Perhaps you already have one or the other cannon flower in your apartment without you knowing it. The genus is very rich in species and forms and also includes many house plants that are popular with us.
Some species of Pilea (Pilea) might not appear to be so closely related at first glance. Location and care requirements are not identical for all varieties. However, this article gives rough guidelines that most Pilea species are happy with.
Gunner Flower: Origin and Properties
Pilea (Pilea) is a particularly species-rich genus in the nettle family (Urticaceae). The up to 400 different species are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, some of them also occur in temperate latitudes. There are also representatives of the genus that can be kept as indoor plants. This article is also about them.
Canonier flowers are usually herbaceous plants or subshrubs with simple leaves. The houseplant species generally reach heights of 10 to 30 cm. The inflorescences consist of many small, rather inconspicuous individual flowers. By suddenly relaxing, the stamens throw the pollen out of the perianth in nature, which is why the cannon flowers are also called centrifugal flowers or artillery flowers. Although they belong to the stinging nettle family, cannon flowers have no stinging hairs. Externally, some species are very similar to the common stinging nettle (Urtica dioica).
Tip: Since canony flowers love high humidity and are not poisonous, they are ideal for a terrarium.
The most beautiful types and varieties of cannon flowers
Of the approximately 400 different Pilea species, only a few are available as indoor plants from us. A selection of the most popular types and varieties of Kanonier Blumen gives an insight into the variety of forms of this plant genus.
Creeping Gunner's Flower (Pilea depressa): With its long, creeping stems, the Pilea depressaparticularly suitable for traffic light pots. Their leaves are rounded, small and thick. Creeping Gunner's Flower should be sprayed with water from time to time as it requires increased humidity.
Silver Blue Gunner Flower (Pilea glauca): Like Pilea depressa also formsPilea glauca Long shoots with many small, green leaves.
- Pilea glauca 'Silver Sparkle': The leaves of this variety are covered with a silvery sheen.
Sleeved Pilea (Pilea involucrata): This species is more reminiscent of a stinging nettle with its large, serrated leaves. They are highly structured on the upper side. The leaves are green on top but tinged red on the underside. Pilea involucrata, in contrast to most other species, needs temperatures of at least 18 °C all year round. It should be sprayed with water regularly.
- Pilea involucrata 'Moon Valley': Here the leaves are also rusty red or brownish on the upper side in the middle.
Vietnamese Pilea (Pilea cadierei): The Vietnamese Pilea has large leaves with a green and silver pattern on the upper side. She can grow to over 40 cm.
Pilea spruceana: This slightly woody cannon flower also has large leaves that are slightly notched at the edge and are strongly structured on the surface.
- Pilea spruceana 'Silver Tree': The leaves of the cultivar 'Silver Tree' are very dark green with a silver stripe down the central vein .
Chinese Money Tree (Pilea peperomioides): One of the best-known Pilea species is the Chinese money tree, also called UFO plant. It has glossy green, large, rounded, and fleshy leaves that sit on long stalks. It can stand a little cooler at 15 - 18 °C than other species. Also for the UFOplant, the humidity should be slightly increased.
Plant Gunner Flower
With the numerous types and varieties of cannon flower, it is impossible to get everyone under one roof when it comes to planting and caring for them. Nevertheless, we give a few guidelines that are suitable for most houseplants Pilea.
Canonier flowers from the tropics and subtropics like bright locations. Some species like to be particularly bright, others can do with less light. However, direct sunlight or dark shady places should be avoided for all species. An east or west window is usually well suited. The right temperature for most variants is 18 to 23 °C. Here, too, it may be warmer or a little cooler for some species. Well drained, slightly acidic soil such as our Plantura organic universal soil should be used as the substrate. The compost content as well as the slightly acidic pH value offer the cannon flowers good conditions for growth. For optimal permeability, about 30% sand should be added. It is best to create a drainage layer in the pot, as waterlogging is not tolerated by cannon flowers.
Proper care of the gunner's flower
Gunner's flowers are fairly easy to care for and can survive the occasional blunder.
In general, cannon flowers have moderate water requirements, which means the soil is allowed to dry out between waterings. Check with your finger that the top 2 cm of the substrate is dry. In this case it should be watered again, preferably with room-warm, soft water. Irrigation water that has not been absorbed by the substrate after 15 minutes and collects in the saucer must be removed.
In the growing season from spring to autumn, the cannon flower should be supplied with nutrients. A liquid fertilizer such as our Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer is ideal for indoor plants. It was specially composed for the needs of ornamental foliage plants and is easy to dose and use. A fertilizer application every three weeks is sufficient for cannon flowers.
Canonier flower species that develop long shoots can be cut back in spring. Clean, sharp tools are used for this. About two thirds of the shoot length may be shortened.
In winter most species shouldmaintained at about 15°C. They then need a little less water between fall and spring, only two to three nutrient feeds.
Propagation
The best way to propagate gunnery flowers is to take cuttings in spring. Depending on the species, this can be a head cutting, or in the case of creeping species, such as the Pilea depressa, you can cut a whole shoot into small pieces. Head cuttings are cut off the top of the plant and defoliated at the bottom. The shoot cuttings are placed horizontally on a growth substrate, the head cuttings are inserted with the cut surface downwards. Both are lightly pressed. A suitable soil is, for example, our Plantura organic herb and seed soil made from natural raw materials and without peat. Due to the low content of nutrients in our soil, root growth is stimulated and resistant plants develop. Now the soil is slightly moistened, covered with a transparent plastic bag and placed in a bright and warm place at around 20 °C.
Sometimes offshoots are formed. For example, in the case of the Ufo plant, small miniature versions of the mother plant grow out of the ground. These can be carefully separated when repotting and planted in separate pots.
Are gunner flowers poisonous?
It is not possible to generalize whether cannoneer flowers are poisonous for the entire genus. Some species such as the Pilea peperomioides are non-toxic to humans and pets. Others, such as Pilea cadierei, are poisonous and should not be consumed by humans or pets. To be on the safe side, find out about the toxicity of the respective Pilea species.
The purple mare (Syngonium) is also easy to care for and decorative. With us you will learn how to plant and care for the ornamental foliage plant with the long creepers.