Acanthacae

Acanthacae Care

Acanthaceae

What is the plant

Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Plants in this family have simple, opposite, decussated leaves with entire (or sometimes toothed, lobed, or spiny) margins, and without stipules. The leaves may contain cystoliths, calcium carbonate concretions, seen as streaks on the surface.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Part Sun

Temperature

16°C - 24°C

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Fittonias want to be humid and misted, as its tropical nature requires. Give it a spray every morning to provide a similar environment as it would in the rainforests, a tropical morning mist. Keep the soil constantly moist, but do not let it sit in soggy water.
Pruning
The plant can be left with its natural habit or pruned to fit in smaller gardens
Fertilizer
Once every 3-4 weeks, a liquid fertilizer with an increased content of potassium and a low nitrogen fertilizer. This composition of fertilizing promotes the manifestation of red color of the leaves. Positively responds to organic fertilizers.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
Low to medium light is best and they will even do well under fluorescent lighting.
Soil
It will thrive in full sun, preferably in loose soil but is not fussy and extremely resistant to insects and diseases. As it is more subtropical than tropical it can be grown in cooler areas as it will grow back from the roots even if the aerial parts are killed by frost.
Temperature
The plant flourishes when the temperature is in the range of 18-21 °C (65-70 °F); and will suffer if the temperature drops below 15 °C (60 °F) for a prolonged periods.

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Additional
Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats, Non-Toxic to Horses Acanthaceae is a family (the acanthus family) of dicotyledonous flowering plants containing almost 250 genera and about 2500 species. Most are tropical herbs, shrubs, or twining vines; some are epiphytes. Only a few species are distributed in temperate regions.