Homalomena

Family. Araceae.

Origin. Asia and South America.

Description. Homalomena is a perennial herbaceous evergreen plant with beautiful, large, shiny, heart-shaped leaves 12-20 cm long. The leaf blades are basal, on long petioles. The color of the leaves is extremely diverse - it includes all shades of green with various spots and stripes. Deep branched veins of the leaves are often expressed in contrasting colors. In spring or summer, the bushes can release vertical, leafless peduncles with buds typical of this family - a cylindrical cone surrounded by a pale green cover.

Height. 20 - 30 cm.

Care at home

Temperature conditions

A heat lover who will appreciate being placed in a warm room at a temperature of 16 - 30° C throughout the year. 

Lighting

Homalomena does not like direct sunlight and prefers a semi-shade location.

Care

Remove old and damaged leaves to maintain an attractive plant appearance.

Substrate

Nutrient-rich soil, garden soil, humus, loam, coarse sand, well-drained, with the addition of moss, peat, pH 6 - 8. Loose soil is preferred. 

Feeding

From spring to autumn about 2 times a month, preferably organic.

Purpose

Decorative leafy small plant.

Flowering time

It usually blooms only in nature; in indoor culture, flowering is very rare. 

Air humidity

In spring and summer, when the room temperature rises above 18°C, it is recommended to spray the leaf blades with softened water at room temperature or place the pot on a tray with wet pebbles.

Soil moisture

Watering should be thorough, completely wetting the soil lump; in summer, the soil should dry out to a depth of 3-5 cm before each watering, and in winter, the frequency of watering is reduced even more. 

Transfer

Every year in the spring. Be sure to place a layer of drainage at the bottom of the pot; make sure the pot has large enough drainage holes. Carefully shake off the roots of the plant from the old substrate and dry with a paper towel. When planting, the roots should not be bent or pointing upward.

Reproduction

Most often propagated by dividing large adult specimens during transplantation. Each division should have at least 2-3 well-developed leaves.

Pests and diseases

Prolonged exposure to direct rays leads to sunburn. The edges of the leaves dry out when there is insufficient air humidity. The lower leaves turn yellow and fall off in insufficient light.

Of the harmful insects, plants can be bothered by mealybugs, scale insects, spider mites, and whiteflies.

Note

Homalomena is an unpretentious perennial species that can be easily kept indoors for a long period of time. The bush is able to clean the air in the room where it is grown from many harmful impurities.