BLUE DAİSY - FELİCİA AMELLOİDES (AGATHAEA AMELLOİDES )

Felicia is a genus of about 80 species of annuals, perennials and evergreen subshrubs and (rarely) shrubs found in open sunny habitat in the Arabian Peninsula and tropical and southern Africa. Some are frost hardy, others are frost tender.

They are grown for their mass of daisy-like, mainly blue flower heads with yellow disc-florets, often borne over long periods in summer.

 BLUE DAİSY  Felicia amelloides

This Felicia is usually a perennial, evergreen shrublet, about 0,5 x 0.5 m. It is densely branched and frequently has dark reddish stems. The flowerheads are typical of the Asteraceae and are about 30 mm in diameter and are borne on naked stalks up to 180 mm long. Unlike many daisies, these do not close at night.

In Pretoria gardens they flower almost throughout the year, with most flowers in spring and early summer. They live a long time, usually at least five years, under normal conditions.

The blue felicia bush withstands light frost. Needs a light, sandy or gravelly soil with good drainage and much compost if possible. Give a dressing of fertilizer for flowering plants (with ratio of N:P:K = 3:1:5) or a general fertilizer (ratio of 2:3:2) and mix some super phosphate into the soil. Water it regularly, but moderately, especially during the dry season.

Felicia amelloides propagated by seed or cuttings in spring. The latter method is quicker and the resultant plants should flower in about a year. Once established, Blue Daisy is quick growing and can look good for many years. When young, it can be made to bush well if the main shoots are pinched out. Light pruning during the summer will encourage more crops of flowers. To improve appearance, cut off the many old flowers. After about three years, it may need to be cut back if it gets straggly. If it becomes frost-damaged, it will usually resprout and flower a little later than usual. It does not seem to suffer from pests very much, making it even more carefree for the gardener.

Use in Landscape : This felicia could make an effective base for Strelitzia reginae (crane flower) in semishade or sun. A lovely contrast can be achieved by mixing plants with different leaf types. The blue felicia bush goes well with bulbs like Agapanthus , Eucomis autumnalis (Pineapple Flower), Hemorocallis fulva (Day Lily) . Another type of contrast, is the inclusion of grey or whitish-leaved plants among the green ones. They have a cooling effect and look good in all seasons. Examples are Gazania rigens (Trailing Gazania), Helichrysum petiolare, Ajania pacifica. The darker leaved Euryops pectinatus (grey euryops) or dark red colored  Alternathera dentata ruby would also give an interesting contrast.

Erythrina is bellong to Fabaceae (legume) family and known as the red genus (erythros which means red and alludes to the bright red flowers and seeds).  The genus Erythrina is a group of shrubs and trees which have their origin is in South Africa, West Indies, Brazil, and Australia. The genus contains over 170 species.

The coastal coral tree is an ideal garden plant and, because of its unique appearance, has continued to draw the interest of botanists, horticulturist, nature lovers, and the general gardening public for many decades. Erythrina caffra is widely loved for its warm red to scarlet-coloured flowers. Its popularity can be ascribed to its ease of cultivation and long flowering period.

Erythrina caffra is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree, Its size depends largely on the climate and soil conditions. It is normally 8–10 m heigh, but may reach a height of 20 m in coastal and forested regions where the conditions are optimal. This species forms a round-headed, spreading canopy and has a beautifully light green appearance when in leaf.

As with all other erythrinas, the leaves are typically trifoliate (three leaflets), which are broadly ovate (egg-shaped) to elliptic (oval and narrowed to rounded ends, widest at or about the middle), the terminal leaflet is the largest. The leaflet petiole (leaflet stalk) is with or without prickles. The leaves closely resemble those of a sister species, Erythrina lysistemon (sacred coral tree). When not in flower it can be rather difficult to tell the two species apart.

Flowering starts from cold winter and carries on throughout spring. The flowers are spectacular and are produced before the leaves appear and carried in large clusters at the ends of thick,  stalks. Superficially they are shaped like cockscombs. The flower has a short, broad, standard petal, the lower half of which curves upward to expose the stamens and they give the flower a bewhiskered appearance. When compared to the flowers of Erythrina lysistemon, the latter have longer, narrower standard petals which fold to enclose the stamens. There is also a difference in colour between E. lysistemon and E. caffra. E caffra has mainly orange-scarlet flowers, in contrast to the clear scarlet of the northern species.

The fruits are dark, in cylindrical pods, which are up to 65 mm long. The pods split to release the small, shiny, coral-red seeds. As seeds become older, they turn a rich red-brown. The flowers of Erythrina caffra do not produce any fragrance, and only colour, in combination with the reward of nectar, which the tree produces in abundance, is used to attract pollinator birds in their native forests.

Erythrina caffra is a subtropical tree that occurs in the warm and frost-free to light frost coastal regions of the Eastern Cape and northern KwaZulu-Natal. The trees are found in various soil types from wet, well-drained, humus-rich soils to dry, clay soils.

The branches of Coast Coral Tree are armed with prickles, which might serve as protection to herbivores especially when trees are still young. Fully grown trees are fairly drought resistant and can withstand several degrees of frost. In areas where there is severe frost, it may well grow but chances are that they won't flower. The seeds of all erythrinas are said to be poisonous and the leaves of Erythrina caffra are known to have poisoned cattle.

As with all erythrinas, the Coast Coral Tree is easily cultivated by seeds. Another effective and more instant propagation method is by making giant hardwood cuttings called truncheons. These are branches measuring at least 40 mm in diameter. This method works very well and cuttings must be taken just before the trees come out of dormancy which is late winter or early spring.

 Erythrina caffra should be planted in sunny places in well-drained soil. In landscape terms in the milder areas of our region can be used as edging for a patio, or as a specimen plant or in small groups. They can also be used in large rock gardens.

Erythrina is bellong to Fabaceae (legume) family and known as the red genus (erythros which means red and alludes to the bright red flowers and seeds).  The genus Erythrina is a group of shrubs and trees which have their origin is in South Africa, West Indies, Brazil, and Australia. The genus contains over 170 species.

Erythrina lysistemon: Common Coral Tree, is a lovely, small to medium-sized, deciduous tree with a spreading crown and brilliant scarlet red flowers. Height of this showy tree is not more than 10 meters. Naturaly it is found at southern and eastern Africa. Erythrina lysistemon’s dazzling flowers have made it one of the best known and widely grown South African trees. 

The bark is smooth and dark gray to gray-brown. Short, hooked prickles are sparsely and randomly scattered on the trunk and branches. The leaves are trifoliolate (compound leaves with 3 leaflets), and each leaflet is large, usually up to 17 x 18 cm. The common coral tree blooms in early spring and it produces its flowers before its new leaves or just as the leaves begin to show.

The flowers are a beautiful clear scarlet and are carried in short, dense heads, about 9 cm long, on long, thick stalks. The flowers produce abundant nectar that attracts many nectar-feeding birds and insects. The fruit is a slender, black pod that can be 15 cm long and is sharply constricted between the seeds. The pod splits while still attached to the tree to release bright red 'lucky bean' seeds.

Erythrina lysistemon is thought to have both medicinal and magical properties by many people in South Africa. Erythrina lysistemon does contain a large number of alkaloids that are known to be highly toxic, but its use in traditional medicine suggests that they have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects.

Erythrina lysistemon is often confused with Erythrina caffra, the Coast Coral Tree. Erythrina caffra grows in the coastal and riverine fringe forests It is generally taller than Erythrina lysistemon, the flowers are orange-scarlet, and a cream-flowered form is occasionally seen, and the standard petal is shorter and broader so that the stamens stick out of the flower giving it a whiskered look. In most other respects they are very similar, and were in fact regarded as the same variable species for many years and, when not in flower, are difficult to tell apart.

Erythrina lysistemon is a fast-growing, undemanding tree. It does best in fertile, well-aerated and well-drained soils. It is fairly drought-tolerant, but performs better if given water during summer. It is sensitive to cold and grows best in frost free gardens, but will survive in regions with a winter minimum of -7 ºC/20 °F provided protected from frost when young.

Erythrina lysistemon is easily propagated from seed, cuttings and truncheons. Seed is sown in spring and summer, in a well-drained, general-purpose potting soil, placed in a warm but shaded spot and kept moist. Cuttings are best taken in spring to summer, and truncheons in late winter to spring. Truncheons are made from part of or even an entire branch which is left to dry and heal for a few days, then planted into a pot filled with sand or even directly into the soil where the plant is to be grown, and kept damp but not wet. If a plant has to be transplanted, this is best done whilst it is dormant, during winter.

The common coral tree is an excellent specimen tree for gardens and parks and is very effective planted in avenues or for street plantings. It is particularly recommended for that spot in the garden where you need sun in winter and shade in summer.