Diosma
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| Exposure: | ☼ | ?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property. |
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| Water: | ◍ | ?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property. |
Read about Diosma in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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Diosma (Greek, divine odor). Rutaceae. Small tender heath-like shrubs from southwestern Africa. Leaves alternate or opposite, linear- acute, channeled, serrulate or sometimes ciliate, glandular- dotted : fls. white or reddish, terminal, subsolitary or corymbose, pedicellate ; calyx 5- parted ; hypogynous disk 5-sinuate, 5-plaited; petals 5; style short; stigma capitate: carpels 5. — Of the more than 200 species described, barely a dozen now remain in this genus, the others being mostly referred to allied genera, especially Adenandra, Agathosma and Barosma. The plant known to gardeners (and described by Linnaeus) as D. capitata is now referred to Audouinia capitata, Brongn., which belongs in a different order (Bruniaceae) and even in a different subclass of the Dicotyledons (genus named for J. V. Audouin, born 1797, famous entomologist). It is a heath-like shrub 2-3 ft. high, with erect branches, and somewhat whorled, mostly clustered branchlets: lvs. spirally arranged, overlapping, linear, 3-angled, roughish. with 2 grooves beneath: fls. crimson (according to Flora Capensis), crowded into oblong spike-like, terminal heads. Generic characters are: calyx adhering to the ovary, 5-cleft, seems, large, overlapping; petals with a long, 2-keeled claw, and a spreading, roundish limb; stamens included; ovary half inferior, 3-celled, cells 2-ovuled; style 3-angled, with 3 small, papilla-like stigmas.—One species. In America, D. ericoides is more or less well known, and is put to various uses in floral decorations, in sprays, or branchlets cut to the required length, and stuck in formal designs as a setting for other flowers in the same manner and for the same purpose as Stevia is used, to give that necessary grace and artistic effect to the whole. This species, like most of the genus, has an agreeable aromatic fragrance in the foliage. It is a strong grower, loose and heath-like in habit and foliage, as the specific name indicates; flowers white and small, one or more on the points of tiny branchlets. While diosmas undoubtedly do best in soil suitable for heaths, that is, soil composed largely of fibrous peat, they are not nearly so exacting in their requirements in this respect, and can be grown in good fibrous loam and leaf-mold in equal parts, with considerable clean sharp sand added thereto. The plants should be cut back rather severely after flowering to keep them low and bushy; this refers more particularly to the above species, other members of the genus being of more compact growth and needing very little corrective cutting to keep them in shape. D. capitata (properly Audouinia capitata) is a fine example of the latter class, and is much better than D. ericoides for exhibition and show purposes; flowers pinkish lilac, in corymbs. The propagation of diosmas by cuttings is similar to that of heaths, but much easier The best material for cuttings is young wood. (Kenneth Finlayson.) D. fragrans, Sims (syn. Adenandra fragrans).—D. vulgaris, Schlecht., has narrower lvs. than D. ericoides, and they are acute: branchlets minutely pubescent: lvs. scattered, rarely opposite, linear, convex-carinate, subulate-acuminate: fls. corymbose, the petals white, or red on the outside: plant 1-2 or more ft. There are well-marked botanical varieties. CH
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Diosma. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Diosma QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)
