| Scientific name |
Scaevola taccada, merambong, bapaceda or papatjeda
|
| Common name |
Scaevola, beach cabbage, sea lettuce, beach naupaka, naupaka kahakai, magoo |
| Temperature requirement |
25-35°c |
| Humidity |
40-50% |
| Light |
Bright and direct light |
| Watering |
Water everyday &keep moist |
| Pests |
Ants, scale, spider & mites |
| Pet friendliness |
Not hazardous |
| Maximum plant height |
 2 -10 m |
| Potting mix |
Potting soil/red soil/manure/perlite |
| Pot requirement |
Good drainage & repot every 1-2 years |
| Nutrition |
Apply manure for first 15 days and npk for next 15 days |
| Pruning & training |
Remove dead & diseased leaves with sterile shears |
| Common color & season |
White to pale lilac,whole year round |
| Description |
It is a shrub or small tree up to 10 m tall.Its alternate, shortly-stalked leaves have fleshy leaf blades that are mostly reverse egg-shaped, and 8–26 by 2.5–10 Cm.Its pale yellow or white flowers are 2–2.5 Cm long, and arranged in 8 cm-wide clusters.Its round, fleshy fruits ripen from green to white, and are 8–13 by 10–15 mm. They also contain 1–2 seeds within a stone that is 8 mm wide.It grows along rocky and sandy beaches, on coastal cliffs and sandstone hills.Its flowers are pollinated by bees, and fruits are eaten by birds.It can be propagated by seed or stem cutting.It is used medicinally including treatment for asthma, beri-beri, cancer, dysentery, ear ache, eye infections, indigestion, malaria, skin abscesses, ailments or sores, syphilis, or tuberculosis for poulticing for headaches, an antidote for poisonous fish or crab, for contraception in women, and many others.It has attractive, light green foliage and a compact shape. It also flowers and fruits throughout the year. This plant is suitable as a hedge, screen, or even ground cover with pruning.Scaevola taccada prefers five to six hours of sunlight each day.It is well-adapted to the intense summer sun and heat of that country.Scaevola loves water, so make sure it is properly watered at all times. The plant will not suffer if you occasionally neglect watering and it does best in soil that is consistently moist but not soggy.Scaevola taccada prefers well-drained, neutral to alkaline soil. Be sure your potting mix drains freely and doesn’t collect water at the bottom of the container;avoid overly sandy soils since they tend to dry out quickly with the prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. |
