- origin
- growth
- leaves
- blossom
- fruit
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- Water parrot plant
- Fertilize parrot plants properly
- hardy
- Propagate parrot plant
- sowing
- Is parrot plant poisonous?
Because of their infructescence, which is reminiscent of birds, parrot plants are sometimes confused with flowers of paradise. However, those of the parrot plant not only form long-beaked heads, but entire bird bodies - a truly curious affair, which is particularly attractive for fans of exotic plants.
The parrot plant is also very popular with bees
Table of Contents
Show all- origin
- growth
- leaves
- blossom
- fruit
- Which location is suitable?
- What soil does the plant need?
- Water parrot plant
- Fertilize parrot plants properly
- hardy
- Propagate parrot plant
- sowing
- Is parrot plant poisonous?
- Parrot plant comes from North America and the Pannonian Floral Province (Hungary to Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Austria, Moravia)
- Usually thrives in dry, mild locations
- Is largely hardy
- Parrot plant grows as a perennial
- 1-2m height
- Upright, light green, slightly hairy and sparsely branched stem
- Taproot with aggressive rhizome formation
- In addition, strong self-seeding
- Therefore officially classified as an alien invasive species - no longer commercially available
- Large, globular umbels of numerous small flowers
- Show up in July and August
- Color scarlet pink fading to whitish
- Strongly scented
- Oblong, horn-like bent follicles develop from the flower
- Length about 8 - 15 cm
- Reminiscent of little budgies
- Were/are arranged as figures for decorative purposes
- Abundant seed production, seeds with a silky crest of feathers
- Silk hairs sometimes used as upholstery material
- Parrot plant is reasonably hardy
- Protect specimens cultivated outdoors as well as in tubs from periods of severe cold - with fir branches, garden fleece, sacking, etc.
- Overwinter tub specimens indoors if necessary, but not too warm (maximum 10°C)
origin
The parrot plant, botanically Asclepias syriaca, belongs to the milkweed plants within the dogbane family. In German it also has nicknames such as Syrian milkweed or real milkweed.
Despite its exotic name and appearance - especially that of the fruit - the parrot plant is not really exotic. In any case, it does not come from areas that are completely opposite to Central Europe in terms of climate, such as the tropics. The perennial originally comes from the eastern part of North America and the Pannonian Floral Province - an area that includes the Hungarian Plain, as well as parts of Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, Austria and Moravia.
The parrot plant is thus adapted to a relatively diverse repertoire of habitats - it thrives primarily in dry, mild areas in its native ranges, but is largely hardy. Outdoor cultivation is therefore quite possible with us.
Origin in keywords:
growth
The parrot plant grows as a perennial and reaches heights of about one to two meters. The upright stem is light green in color and slightly hairy. The plant usually shows little or no branching.
It holds on to the ground with a taproot and forms rhizomes - and quite proliferating ones at that. They behave in a similarly aggressive manner as those of bamboo or loosestrife and must be kept in check with a root barrier if uncontrolled spread is to be prevented. Even tearing out the root for removal purposes is usually useless - the parrot plant can undauntedly sprout again from the smallest root remains.
In addition to this intensive root propagation, the parrot plant also reproduces very vigorously via the seeds when they fall out of the ripe follicle.
Because of its strong dispersal mechanisms, the parrot plant was classified as an invasive alien plant species by the European Commission in 2022. This is intended to reduce their population in order to protect our native flora - which is why you will no longer find any parrot plants or seeds to buy in the plant trade.
If you really want to add a specimen to your plant collection, you have to rely on seeds or offshoots from fellow hobby gardeners. It goes without saying for a responsible plant lover that attention is paid to a rhizome barrier and the timely prevention of self-seeding for the sake of the native flora.
Growth characteristics at a glance:
leaves
The decussate leaves, which are attached to the mostly hardly branched stem, are short-stalked and have an elliptical to ovate contour with a blunt to slightly pointed tip. In size, the leaves reach about 15 to 30 cm in length and 5 to 11 cm in width. The leaf margins are entire. Like the stem, the undersides of the leaves are slightly hairy.
blossom
In July and August, the parrot plant forms many small flowers, which are held together on the short stalks in delicate, globular, very pretty umbels. The individual flowers have a scarlet pink base and fade to whitish to greenish rosé at the crowns. Overall, they have a length of about 3 to 5 mm. The flowers exude a strong, pleasantly honey-like scent.
Flower characteristics in brief:
fruit
The fruit that emerges from the flowers is actually the highlight and namesake of the parrot plant. In fact, the elongated, horn-like curved, greenish to brownish follicles look like small, upside-down budgerigars. For decorative purposes, when the plant was still allowed to be sold, they were cut off in shops, provided with black dots for eyes and marketed as small parrot figures.
The fruits are about 8 to 15 centimeters long and have a soft thorny texture. Inside they form numerous seeds, which are provided with silky thread tufts. These are used for further transport when the ripe fruit bursts open and thus for widespread spreading.
The silk hairs are also used in some areas as upholstery material, for example for pillow fillings.
fruit in keywords:
Which location is suitable?
The parrot plant generally likes it rather sunny and dry. It also thrives in partial shade, but then you have to reckon with a less lush and not quite as fragrant bloom. Its tall, sparsely branched growth also calls for a spot that is more sheltered from the wind.
If you want to keep the parrot plant in the bucket, the same requirements apply, but in winter you should not bring them into the warm room, but hibernate cool.
What soil does the plant need?
As a substrate, the parrot plant needs loose, relatively humus-rich and above all permeable soil and a slightly acidic soil environment. It is important to work in a good drainage layer with some sand and/or clay granules both when planting outdoors and in the tub, especially in heavier, firm soils. Waterlogging is not tolerated by the parrot plant.
Very important when planting outdoors: don't forget an effective rhizome barrier!
Water parrot plant
You should water the parrot plant regularly but moderately. In general, dryness is better than waterlogging.
Fertilize parrot plants properly
You can provide the parrot plant with an annual organic fertilizer application in late spring. When planting, you should bring some leaf compost and/or horn shavings (€32.93) into the soil, in the following spring you can also add compost or pelleted cattle manure (€18.80).
A specimen kept in a tub should be supplied with a universal liquid fertilizer for flowering or tub plants during the main vegetation phase over spring and summer. To do this, add something to the irrigation water every two weeks.
hardy
As mentioned above, the parrot plant is conditionally hardy. It tolerates light frosts and can be cultivated outdoors all year round. However, you should take a few protective measures both in the tub and in the open air culture if there are longer, severe cold periods. In the case of an outdoor specimen, you can best mulch the planting ground and/or cover it with fir branches or garden fleece. In addition, it is advisable to wrap the plant with burlap.
You can either leave a specimen kept in a bucket outside and wrap the bucket and the plant in sackcloth, jute or the like, or simply place the bucket in a frost-protected winter quarters. This should ideally be relatively bright and cool due to the dormancy of the vegetation; it shouldn't be more than around 10°C there.
To remember:
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Propagate parrot plant
As I said - the parrot plant is now officially a plant to be decimated throughout the EU and must be prevented from spreading invasively by anyone who still has a specimen. For this purpose, an effective rhizome barrier should be used in outdoor cultivation and the fruits should be cut off in good time before they burst open and spread their many seeds widely.
If you want to multiply your private inventory, you can of course do so. As a method of propagation, you can divide the plant, cut cuttings or take seeds.
divide
The rhizome root system of the parrot plant is very prolific, so you can simply cut off some of it to get a new specimen. Simply cut off a piece of root with a spade and place it either in a planting hole in the field - provided with a rhizome barrier, of course - or in a bucket with potting soil. The budding will probably not be long in coming.
cuttings
You can also take cuttings and grow them in pots of potting soil in a bright, warm spot indoors. Spring is the best time to do it. Humidity can be kept more evenly under foil.
seed cultivation
Since the fruits of the parrot plant form a large number of easy-to-handle seeds, seed propagation is particularly suitable for propagation. When harvesting, be meticulous about the time when the fruit is ripe but not yet bursting. Otherwise the seeds will be scattered straight to the winds by their silky hairs.
You can plant the seeds indoors all year round. Cold treatment increases the chance of germination - put the seeds in the fridge for about a week. Then put them in pots with potting soil and only lightly cover them with it. The pitch should be bright but not too warm, around 15 to 18°C.
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sowing
See the Propagation section 'Seed Propagation'.
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Is parrot plant poisonous?
Like all spurge plants, the parrot plant contains a slightly toxic milky sap, which primarily causes skin irritation. If you have small children or small pets such as guinea pigs, rabbits or cats in your home, you may want to refrain from purchasing them or place the plant out of their reach. Swallowing it can lead to mild symptoms of poisoning.
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