Because of their fruit heads, which are reminiscent of birds, parrot plants are sometimes often confused with flowers of paradise. However, those of the parrot plant not only show long beaked heads, but also entire bodies of birds - a truly curious affair that is particularly attractive for fans of exotic plants.
What is the parrot plant and how do I care for it?
The parrot plant (Asclepias syriaca) is a perennial with exotic-looking fruits that are reminiscent of parrots. It reaches a height of 1-2 meters, prefers sunny, dry locations and is partially hardy. Propagation is possible by division, cuttings or seeds.
Origin
The parrot plant, botanically Asclepias syriaca, is one of the milkweed plants within the dogpoison family. In German it also has nicknames such as Syrian silk plant or real silk plant.
Despite its exotic-seeming name and appearance - especially that of the fruits - the parrot plant is not really exotic. In any case, it does not come from areas that are completely opposite in terms of climate to Central Europe, such as the tropics. The perennial originally comes from the eastern part of North America and the Pannonian Florentine Province - an area that includes the Hungarian Plain as well as parts of Serbia, Romania, Slovakia, Austria and Moravia.
The parrot plant is therefore adapted to a relatively diverse repertoire of habitats - in its native areas it thrives primarily in dry, mild areas, but is largely hardy. Outdoor cultivation is definitely possible here.
Origin in keywords:
- Parrot plant comes from North America and the Pannonian Florentine Province (Hungary to Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Austria, Moravia)
- Mostly thrives in dry, mild locations
- Is largely hardy
Growth
The parrot plant grows as a perennial and reaches heights of around one to two meters. The upright stem is light green in color and slightly hairy. Most of the time the plant shows little or no branching.
It holds on to the ground with a taproot and forms rhizomes - and quite spreading ones at that. They behave similarly aggressively to 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 roots for removal purposes is usually useless - the parrot plant can sprout again undaunted from the smallest root residues. In addition to this intensive root spread, the parrot plant also reproduces very strongly via the seeds when they fall out of the ripe follicle.
Because of its strong dispersal mechanisms, the parrot plant was classified as an alien invasive plant species by the European Commission in 2017. The aim is to reduce their population in order to protect our native flora - which is why you will no longer find any parrot plants or seeds for sale in the plant trade.
If you really want to add a specimen to your plant collection, you have to rely on seeds or cuttings from hobby gardener friends. It goes without saying for a responsible plant lover that, for the sake of the native flora, attention is paid to a rhizome barrier and timely prevention of self-sowing during cultivation.
Growth characteristics at a glance:
- Parrot plant grows as a perennial
- 1-2 m height
- Upright, light green, slightly hairy and barely branched stem
- Taproot with aggressive rhizome formation
- Also strong self-semination
- Therefore officially classified as an alien invasive species - no longer commercially available
leaves
The leaves, which are set crosswise on the mostly barely branched stem, are short-stemmed and have an elliptical to ovoid contour with a blunt to slightly pointed tip. The leaves reach a size of around 15 to 30 cm in length and 5 to 11 cm in width. The leaf edges are entire. Like the stem, the undersides of the leaves are slightly hairy.
Bloom
In July and August, the parrot plant produces many small flowers that form delicate, spherical, very pretty umbels on the short stems. The individual flowers have a scarlet pink base and turn whitish to greenish pink at the crowns. Overall they have a length of around 3 to 5 mm. The flowers exude a strong, pleasant honey-like scent.
Flower properties in brief:
- Large, spherical umbel inflorescences made up of numerous, small flowers
- Show up in July and August
- Color scarlet pink, fading to whitish
- Strongly scented
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 budgies. For decorative purposes, when the plant was still allowed to be sold, they were cut off in shops, given 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 that are covered with silky threads. These are used for further transport when the ripe fruit bursts open and thus for widespread spread.
The silk hairs are also used in some areas as upholstery material, for example for pillow fillings.
Fruit in keywords:
- The flower produces elongated follicles that are curved like horns at the bottom
- Length about 8 – 15 cm
- Remembering little budgies
- Were/are arranged as figures for decorative purposes
- Rich seed production, seeds with silky feathers
- Silk hair sometimes used as upholstery material
Which location is suitable?
The parrot plant generally likes it sunny and dry. It also thrives in partial shade, but then you have to expect less lush and less fragrant flowers. Their tall, barely branched growth also requires a spot that is more sheltered from the wind.
If you want to keep the parrot plant in a pot, the same requirements apply, but in winter you should not bring it into a warm room, but rather keep it cool over the winter.
What soil does the plant need?
As a substrate, the parrot plant needs a loose, relatively humus-rich and, above all, permeable soil and a slightly acidic soil environment. It is important to incorporate a good drainage layer with some sand and/or clay granules (€19.00 on Amazon) both when planting outdoors and in the pot, especially in heavier, firm soils. The parrot plant cannot tolerate waterlogging at all.
Very important when planting outdoors: don't forget an effective rhizome barrier!
Watering parrot plant
You should water the parrot plant regularly but moderately. In general, dryness is better than waterlogging.
Fertilize your parrot plant properly
You can provide the parrot plant with an annual application of organic fertilizer in later spring. When planting, you should add some leaf compost and/or horn shavings to the soil; in the following spring you can also fertilize with compost or pelleted cattle manure.
You should provide a specimen kept in a container with a universal liquid fertilizer for flowering or container plants during the main vegetation phase over spring and summer. To do this, add some to the water every two weeks.
hardy
As mentioned above, the parrot plant is partially hardy. It tolerates light frost and can be cultivated outdoors all year round. However, both in container and outdoor cultivation, you should take some protective measures if there are longer, severe cold periods. If you have a specimen standing outdoors, it is best to mulch the planting surface and/or cover it with pine branches or garden fleece. It is also recommended to wrap the plant with burlap.
You can either leave a specimen kept in a pot outside and wrap the pot and the plant with burlap, jute or something similar, or simply place the pot in a frost-protected winter quarters. This should ideally be relatively bright and cool because of the dormancy of the vegetation; the temperature should not be more than around 10°C.
To remember:
- Parrot plant is somewhat hardy
- Protect specimens cultivated both outdoors and in pots from severe cold periods - with fir branches, garden fleece, burlap, etc.
- If necessary, overwinter potted specimens indoors, but not too warm (maximum 10°C)
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Propagate parrot plant
As I said - the parrot plant is now officially a plant that needs to be decimated across the EU and must be prevented from spreading invasively by everyone 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 holdings, you can of course do so. As a propagation method, you can divide the plant, cut cuttings or take seeds.
Share
The rhizomic root system of the parrot plant is very sprouting, 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 outdoors - of course with a rhizome barrier - or in a pot with potting soil. The budding probably won't take long to arrive.
Cuttings
You can also cut cuttings and grow them in planters with potting soil in a bright, warm place in the house. Spring is the best time. The moisture can be kept more evenly under foil.
Seed cultivation
Since the fruits of the parrot plant produce a lot of seeds that are easy to handle, seed cultivation is particularly suitable for propagation. When harvesting, carefully time the fruit at which it is ripe but has not yet burst open. Otherwise the seeds will be scattered to the four winds on their silk hairs.
You can plant the seeds indoors all year round. Cold treatment increases the chance of germination - place the seeds in the refrigerator for about a week. Then place them in pots with potting soil and only cover them lightly with it. The pitch should be bright, but not too warm, around 15 to 18°C.read more
Sowing
See section on propagation 'Seed cultivation'.read more
Is parrot plant poisonous?
Like all spurge plants, the parrot plant contains a slightly poisonous 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 consider not purchasing one or placing the plant out of their reach. Swallowing can lead to mild symptoms of poisoning.
