Oreopanax

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Oreopanax >

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Read about Oreopanax in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Oreopanax (i. e., mountain Panax). Araliaceae. Tropical American shrubs and trees grown in the greenhouse. Leaves simple or compound, entire or toothed, thick: fls. in dense heads which are arranged in racemes or panicles; calyx with minute or obsolete limb; petals 4-7, usually 5, the stamens of the same number and with ovate or oblong anthers; ovary 3-7-loculed, the styles rather long and bearing a flat, not thick, stigma: fr. globose and berrylike.—Some ninety species-names have been referred to this genus, but the number of species is probably much less than this number. In the trade, the species of Oreopanax are usually known as aralias, but in the Aralia tribe the petals are imbricate in the bud, whereas in Oreopanax they are valvate. Few species of Oreopanax are known in cult. Harms (Engler & Prantl, Pflanzenfamilien) divides the species into 3 groups,—lvs. digitate, Lvs. lobed, Lvs. not lobed. The species described below are those which are now most often mentioned in gardening literature, but only the first seems to be much known here. Propagation is by cuttings and seeds, any time during January, February and March, the earlier the better. Half-ripened growth of the extreme tops should be placed in a warm propagating-bed with a bottom heat of about 80°. Keep them covered with glass and give sufficient moisture and plenty of shade. When the roots are about ½ inch long, they may be lifted carefully and potted off into 2- or 2½ inch pots, using a mixture of loam, leaf-mold and peat in equal parts, adding enough sand to make it friable. Keep them shaded close and moist until well established, when they may be brought out into full sun. Increase their pot room until they are in 6- or 7-inch pots. They can be kept in fair condition for some time if fed with liquid manure once or twice a week during the spring and summer. During the summer (they will need syringing on all bright days. Always give enough ventilation to keep the growth from becoming too soft, or the atmosphere from becoming too humid. They thrive in an intermediate temperature, in winter from 55° to 60" with a 15° rise during bright days; in spring and summer 60° to 68° for night, with 75° to 80rf with sun. They will require some shade when the sun becomes powerful, but not so much as to make them soft. A good compost to use for bigger shifts would be fibrous soil four parts, leaf-mold and well-decayed cow-manure one part each. Give them plenty of good drainage in order to keep the mixture from becoming sour. Do not let them become dry at the roots. In the winter they will need less water and syringing. Keep thrips down by syringing and fumigations.—Oreopanax can also be increased from seed. This seed can be secured through some of the European firms in the spring. It may be sown in pans, using a mixture of loam, peat and sand in equal parts. Cover the seeds about three times their size with finely sifted compost. Place a glass over each pan and keep shaded and moist. They will come better if placed over bottom heat. When large enough to handle, pot off into small pots, using a little heavier mixture than the seed was sown in. They may be shifted and grown on under the above cultural directions. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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