Ixora

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

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Read about Ixora in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
Ixora (a Malabar deity). Rubiaceae. Warmhouse woody plants with showy flowers in clusters and evergreen foliage; handsome and desirable. Shrubs or small trees with opposite or verticillate lvs. and terminal or axillary usually dense corymbs of very showy white, rose or scarlet fls. on bracteate pedicels: corolla very long and slender-tubed, the throat sometimes barbed, the limb 4- or 5-lobed and wide-spreading; stamens 4 or 5, inserted on the throat, the filaments short or none; ovary on a fleshy disk, 2-loculed, the style filiform and exserted, 2-branched; ovules solitary: fr. a hard or fleshy 2-pyrenous berry.— Species upward of 150, in the tropical parts well around the globe. There are many garden forms of Ixora under Latin names, and these complicate a botanical account of the genus. Some of the named garden ixoras are the following: Amabilis, pinkish, suffused orange. Aurantiaca, orange-red; compact. Chelsonii, fls. brilliant salmon- orange. Colei, fls. pure white: cross of I. coccinea and I. stricta var. alba. Conspicua, fls. yellow, becoming orange. Decora, yellow. Diriana, fls. deep orange; G. 27:363. F. S. R. 3, p. 275. Fraseri, fls. scarlet in the tube, and brilliant salmon above; G. 7:529. Illustris, orange. Incarnata, flesh-color. Insignis, rose. Ornata, salmon-orange. Pilgrimii, orange-scarlet. Princeps. fls. whitish, becoming orange; said to have come from Java. Profusa, rose. Regina, fls. shaded violet-salmon, in large dense clusters. J.H. 111.42:159. Sanguinea, fls. crimson, shaded with violet. Speciosa, yellow. Splendens, orange. G.Z. 23:193. Splendida, crimson- orange. G.Z. 26, p. 217. I.H. 29:463. Venusta, orange. Westii, fls. pale rose, becoming brilliant; hybrid. Gn. 42:496. G.M. 36:35. G. 25:457. Williamsii, fls. reddish salmon. The ixoras are perhaps the best tropical warmhouse plants that combine the showiest of flowers with fine evergreen foliage. They are of easy culture, and should be far oftener seen in tropical plant-houses.—They may be propagated at any season, but early spring is probably best. Take good strong cuttings, with four pairs of leaves on them, and pot them singly, in 2-inch pots, in two parts clean sharp sand, and one of peat. Plunge the small pots in a cutting-bed, where the bottom-heat is about 70°. Be sure they are shaded from the strong sun. In a few weeks the small pots will be filled with roots, and the plants may be shifted into a pot two sizes larger, and removed from the propagating- bed, and placed in a light position in a house where the night - temperature is about 65°.—The compost in which they are potted may be equal parts of fibrous loam, peat, and sand, adding about a sixth part of broken charcoal. When they grip the soil in this pot, cut them back, leaving two joints above the earth. If desired, the plants may be flowered in the smallest size of pot, and for decorative work they are then very useful; but if large plants are wanted quickly, keep them growing right along, never allowing the ball of the plant to get into a mat of roots until the desired size of pot is reached. After they have reached a 6-inch pot, they give the best satisfaction, if they are potted entirely in the fiber of a good loam, all the fine material being shaken out of it. Pot them rather firmly and keep up a night temperature of 65°. In winter it may be 5° less. —From March until the end of September, a very light shade over them is necessary, to keep the foliage in a perfect condition. After flowering is the best tune to trim these plants into shape. Cut them back to one joint, unless some of the shoots are required longer, to preserve the symmetry of the plant. Before pruning ixoras, it is a good plan, after flowering, to keep them on the dry side for about a month. Never, however, allow the plants to suffer for lack of water. Just let them get to the wilting point, then water. This treatment firms up the wood equally, and when they are cut back, the young growths start all at the same time. By following this method the plant will flower more equally all over. Large plants of some of the varieties will give three crops of flowers a year; the variety Fraseri is an example. Plants in large pots will do well for several years without repotting, if fed liberally with manure-water. Green cow-manure, fertilizers such as Clay's soft-coal eoot, an ordinary handful to a two-and-a-half-gallon watering-pot, or, for a further change, horse-urine, a 3-inch potful to the same amount of water, agrees well with ixoras, when they are well rooted. Water twice between applications with clean water. Insects that affect ixoras may be kept in check by a judicious use of the syringe, and fumigations with hydrocyanic gas as advised for other plants. (George F. Stewart.) Index of Botanical Species. (For horticultural Dames, consult a preceding paragraph.) acuminata, 2. amboinica, 13. bandhuca, 7. barbata, 3. blanda, chinensis, 6. coccinea, 6, 7, 12. congesta, 10. crocata, 6. duffii. 8. fulgens. 9. grandiflora, 7. griffithii, 10. javanica, 11. laxiflora, 5. lutea, 12. macrothyrsa, 8. odorata, 4. parviflora, 1. rotra, 6. salicifolia, 9. stricta, 6. 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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Ixora

Ixora coccinea

Plant Info

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Gentianales
Family:	Rubiaceae
Genus:	Ixora L.

Species

See text

Template:Wikispecies Ixora is a genus from the family Rubiaceae, consisting of tropical evergreens and shrubs. Though native to tropical areas in Asia, especially India, ixora now grows commonly in tropical climates in the USA, such as Florida. Ixora is also commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. Other common names include: rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan, jarum-jarum, Jungle flame, Jungle geranium, and many more. Plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length, and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai.