Characteristics and care of the king of hearts. Homalomena wallisii

King of hearts

Today we are going to talk about a very suitable plant for indoor environments thanks to its wonderful and ornamental foliage. Its leaves are permanent and give great beauty to the interiors of the house. In addition, it has many positive properties for the environment. It’s about the king of hearts.

His scientific name is Homalomena wallisii and belongs to the genus Homalomena, whose origin is from Asia, South America and other tropical areas. Do you want to know all the characteristics and care of the king of hearts?

Key features

king of hearts blades

This plant has evergreen leaves. They are capable of producing flowers even if they are in closed spaces if the right conditions are given in their maintenance.

Due to its strong resemblanceis often confused with Aglaonema. Both belong to the same family, so it is more common to confuse them for their similar traits.

Its foliage is extremely delicate, since it will respond negatively to a lack of humidity. The sign that makes us see that it is suffering from lack of moisture are the edges of its leaves that reveal the lack of water.

Like all indoor plants, it is important that adequate humidity conditions are maintained and that enough care is taken with the use of heating or other devices that reduce ambient humidity.

This plant can also be grown in a container and placed outside. If this is done, they must be covered to satisfy their basic needs. This plant needs a lot of humidity, mild temperatures and no sun. If some of these requirements are not met, the plant will not grow properly and will end up dying.

The ornamental value that characterizes it comes from its leaves. All the plants of the Araceae family have their value in the leaves. In this case, the plant fulfills its ornamental function without the need to flowerlike the vast majority of plants. The leaves are large and oval in shape, velvety green in color and with numerous irregular yellowish-green spots.

The underside of the leaves has a paler green color over the entire surface and the petioles are thick and of moderate size with a slightly arched shape. The inflorescences of this plant are in a kind of thick and fleshy spike called spadix. The spadix is ​​covered by an almost pinkish bract.

As mentioned before, this plant does not have its ornamental value for its flowers, but for its leaves. Its flowering usually goes unnoticed since it is very small, so much so that it can be hidden among the foliage. Blooms at the end of summer.

King of hearts care

Homalomena wallisii in bad condition

This plant is very delicate, so it requires more intensive care if we want to keep it in optimal condition. When a warmer period is coming, the substrate must be watered in such a way that it always remains moist. It is also necessary to spray the leaves with water daily. It is important that the water with which the plant is sprayed does not contain lime.

Every two weeks the substrate can be fertilized with a liquid fertilizer that is used for all green plants. It can be paid using the irrigation water to carry out two actions in one go.

On the other hand, in winter, given the lower temperature and, in general, higher humidity, it is preferable to water it less frequently and install it indoors to protect it from sudden changes in temperature and wind. If we have it indoors, we have to constantly monitor it that its humidity is adequate, since inside it dries out before. The home temperature should remain semi warm or mild temperature.

During the colder months it is better not to fertilize the plant and wait for spring to return. The king of hearts needs an intense light, but one that is slightly nuanced. For this reason, it is important that it is never placed in direct sunlight, as its delicate leaves can burn (the basis of its ornamental power).

Your optimal environmental conditions are derived from a humid space, without smoke or any other source of heat that can dry out the plant. Therefore, it is essential if you have it indoors, monitor the heating and keep the humidity well.

The plant can be propagated by fragmenting the bush during the spring. As a result of the fragmentation another plant will grow as well. It is advisable to do it on days where the temperature is already warmer and more stable.

Benefits of Homalomena wallisii

Homalomena singer benefits

The king of hearts as a houseplant provides some benefits around the home. In addition to having great ornamental power, they are capable of giving us cleaner and more purified air. This plant, through the process of photosynthesis, is capable of ridding the air of toxins and chemical agents, making the air we breathe at home purer.

Possibly many people do not know it, but the air inside a house It may be more polluted than the one outside. When we open the windows in the morning, the atmospheric concentration peaks are at the highest. All that polluted air enters our home and remains floating. When we close the windows again, the circulation and renewal of the air is interrupted, so we end up breathing the polluted air accumulated from the morning.

To avoid this situation, the king of hearts It is capable of purifying the air in our home, eliminating polluting particles. These particles can be formaldehyde, benzene and trichlorethylene (TCE) that can promote cancer, allergic reactions and especially respiratory diseases. These toxins are not only found in the air in the street, but are also released from paint on the walls and thermal insulation.

In addition to purifying the air, the king of hearts produces oxygen and increases humidity. Therefore, it is important to maintain this humidity. With an increase in humidity, our airways decrease their dryness and improve the situation of pathologies and allergies.

This plant provides good benefits for having it, both aesthetically and environmentally. Therefore, it is a good option to have them in your interiors.

Characteristics and care of the king of hearts. Homalomena wallisii

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