We expand another sheet of indoor plants with a plant that lived its moment of fame and glory more than a century ago. Today it can still be seen in homes and we must not forget about it. The Aspidistra has very elegant decorative qualities and its care is within a logical order.
Index
ORIGIN AND FAME OF ASPIDISTRA ELATIOR
Known as Aspidistra, house leaves, tin or pilistra, this fabulous houseplant of Asian origin (mainly China and Japan) has captivated millions of homes around the world. It is a perennial plant with great density, wide leaves and pointed at their ends. It is very leafy and the volume it acquires is very remarkable even though it is of medium size. The leaves are born directly from the rhizomes giving it an almost tropical shrubby appearance. It needs mild climates to be grown outdoors. It grows in wooded areas protected by the treetops.
It is a typical living room plant, which dresses a lot due to its medium size and its large volume. As we have commented in the title, it had its heyday in England and its colonies at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It was an elegant plant that was always part of luxurious homes and was considered a symbol of distinction . Such was the fame of this plant that the writer George Orwell captured it in the title of his hilarious novel ” Keep the Aspidistra Flying” .
Currently there are other varieties and one of the most popular is the Aspidistra eliator variegata, with leaves with cream-white veins.
INDOOR ASPIDISTRA CARE
You can have an Aspidistra in your living room, without having to have your five o’clock tea. It is a plant that apart from the fame acquired in England, in the rest of the world it also has its place, so here we tell you how to care for this indoor plant.
TEMPERATURES
Its usual temperatures are rather cool , without reaching frost, of course, but it tolerates indoor temperatures that, depending on areas of the house and climates, will vary between 16 and 21ºC. Higher temperatures are not highly recommended. At lower temperatures it also survives but for interiors it is not our concern.
LIGHT
One of the reasons why it has become so famous in English homes is its tolerance for the lack of light , an aspect that in cloudy and rainy England is well known. This is interesting to place the plant anywhere in the house without worrying too much about its orientation. Adequate lighting (always indirect) will increase its growth speed and leafiness.
IRRIGATION
Under. Another reason that has brought him his fame. Little light, little watering and on top it grows well. What else do we want. In winter, watering every 20 or 30 days will be more than enough. Take normal location precautions. Keep away from direct heat sources such as radiators.
SUBSTRATE AND SUBSCRIBER
It does not require a special substrate. 1/3 or 1/4 of river sand to provide drainage and the rest mixes of normal soil with some peat or mulch. The subscriber, if desired, during the spring and summer every 15 or 20 days diluted in the irrigation. We will get some more foliage and size.
ASPIDISTRA MULTIPLICATION
Having a rhizomatous root structure, the easiest thing to do is to divide the clumps in early spring . Take care that the division has at least 2 or 3 leaves for proper development after division.