The flower kraton, whose new name is codium, has long been familiar to Europeans, but in Russian homes it is still a rare guest. This original decorative deciduous plant is rather capricious: it does not tolerate the air of an ordinary apartment, apparently therefore it is not a widespread indoor culture. However, in greenhouse conditions, the craton flower is successfully grown and delivered to flower shops.
Kodiyum belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. Its height in natural conditions reaches three meters. The craton flower, the photo of which will immediately remind you what kind of plant it is, came from the Malay archipelago, where a humid tropical climate reigns.
Depending on the variety, the leathery shiny leaves of codium have orange, yellow or red veins, contrasting with the main green background. Their shape is most often narrow, oblong, with wavy edges. The leaves are located on short cuttings along the entire trunk of the plant.
At home, the craton flower develops very slowly, reaching only one meter in growth. For normal development, he definitely needs a place on the sunny side, otherwise he will lose his original color. However, direct rays are undesirable for codium.
The craton flower does not like drafts and temperature changes, as its leaves turn brown and curl when the amount of heat decreases, so it is not recommended to take it out into the open air.
In the room where this crop grows, it must be very humid - up to 80%. In the summer months, when it becomes impossible to maintain such a level, the craton flower can be placed on a pallet with constantly wet pebbles or placed close to a large aquarium.
In the period from spring to late autumn, the soil in the pot must be kept in a constantly wet state, but without overflow, in order to avoid decay of the root system. With lowering the temperature, watering must be sharply reduced, although the plant can not be overdried either, since in this case it can discard the foliage.
The craton flower is transplanted very carefully so as not to accidentally harm the root system. At the bottom of a new pot, you must definitely lay out a decent layer of drainage for the free flow of excess water.
Immediately after transplanting, you need to water these flowers abundantly. Kraton, the care of which requires compliance with certain conditions, practically does not bloom in captivity. However, in natural conditions, it annually produces plain white inflorescences.
The most favorable soil for this plant is a mixture of equal parts of leaf, sod, peat and humus soil with sand.
Every spring, the kraton flower must be pruned, removing all unnecessary shoots. If the codium reaches up and does not form lateral shoots, then the top must be pinched. Many plant growers do not know that this beautiful plant can be quite dangerous. The fact is that when pruning the flower, the craton emits poisonous milky juice, which tends to irritate the skin, so when working with the codeium it is best to use gloves or wash your hands thoroughly.
It is believed that this plant is able to clean the room from negativity. In addition, influencing the emotional state, the flower calms and contributes to a pleasant rest.