Shoeblackplant profile

Shoeblackplant is a large evergreen shrub of mallow family. The stem is erect and much branched, crown far square, up to 6 m high. Leaves are alternate, broadly ovate to narrowly ovate, 7-10 cm long, 3-veined, apex acute or acuminate, margin coarsely serrate or notched, base sub entire, bare or dorsal veins sparsely hairy, resembling mulberry leaves. Flowers are large, pendulous or straight stalk, solitary in the upper leaf axils, a single, double petal; Shoeblackplant is single funnel shaped, usually rose red, double non-funnel shaped, showing red, yellow, pink, white and other colors, flowering all year round, summer and autumn peak.

Shoeblackplant picture

Morphological characteristics of Shoeblackplant

Strain

Shoeblackplant is an evergreen shrub with a height of 1-3 m. Branchlets are cylindrical, sparsely stellate pilose.

Leaf

Leaves are broadly ovate or narrowly ovate, 4-9 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, apex acuminate, base rounded or cuneate, margin coarsely toothed or notched, both surfaces glabrous except abaxially with a little sparsely hairs along veins; The petiole is 5-20 mm long, pilose above;Stipules linear, 5-12 mm long, hairy.

Flowers

Flowers of Shoeblackplant are solitary in upper leaf axils, often pendulous, pedicels 3-7 cm long, sparsely stellate pilose or sub glabrous, proximally knobbed; It has 6-7 bracteoles, linear, 8-15 mm, sparsely stellate pilose, base connate; The calyx is campanulate, ca. 2 cm long, stellate pilose, lobes 5, ovate to lanceolate; The corolla is funnel-shaped, 6-10 cm in diameter, rose-red or reddish, yellowish, petals obovate, apex rounded, sparsely pubescent outside; Stamens are 4-8 cm long, smooth and glabrous.

Colors are red, orange, yellow, peach, orange, vermilion, pink, white and so on. According to some scholars, the original color of shoeblackplant was red, other colors were modified, and some were modified into a multi-colored flower. It blooms all the year round, in summer and autumn. A single flower usually fades after one day, but some improved varieties can bloom for about two days.

Shoeblackplant blooms all year round.

Fruit

Shoeblackplant's capsule is ovoid, ca. 2.5 cm long, smooth, glabrous, beaked.

Ecological habits of Shoeblackplant

Shoeblackplant is a light-loving flower. It likes warm climates and moist soil. It is not resistant to frost. In northern China, it is required to move to a high-temperature greenhouse in the middle of October in a sunny place for the winter. The room temperature should not be lower than 15℃. Too low temperature will cause leaves to fall, which will become an important factor affecting flowering in the coming year. After entering the house, water should not be too much, especially in the branch base soil surface water, to prevent the base of the cortex decay. Next year late April to early May out of the room, early should be placed leeward to the sun, it is best to carry out a pruning, change basin work every year when out of the room. At the same time, remove the old root, rotten root, add new soil and basal fertilizer, the growing season also needs to apply a weak liquid fertilizer, promote the leaf color dark green, flowering luxuriant. Potted plants are used in the north, but planted in many fields in the south. Some varieties with long and soft branches can be seen in Guangdong.

Shoeblackplant was originally produced in the south of China, prefers warm, humid and sunny environments, not resistant to cold and shade. It’s branch germination is strong, resistant to pruning. The suitable temperature of Shoeblackplant was 15~25℃, 18~25℃ from March to October, and 13~18℃ from October to March of the following year. In winter, the temperature is not less than 5℃. If the room temperature is below 5℃, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. If the temperature is below 0℃, the leaves are vulnerable to freezing damage. The high temperature above 30℃ Shoeblackplant can still grow normally. Shoeblackplant is resistant to wet and dry. In the growing period, the soil stays moist, the stem and leaves grow rapidly, if the water supply is insufficient, the leaves are easy to wilt and turn yellow and fall off. Due to low temperature in winter, strictly control the amount of watering, otherwise, the plant's ability to resist cold weakened, prone to freezing damage. Shoeblackplant is a strongly positive plant. It must have sufficient sunlight in its growing period to grow and bloom normally. If the light is insufficient, the bud falls off easily, the flower shrinks, the color and color is dim. However, Shoeblackplant can also burn when the sun is too strong and should be properly shaded. The fertile, loose, slightly acidic loam soil is the best. Potting soil with leaf rot soil (or peat soil), culture soil and coarse sand mix is good.

The main value of Shoeblackplant

Landscape application

Shoeblackplant's bright flowers shrivelled towards dusk. In the south, it is widely planted by pools, pavilions, roads and walls. A potted Shoeblackplant is suitable for living rooms and entrances. Shoeblackplant is also known as the sunset flowers, the origin of China and India. They prefer warm and humid climate, adequate sunshine, shade resistance, drought resistance, moisture resistance, poor soil resistance, strong cold resistance.

Medicinal value

Menstruation, clear lung, phlegm, cool blood, detoxification, diuresis, detumescence.