Boea
| Boea | |
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| Boea hygroscopica | |
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| Genus: | Boea |
| Type species | |
| Boea magellanica Lam.
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Boea is a genus of the plants in the Gesneriaceae (Gesneriads) family, with species originating from Australia, China, India, Malaysia, Birma, Philippines, Polynesia, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos [1]. Boea make good house plants (see main image), but also successfully grow in the wild.
For example, Boea hygroscopica, also known as the Queensland Rock Violet in Australia, occurs in Cape York Peninsula and Northeast Queensland as far south as Rockhampton, within an altitudide range from 60-900 metres. It grows along creek beds, on moist banks, moss-covered rocks in rainforest, open forest, vine forest and gallery forest. [2]
Some Boea species are known as types of resurrection plant due to their ability to survive dessication (e.g. Boea hygrometrica and Boea hygroscopica) [3] [4].
Cultivation
These cultivation notes are based on Boea hygroscopica, a species from Northern Queensland, Australia[5].
Boea hygroscopica grows to about 15cm (~6 inches), and forms a dense, velvety clump that flowers over many weeks in the warm months.
Suggested soil for this plant is:
- Potting mix with 20% sand mixed in
- 5mm (~0.2 inches) of scoria or other drainage material in the bottom of the pot
- Fertiliser with an [[NPK] ratio of about 13.8:3.2:9.9, plus trace elements.
This plant prefers bright, filtered like, possibly with some early-morning direct sun. Pot on as needed. It can be planted in the garden in a well drained, consistently moist location.
The only major pests of this plant are chewing insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars.
Species
The Smithsonian lists the following Boea species [6].
The Smithsonian also lists[7]:
- Kaisupeea herbacea with the basionym: Boea herbacea
- Leptoboea multiflora with the previous synonym Boea multiflora
References
- ^ Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2007. World Checklist of Gesneriaceae. Washington, DC: Dept. of Botany, Smithsonian Institution. http://botany.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist
- ^ Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants fact sheet, http://keys.trin.org.au/key-server/data/0e0f0504-0103-430d-8004-060d07080d04/media/Html/taxon/Boea_hygroscopica.htm
- ^ Jiang,G et al. 2007. Planta, May 2007, Volume 225, Issue 6, pp 1405-1420
- ^ Navari-Izzo,F et al. 2006. Physiologica Plantarum, Unusual composition of thylakoid membranes of the resurrection plant Boea hygroscopica: Changes in lipids upon dehydration and rehydration,Volume 94, Issue 1, pages 135–142, May 1995
- ^ Jacson, S. Tropiclimber Cultivation Information. http://www.members.westnet.com.au/wackos/ through to http://www.members.westnet.com.au/wackos/PDFs/Growing%20your%20Boea%20hygroscopica.pdf
- ^ Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2007. World Checklist of Gesneriaceae. Washington, DC: Dept. of Botany, Smithsonian Institution. http://botany.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist
- ^ Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2007. World Checklist of Gesneriaceae. Washington, DC: Dept. of Botany, Smithsonian Institution. http://botany.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist