places of cuts are processed with potassium permanganate. The flowerpots are kept in a cool room, where the flower will wait for the arrival of spring. The irrigation regime is reduced, but one should not forget that drying out the soil will not lead to anything good.
Diseases and pests
Often, tunbergia bushes or vines are affected by spider mites, scale insects or aphids. Treatment of the plant with chemical preparations, for example, actellik or phytoverm, helps to get rid of these insects. A break should be observed between procedures. No more than 4 treatments are allowed. There are cases of infection with fungal diseases. Fungicides can cope with this problem. As soon as the first signs of infection became noticeable, diseased leaves and inflorescences are destroyed.
Sometimes a mold plaque forms on the stems, which indicates excessive waterlogging of the soil. If there is little foliage on the shoots, then the area where the tunbergia is grown is lacking lighting.
Types and varieties of tunbergia with a photo
The main cultural representatives of tunbergia can be divided into shrubs and vines. There are several popular types of vines:
Winged thunbergia (Thunbergia alata)
It has flowers with a dark speck in the middle. Flowering begins in August. Breeders bred this variety back in 1823. The following varieties belong to winged tunbergia:
- Susie - flowers of which come in different colors: white, orange or yellow;
- Terracotta - can delight with flowering almost the entire season;
- Tunbergia Gregora is a variety with 15 different orange color variations. Although there is no black eye in the middle of the buds, the flower looks very impressive.
Thunbergia grandiflora
It is a tall climbing plant, the birthplace of which is considered to be India. The leaves are deep green in color and jagged edges. Their inner surface is slightly pubescent. The inflorescences are colored blue or purple and are formed from buds that are up to 8 cm in diameter.
Thunbergia fragrans
This vine grows in Australia and Southeast Asia and can reach a height of about 6 m. It has an opposite arrangement and an oblong pointed leaf shape. From above, the leaf blades look dark green, and from below - a tone lighter. A vein is visible in the middle. The largest flowers are called inflorescences, which are located separately. They grow to a diameter of about 5 cm, contain 2 bracts and have a strong aroma.
Thunbergia battiscombei
A species that is distinguished by wide leaves, blue flowers. The petals are covered with a transparent mesh.
In addition to the above varieties, there are others in garden cultivation: laurel, related, Mizorenskaya. They all belong to vines. Tunbergia erect, Natal and Vogel belong to the shrub species.
