Although there are plenty of exotic fruits on our market - from the appetizing Chinese lychee to the surprisingly botany brown tamarind pods - it is impossible to buy the oblong berries of the Asimina triloba trifoliate anywhere, because they are too susceptible to damage during transport. However, you can try growing this beautiful shrub in your own garden.
Urodlin is the only plant from the family of flasks that can grow in the ground in our conditions. In its homeland - the south-eastern part of North America - it grows up to 12 m, while in our country it is only approx. 3 m and is characterized by a bushy habit.
Its decorative leaves, similar to magnolia leaves and turning yellow in autumn, can be up to 30 cm long. The biggest decoration of urodlin are six-petaled, bell-shaped flowers of unusual red-brown color. They appear in May with the development of leaves.They are pollinated by nocturnal insects. Each flower has numerous stamens and many pistils, a few of which, when fertilized, turn into ovules that resemble small bananas.
Hence the common names in the United States, such as wild banana, prairie banana, Indian or poor banana. The Indians, on the other hand, named the fruit pawpaw. Under the greenish-yellow, darkening skin as it matures, there is a soft, creamy-yellow, aromatic flesh that tastes like banana, pineapple and mango.It is nutritious because it contains a lot of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and mineral s alts.The flesh contains a dozen or so dark brown seeds, 2-2.5 cm long. The fruit is fully ripe in October.
Fruit trees in miniature
At present, young three-petaled uranium bushes are offered by many nurseries selling by mail order.You can also keep seedlings yourself, if you get fresh seeds.They should be placed in dishes with a light, humus substrate as soon as possible after taking them out of the fruit and placed in a warm place. In the first year, the seedlings reach a height of up to 30 cm. Planted one at a time in pots, they should be spent in the greenhouse for the first few years. During this initial period, they grow very slowly.
Raised bushes can be planted in a permanent place, necessarily sheltered from the wind and shaded, because young plants cannot stand strong sunlight.They suit deep, well-drained, fertile, moist and slightly acidic soil. They do not tolerate the salinity of the ground, they can hardly endure the presence of calcium and drought. Their great advantage is that they are avoided by diseases and pests occurring in Europe.The growth and development of shrubs is positively influenced by mulching the soil with leaves, mowed grass or compost. Mineral fertilization is not necessary.
The frost resistance of the trifoliate urodite is similar to that of rhododendrons, so its cultivation in the warmest western part of Poland is possible.Residents of other regions may also be positive, because there are optimistic reports from north-eastern Poland, where the temperature drops as low as -32 ° C, and yet the shrubs survive the winter. Any frost damage is quickly compensated by young growths.
Since urodlin is a foreign plant, you should always plant several bushes next to each other. Otherwise, we may not be waiting for the fruit. To increase the yield, flowers should be pollinated by hand with a soft brush. Urodlin has many other advantages.Twigs, leaves and bark contain insecticides, and preparations made of them can become an alternative to chemical plant protection products. In medicine, high hopes are associated with anti-cancer drugs obtained from seeds.
