The Loropetalum chinense is a precious local evergreen shrub or small tree in the witch-hazel family, which is a specialty of Hunan. It can grow up to a height of 3.5 meters, with an annual growth rate of 5 cm.
Its bark is dark grey or light grey-brown and highly branched. The leathery leaves are ovate or elliptical, 2-5 cm long. The flowers, appearing in clusters of 3-8, have short stalks and are purple-red in color.
They bloom earlier than the new leaves or at the same time, during April-May, for about 30-40 days. It can bloom again during the National Day.
The Loropetalum chinense, also known as Chinese fringe flower, Chinese witch hazel, or strap flower, is a variant of the witch-hazel family. This evergreen shrub or small tree has a bark that is dark grey or light grey-brown and highly branched.
Its young branches are reddish-brown with stellate hairs. The leathery leaves are ovate or elliptical, 2-5 cm long, with a short pointed tip and a base that is round and slanted. The leaves are dark red and have stellate hairs on both sides.
The flowers have four petals, are purple-red, linear, and 1-2 cm long. They appear in clusters of 3-8 at the ends of small branches. The capsule fruit is brown and near oval.
The flowers bloom from April to May, for about 30-40 days, and can bloom again during the National Day. The flowers, roots, and leaves can be used for medicinal purposes.
The Loropetalum chinense likes light, slightly shade-tolerant, but in the shade, the leaves tend to turn green. It is adaptable, drought-tolerant, likes warmth, and can withstand cold. It has strong budding and branching power, and is pruning-tolerant. It can withstand infertile conditions but prefers to grow in fertile, moist, slightly acidic soil.
It is mainly found in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and south, and in northern India.
This is a shrub, sometimes a small tree, with many branches and twigs covered in stellate hairs. The leaves are leathery, ovate, 2-5 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm wide, with a sharp tip and a blunt base.
They’re asymmetrical, slightly hairy or bald on top, dark green and matte when dry, and stellate hairy underneath with a hint of gray. The veins are prominent on the top and raised underneath, and the leaf margins are entire.
The petioles are 2-5 mm long with stellate hair, and the stipules are membranous, triangular lanceolate, 3-4 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, and early deciduous.
Flowers are clustered in groups of 3-8, with short stalks, purplish-red, blooming before or simultaneously with the young leaves. The peduncle is about 1 cm long and hairy, the bracts are linear and 3 mm long.
The calyx is cup-shaped and stellate hairy, the sepals are ovate and about 2 mm long, falling off after the flower. There are 4 petals, band-like, 1-2 cm long, with round or blunt tips.
There are 4 stamens, their filaments are very short, and the anther septum protrudes into a horn shape; there are 4 degenerate stamens, scale-like, alternating with the stamens.
The ovary is completely inferior, stellate hairy; the style is very short, about 1 mm long; there is one ovule, hanging from the inside upper corner of the carpel.
The capsule is oval, 7-8 mm long, 6-7 mm wide, with a round top, covered in brown stellate velvet hairs, the calyx tube is 2/3 the length of the capsule. The seeds are round oval, 4-5 mm long, black, and shiny. The flowering period is from March to April.
Soil
The Red Flowering Shrub is very tolerant of poor soils and has strong adaptability, even able to grow in very poor soils. However, when growing it at home, it’s best to add some decomposed fertilizer to its cultivation soil for better growth.
Watering
A moist environment is more suitable for the growth of the Red Flowering Shrub. When cultivating, pay attention to watering, keep the potting soil moist, but not too wet, and prevent water accumulation in the pot.
In the hot summer, in addition to watering, you can also spray some water around it. In winter, during its dormant period, try to reduce watering and ensure the potting soil is not too dry.
Light and Temperature
The Red Flowering Shrub likes sunlight and warm climates and can tolerate cold and slightly shady conditions. It needs sufficient light for healthy growth and vibrant flowers and leaves.
However, in the summer, it needs to be shaded to avoid direct sunlight. Either set up a shelter or place the potted Red Flowering Shrub where it is not directly exposed to the sun, and pay attention to prevent the leaves from turning green.
The ideal temperature for growth is around 20℃, but in the colder winter months, it’s better to bring it indoors for the winter, keeping the temperature above 5℃ and ensuring good ventilation.
Fertilizing
For fertilization, apply once every half a month during the growth period, and reduce or stop fertilizing during the dormancy period.
Remember that the Red-flowered Loropetalum prefers acidic soil, so it can be beneficial to spray some ferrous sulfate solution. Apply some potassium fertilizer before flowering.
Pot Rotation
Red-flowered Loropetalum potted plants need regular pot rotation. The timing of this depends on the size of the plant; the smaller the plant, the shorter the interval. When rotating the pot, the soil can be replaced and the pot should be thoroughly watered.
Pruning
The Red-flowered Loropetalum has strong budding power and grows rapidly. It needs to be controlled through pruning. By pinching and trimming, the Red-flowered Loropetalum can maintain its beautiful shape, creating the potted image you prefer.
At the same time, it can also improve the ventilation and light conditions of the Red-flowered Loropetalum, promoting healthy growth.
Pests and Diseases
Red-flowered Loropetalum diseases include root rot, powdery mildew, sooty mold and yellowing disease. The main pests are aphids and red spiders. If pests or diseases are found, timely treatment is necessary.
Mainly use cutting and budding methods. Grafting can be carried out from February to October, but cutting is best done before budding in spring, and budding is suitable in September and October.
Use medium and small plants of Loropetalum chinense as rootstocks for multiple grafting, strengthen water and fertilizer management and pruning, and the plants can be ready for sale within a year.
Cuttings can be done from March to September. Choose loose loam as the cutting substrate to ensure air permeability, water permeability, and high air humidity of the cutting substrate.
Keep it warm but avoid direct sunlight, and also ensure that the cutting environment is well ventilated. Under warm and humid conditions, Red-flowered Loropetalum cuttings form a red callus in 20 to 25 days, and new roots of 0.1cm thick and 1 to 6cm long after a month.
Although the propagation coefficient of cutting is large, the growth is relatively weak and the time to be ready for sale is long. However, the seedlings of multi-head grafting grow strong, become seedlings quickly, but are labor-intensive.
Soft branch cuttings are done from May to August, using semi-woody branches of the current year, cut into 7 to 10cm long cuttings with heels, and inserted into the soil by 1/3.
The substrate for the cutting bed can be perlite or a mixture of 2 parts river sand and 6 parts loam or mountain mud. After cutting, set up a shed for shading, water in time, keep the soil moist, and roots will form in 30 to 40 days.
In spring and summer, the germination rate of the red mombin seeds is high, taking around 25 days to germinate after sowing. In one year, they can grow to a height of 6-20cm, producing 3-6 branches.
The new roots of the red mombin seedlings are red and fleshy, requiring delicate management in the early stages until the roots become woody and turn brown, at which point they can be managed extensively.
Sexual reproduction is generally not used for seedling production due to the long seedling period, slow growth, and the occurrence of white mombin seedlings (a throwback phenomenon), instead, it is used for red mombin breeding research.
Seeds are usually harvested in October, sown in November or stored dry and sealed until the following spring. After rubbing the seed coat with sand, it is sown in a semi-sandy seedbed, taking about 25 days to germinate, with a relatively low germination rate.
The first-year seedlings can reach a height of 6-20cm and produce 3-6 branches. After two years, they can be transplanted.
Medicinal Value of Red Mombin
The flowers, roots, and leaves of the red mombin can all be used medicinally, providing pain relief, hemostatic, and anti-inflammatory effects.
They are commonly used to treat rheumatic bone pain and trauma in humans. Furthermore, they also have a certain therapeutic effect on sprains, burns, and insect bites.
Ornamental Value of Red Mombin
The red mombin is a highly ornamental plant with numerous branches and beautiful form. It is not only tolerant to pruning, making it an ideal material for hedges, but can also be made into potted plants.
In spring, the tree blooms with beautiful, fragrant red flowers, offering a spectacular view. Red mombin leaves are red when fresh, making them highly prized ornamental foliage plants and unique attractions in some southern scenic areas.
Floral language: Wealth, happiness, lifelong companionship.
Peggie was once a high school mathematics teacher, but she set aside her chalkboard and textbooks to follow her lifelong passion for flowers. After years of dedication and learning, she not only established a thriving flower shop but also founded this blog, “Flowers Library”. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about flowers, feel free to contact Peggie.
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