Alias: Red Tail Iron Amaranth, Red Hair Amaranth, Red Luck Iron Amaranth, Red Silk Amaranth, Spike Red
English name: Red Cat's tail, Dwarf Cat Tail, Strawberry Foxtail
Latin name: Acalypha reptans
Classification status: Acalypha reptans
Distribution
The distribution
The distribution of this flower is as follows >Classification status: Euphorbiaceae
Distribution
Native to New Guinea and other Central America and the West Indies, now widely cultivated around the world.
Morphological features
Red-tailed iron amaranth for the Euphorbiaceae iron amaranth genus evergreen shrubs, branches were semi-trailing, plant height
Cat's tail red
10 cm to 25 cm, can creep the ground growth, if cultivated in hanging pots is pendulous. Leaves alternate, ovate, apex pointed, margin denticulate, both surfaces hairy. Catkins, terminal, the natural flowering period for the spring to autumn, and in the environment of artificial cultivation can bloom throughout the year, female flowers short spikes, with a downy luster, bright red, shaped like a dog's tail, but also like a red caterpillar, businessmen called "years and years (Spike) red", take its "years and years of red fire!
Habitat
Like warm, moist and sunny environment. However, it does not tolerate cold, and is usually cultivated as a greenhouse potted flower in northern China. Prefer fertile soil. Overwintering temperature should be above 18 ℃, below 12 ℃ leaves drooping, long time low temperature, will cause leaf shedding.
Use
Dog's tail red inflorescence color is bright, very pleasant. Suitable for flower bed beautification, hanging pot planting or ground cover. Suitable for planting in parks, botanical gardens and courtyards.
Cultivation method
Cuttings propagation, carried out in the spring, easy to root. Pay attention to fertilization during the growing season.
Red-tailed iron amaranth prefers warm, humid and sunny environment, not hardy, afraid of drought. Growing temperature 20 ℃ to 30 ℃, the growing season can be placed in the outdoor sunny, air-circulating place maintenance, but the summer still need to be appropriate shade, in order to prevent sun exposure, it is appropriate to put in the shade or under the shade of the maintenance; frequent watering in order to keep the soil moist, because of its love of the air moist environment, high temperature drying should be sprayed to the plant and the surrounding environment in order to increase the humidity of the air. During the growing season, apply "low nitrogen, high phosphorus and potassium" compound fertilizer or thinly rotted liquid fertilizer once a week to promote the formation of inflorescences. Move indoors to a sunny place in winter, the temperature is best controlled at 15 ℃ or more, if less than 10 ℃ will cause the plant to drop leaves, and in severe cases even lead to the death of the plant, and reduce the watering, to keep the potting soil is not overly dry can be; but also often with the room temperature of the water similar to the plant spray, so as not to cause the edges of the leaf blade dry up. Prune the plant once a year from February to March, cut the long branches short, cut off diseased and dead branches, in order to promote the development of strong new branches. March to April each year to change the pot once, the potting soil requires loose breathable, humus-rich, can be used to humus, garden soil each one, mixed with a small amount of rotted horse manure mixed and used. After watering the pot, put the plant in no direct sunlight to maintain about 1 week, and then moved to a more sunny place, in order to facilitate its growth and development.
Red-tailed iron amaranth propagation can be combined with potting for division, can also be cuttings, in the spring season to cut the first year of strong branches, can also be collected in May to June of the current year's strong and full of branches for the scion, each section cut into 10 to 15 cm, retaining the apical leaves of 2 to 3, remove the lower leaves, inserted in pure sand or vermiculite, watered, avoiding hot sun, and later to keep the soil moist, air, in an environment of not less than 20 ℃, about 30 to 40 days to root.