Luculia

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Luculia >

Read about Luculia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Luculia (probably adapted from a native name). Rubiaceae. Glasshouse plants grown for the flowers. Two species of tender shrubs from the Himalaya and Khasia Mts., bearing in winter terminal corymbs sometimes a foot across, composed of 20-40 pink or white, fragjrant, salver-shaped fls. with 5 rounded lobes, each fl. being 1 ½ -2 in. across. A plant of L. gratissima is on record which attained 6 ½ ft., bearing 24 bunches of fls. each 2 ft. in circumference, beside 30 smaller bunches. Calyx-tube top-shaped; lobes unequal, deciduous; stamens 5, inserted on the tube of the corolla; filaments very short; disk annular; ovary 2-celled; style 2-branched: caps, almost woody, 2-valved, many- seeded. For house decoration, L. gratissima is one of the most beautiful winter-flowering shrubs, and deserves to become more popular with florists for Christmas sales. The wood ripened after flowering furnishes the best cuttings. Newly rooted plants require a night temperature of 60° at first, but the temperature should be gradually reduced and the plants hardened off before they are planted outdoors for the summer. Young plants should never be allowed to get dry from the time of first potting until they are taken outdoors. For potting, a light soil is desirable. When the pots are well filled with roots, apply liquid manure two or three times a week until the buds appear. During the summer the plants should be syringed daily, as they are subject to red- spider. The plants should be lifted, potted and brought indoors the last week of August. If left out later they do not set flower-buds so well. As soon as the buds appear the plants should be moved to a warmer house, with a night temperature of 55°. After flowering, the plants should be trimmed somewhat, given less water, kept in a night temperature of 45° and syringed daily. They start slowly, but make hardy growths for planting out. L. Pinceana, Hook. Bush, 4-6 ft.: lvs. smaller than in above, elliptic-lanceolate and acuminate: fls. in a compound cyme, the lobes pure white above, changing to a cream, with a rosy tinge, outside rosy and the tube red. Distinguished by the presence of 5 pairs of tubercles at the base of each sinus. Khasia Mts., etc., 3,000-5,000 ft. B. M. 4132. Gn. 35, p. 59, and 41, p. 469. 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 It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article.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.

Cultivation

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References

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

External links

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