What is Calliandra?

Calliandra is a genus of flowering plants in Fabaceae or peas. There are more than 200 species of Calliandra plants from the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, Africa, Australia and America. Flowers Calliandra are round and thin as needles; However, the flowers are soft and delicate and earn a plant for pebbles in a common name. Calliandra is a popular garden plant and has a wide range of uses in agriculture and ranching.

There are many varieties of Calliandra species and are very different in size. Some of them are permanent plants with a diameter of 12 inches (about 0.5 m). Shrubs and trees in this family range in size from 2 feet (about 0.6 m) to 20 feet (about 6 m) high. Flowers are usually white, light or dark pink or red.

Fabaceae or leguninosae plants are an important group of plants and the third largest family of flowering plants. There are more than 19,400 species in Fabaceae family, including Calliandra . Important crops in this family include soybeans, beans, peas, chickpeas and peanuts.

Calliandra does not create edible beans, but in many parts of the world some varieties are used to feed the farm and herds of animals. Leaves and stems Calliandra have a high protein content. They can be mixed with other food sources and used to feed on cattle, pigs, poultry and goats.

Calliandra trees can also be used as nurses, ie the one that helps in the growth of another plant. For example, coffee plants cannot tolerate a full sun in some parts of the world. In addition to the coffee plants, higher varieties Callian are grown, providing a filtered, indirect sun that the coffee plants prefer. Calliandra can also serve the same purpose for banana trees.

Several varieties Calliandra are as popular as growingIny pattern in households, gardens and greenhouses. One of them is Calliandra Eriophylla , a commonly called powder plant. Its leaves are ferns and flowers are dark pink. Another popular garden plant is c. Surinamensis ; It also has foliage similar to ferns and the flowers are light pink towards the center and on the outside of the dark pink. It is commonly called a fairy -tale plant.

Both of these varieties Calliandra are small shrubs that can be successfully grown in containers. Prefer partial or filtered sunlight. Although they can grow to 15 feet (about 4.5 m) high, they are usually trimmed to keep them for 2 or 3 feet (about 0.6 to 0.9 m). Both produce flowers almost all year round and are especially fertile flowers during spring and summer.