Thalia dealbata profile

Thalia Dealbata, native to the tropical regions of the southern United States and Mexico, is an excellent greenhouse flower with stalks up to 2 meters high. It is an ornamental flower of high value introduced into China.

Thalia Dealbata picture

Thalia Dealbata morphological characteristics

Thalia dealbata is a perennial water plant, herb.Plant height: 100-250 cm (medium size, leaf height: 60-150 cm, but total pedicel slender, often 50-100 cm higher than leaf surface); thalia dealbata has 4-6 Leaf base; Petioles are longer, ca. 40-80 cm, lower sheaths, base slightly enlarged, apex and base reddish brown or light yellowish brown. The leaf blade is ovate-lanceolate to oblong, 20-50 cm long and 10-20 cm wide, hard papery, grayish green, margin purplish, entire; The dorsal surface of leaves is powdery, ventral with sparse pilose. Thalia dealbata leaf base is round obtuse, leaf tip sharp;Cross out parallel veins.

Compound spikes, arising from the apex of the peduncle drawn from within the leaf sheath; Involucral bracts are numerous, half closed, easy to fall off when flowering; Thalia dealbata flowers are purplish red, 2-3 covered by two bracteoles, growing closely on axis; Only one little flower can grow into fruit, and two or three will grow into fruit. Bracteoles are 0.8-1.5 cm, concave, leathery, abaxially glabrous, surface waxy, ventral with white pilose.Sepals 1.5 -- 2.5 mm, purple; Lateral staminodes are petal-like, base white to mauve, apex and margin dark purple, 1.2-1.5 cm long, ca. 0.6 cm wide. The corolla tube is short columnar, mauve, labellate, upper dark purple, lower light purple. Thalia dealbata capsule is suborbicular or obovoid globose, the long and wide axis is about 0.9-1.2 to 0.8-1.1 cm. The pericarp is light green, the apex dehiscent when ripe. Mature seeds are brown, with rough surface, pseudosperm and obvious umbilicus.2 n = 12.

Reforced flowers with tuberous rhizome, rhizome germination growth for the plant. The root system of Thalia dealbata is particularly developed, dense adventitious roots on the rhizome, 10 cm long adventitious roots can grow 70-90 roots. The adventitious roots are 50-90 cm long, lateral roots on the root, the upper root lateral roots are particularly developed. The space volume of the underground roots and rhizomes is huge, which is equivalent to the aboveground part. 

Thalia dealbata Habitat

Thalia Dealbata is a tropical plant native to the southern United States and Mexico. Major planting cities in China: Haikou, Sanya, Qionghai, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang, Zhongshan, Zhuhai, Macao, Hong Kong, Nanning, Qinzhou Beihai, Maoming, Jinghong. Thalia dealbata grows well in slightly alkaline soil. Good warm wet, sunny climate environment, not cold, after the winter part of the ground gradually withered. Thalia Dealbata's suitable regions include warm temperate humid region, warm temperate semi-humid region, warm temperate semi-arid region, North subtropical humid region, Central Subtropical humid region, South Subtropical humid region, marginal tropical humid region, middle tropical humid region, Equatorial tropical humid region and plateau subtropical region of China. 

Thalia dealbata growth habit

Thalia Dealbata mainly grows in wet lowlands such as rivers, paddy fields, ponds, lakes, marshes and coastal beaches, suitable for slow-flow and still waters. From shallow water 0.6 meters in depth to the shore, water grows well without base. Thalia dealbata prefers warm, wet and sunny environments. It is intolerant of cold and drought and semi-shade. Thalia dealbata grows well in slightly alkaline soil. The optimal growth temperature is 20-30℃, below 20℃ growth is slow, below 10℃ growth almost stops, and can tolerate -5℃ low temperature for a short time. Below 0℃, the above-ground part gradually died, and the rhizome overwintered in the mud. It has the characteristics of large reproduction coefficient, fast growth rate, strong absorbability of water and fertilizer, and relatively tall plants, etc., and it has a strong closed and intrusive effect on other aquatic plants, easily forming a single dominant community of renihua. 

Thalia Dealbata propagation method

Division

Dig out the overgrown Thalia dealbata, break open the roots, and select strong clusters to plant separately. Or they can be divided into roots and propagated. That is, in early spring, cut the roots with 1-2 buds from the mother plant, plant Thalia dealbata in the basin, apply sufficient base fertilizer (peanut bran, bone powder is good), put Thalia dealbata into the pool for maintenance, and then grow new plants and transplant them into the pool for growth. 

Sow

Thalia dealbata seeds are picked and sown as soon as they are mature. Generally, spring sowing is the main method. After sowing, the seeds are kept wet and germinate at a temperature of 16-21℃, about 15 days later.

Thalia Dealbata major value

Thalia Dealbata has a beautiful appearance, leaves and flowers of high ornamental value, plants that are green and vibrant more than two-thirds of the year, long flowering periods, and elegant flowers and stems.

Thalia Dealbata is a highly ornamental waterflower introduced in China. It is beautiful and free and easy, and is the top flower in waterscape greening. Thalia Dealbata also purifies water, and is often planted in pools or wetlands, as well as potted for viewing or in courtyard water landscapes.