Gesneriad Trails

We plant enthusiasts know the struggle: there’s always room for one more plant… or so we tell ourselves. Yet somehow, there’s never enough actual space. While my collection of gesneriads hasn’t grown significantly since the July Gesneriad Society Convention , the space they require definitely has, thanks to their thriving growth. For a while now, my light stands have been woefully overcrowded. I had a small bookshelf with 3-foot LED lights acting as a temporary fix, but it was clear I needed an upgrade. Last month, I finally ordered the materials for a second stand with 4-foot LEDs and it’s now all set up and ready for action. Awaiting the plants The first plants to move onto the new stand were those previously under the 3-foot LEDs. These had been receiving a bit less light, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on how they adjust. There are also some plants on my older stands that will to move to the new setup where I can lower the lights to be closer to the plants. An existing two-shelf en...

I planted some seed of  Sinningia guttata  in February of this year. I grew several small plants for most of the summer, before culling down to the strongest one. I was rewarded with bloom in October — just 8 months from sowing to bloom. Sinningia guttata Sinningia guttata is endemic to the region around Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The tuberous plants grow in wet areas. I grow it in my standard, loose mix, allowing the media to dry between watering. The light green foliage is glossy and attractive, ranking up there with many commonly grown "house plants." However, the large flowers are the true reward for growing this plant. Sinningia guttata foliage The large white blooms are heavy marked with purple spotting, and a yellow stripe in the throat. As an added bonus the flowers are scented. I get a sweet, floral aroma that reminds me of walking into an orchid greenhouse. Sinningia guttata Online resources indicate that Sinningia guttata may not have a distinct dormant period, an...

When we started ramping up our return to gesneriad growing in early 2023, one of the major concerns was keeping the plant collection watered while we were away. Since travel plans also are ramping up in retirement, this was a source of consternation. I started investigating wick watering, a technique used by many growers with much success. Helpful correspondence with other enthusiasts, as well as reviewing back issues of the Gesneriad Journal provide much information. I decided to give it a go. I went "all in" and nearly all the plants I acquired were put on wicks from the start. Early Wicking Setup For the wicking material, I used acrylic yarn as recommended. The yarn was thoroughly wetted before using and extended up through most of the pot. I purchased a large number of predrilled reservoir containers. Over the next 18 months I experimented with the length of wicking inserted in the pot, and even the number of wicks used based on pot size. I made minor adjustments to my po...

This past spring, I picked up a small container of Sinningia gesneriifolia seedlings from the raffle table during a meeting of the National Capital Area Chapter of The Gesneriad Society . I selected two of the strongest to pot up and grow.  Both plants are now in 4" pots and are about 16 inches tall. One of my plants has been blooming for about a month, while the other is just developing buds.  Sinningia gesneriifolia blooms Sinningia gesneriifolia is native to Brazil. The corollas are marked with purple spotting inside and out. The flowers hang below the stems and are produced on the upper part of the stem. Sinningia gesneriifolia young foliage The seedlings and young plants have attractive silver makings down the midrib of the leaves. This coloration fades as the plants mature. One of my plants seems to be about a month behind the other in blooming and is just beginning to lose the coloration. New foliage around the base of the plant is marked with silver. Sinningi...

Kohleria are among my favorite gesneriads. There is a wide variety on foliage, growth habit, and blossoms among both the species and hybrids. When we had our greenhouse, a significant portion of a bench was devoted to the genus. I've been re-acquiring many of my old favorites and look forward to seeing them grow and bloom. Kohleria grandiflora One species I've been now growing for a while is Kohleria grandiflora . This plant bears a USBRG 98-259 label as well, meaning it came from the collection at the Smithsonian greenhouses.  Kohleria grandiflora This is the second bloom cycle I've had growing this species. The original plant had a couple of blooms but eventually grew unwieldy. It's a prolific producer of arial rhizomes — perhaps from inconsistent watering. This particular pot was started from cuttings in June and currently stands about 21" tall. I have a one light stand configured to allow plants to grow to about 24" tall, just for plants such as this. The...

I was lucky enough to win a small plant of Sinningia 'Judy Becker' during the live auction at the 2023 Gesneriad Society Convention in Richmond, VA. There was a stunning entry of the plant exhibited by Dee Stewart in the flower show that year, and the auction plant was a propagation from that plant. Sinningia 'Judy Becker" is a cross of S. bullata  and  S. tubiflora created by Dave Zaitlin. As was apparent by the awarded plant in the show, the plant can develop into a large display. After a little over a year, my plants remain a manageable size under lights. Sinningia 'Judy Becker' (4.5 inch pot) I find the plant to be easy to propagate. I've taken stems cuttings as the last bloom fades and root them in my usual potting mix. They quickly develop tubers and new blooming stems almost without pause. I'm growing a total of four plants now. Sinningia 'Judy Becker' My original tuber is distorting its 4" pot now. I'm thinking about moving...

I previously posted about Nautilocalyx glandulifer as an attractive foliage plant. Since then, I have been treated to its beautiful blooms as well.  When repotting my plant of this species in the spring, I accidentally broke off a stem. Not being inclined to toss the piece away, I stuck it in a pot to root. The cutting rooted quickly and the plant branched and grew. Nautilocalyx glandulifer It was not long before I noticed a flower bud forming on the newly potted plant. Perhaps it was there already when the stem broke off. It was slow in developing, in my waiting and watching opinion, but finally opened. It was worth the wait. Nautilocalyx glandulifer The white flower is covered with maroon hairs, just like the foliage. The whole plant is quite unusual and attractive. Nautilocalyx glandulifer The inside of the flower holds a treat as well. The upper throat features dark purple streaks. The flower lasted a few days before fading and dropping. Now I watch and wait for another, thou...

Drymonia variegata is an attractive, vining plant that I enjoyed growing the plant many years ago and was excited to acquire a small plant last spring. I restarted that plant with a small cutting, which quickly rooted.  The species is native to Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama. It is found on wet environments. I grow it in long-fiber sphagnum moss, enclosed in an aquarium / terrarium, under a shaded LED bulb. It is joined there by other humidity-loving plants such as Neomortonia rosea, Nautilocalyx pemphidius, Nautilocalyx pictus 'Jade'. Drymonia variegata The dark green foliage with silver "pine tree" markings makes for a stunning display on their own. I don't recall ever blooming Drymonia variegata in the past. I was surprised when I noticed a bud on the plant a month ago. Watching it intensely didn't seem to speed up the opening! As luck would have it, I was out of town for the weekend when the first bloom opened. Fortunately, my wife grabbed a few pictures...

Gloxinia erinoides 'Red Satin' is an easy to grow plant which is ideal for small spaces. The species is found in northern South America and Central America. The 'Red Satin' variety has small white dots on the dark green foliage with the small flowers held above the plant on red inflorescences. Gloxinia erinoides was formerly called Koellikeria erinoides before a revision of the Gloxinia. Gloxinia erinoides 'Red Satin' I grew this plant from seed obtained from The Gesneriad Society seed fund, which I sowed in February of this year. The seed germinated quickly, and I potted up two groups of seedlings into 3" pots in June. By early July the plants were putting out the stalks of diminutive flowers. The display is quite attractive. Gloxinia erinoides 'Red Satin' As an added bonus,  Gloxinia erinoides is one of the few scented gesneriads. Despite their small size, the flowers have a strong scent of coconut, tinged with a touch of vanilla. Although o...

One of the field trips during the Gesneriad Society convention in July was a visit to the Missouri Botanical Garden, including a tour through the Climatron. Josh Higgins, a garden employee and gesneriad enthusiast gave us a tour during which he pointed out the many gesneriads hiding among the plants throughout the glasshouse.  The Climatron Moussonia deppeana was the first gesneriad spotted. The small shrub is found from Mexico to Guatemala. The attractive foliage tinted by red hairs stood out amount the greenery. Alas, no blooms were seen. Mousonnia deppeana I spotted Drymonia chiribogana from a distance. The large distinctively-veined leaves make it easy to see. This Ecuadorian native is easy to grow. Depsited developing into a tall plant, it blooms easily under lights. I find the bloom trend to be at the base of the planet so it can be kept manageable with pruning.  Drymonia chiribogana Flowering plants of Primulina tatiana were seen growing in the understory at several ...

Nautilocalyx glandulifer is an extremely attractive plant with dark purple-green leaves covered with purple hairs. The species is endemic to Ecuador. It seems to prefer lower light levels and high humidity. I've been growing this species since obtaining a cutting in July 2023. The stems root easily and it's a moderately fast grower. I grow this plant wicked in my usual three-part potting mix. It is subject to getting dry edges on the foliage in my conditions. It would likely do even better growing enclosed, if I had a large enough container. Nautilocalyx glandulifer N. glandulifer is a spreading, semi-trailing stems. My main plant, though still in a 4" pot, now covers almost an entire plant tray on the shelf. The leaves are arranged in alternate pairs. Usually. Alternate leaf pairs As I said, usually. One stem on my plant exhibits the leaves in whorls of three. Leaves of three The anomalous leaf pattern has been stable since I first noticed it last fall. I have not tried ...

One of the most enjoyable aspects of growing gesneriads is the ease with which new plants can be grown from seed. And one of the benefits of membership in The Gesneriad Society is access to an extensive list of seed, both species and assorted hybrid crosses.  I planted a batch of different seeds from the TGS Seed Fund at the end of February, including the two species mentioned in this post. After about five weeks, the strongest seedlings of  Phinaea multiflora 'Tracery' and  Phinaea albolineata were moved into 3" pots, several to a pot.  The first blooms on Phinaea multiflora 'Tracery' opened in early June.  Phinaea albolineata followed in mid-July.  Phinaea multiflora 'Tracery'   and  Phinaea albolineata The plants are similar with small white, short-lived flowers and silver veined foliage. At the same time, they are quite unique. I am growing both on wicks, in the open on my light stands. They both also make wonderful terrarium plants. When...

The 2024 Gesneriad Society Convention, at the beginning of this month in St. Louis, MO, was just the second convention we attended in 20 years. I decided to enter a few plants in the flower show since we were driving to the event. I actually packed eleven plants for the 810 mile trip. It's been a long time since we travelled with plants, and I was unsure of how to safely travel with the plants. I ended up doing a lot of cutting and taping to put together some suitable cardboard boxes. I also packed some plants in coolers. The plants were secured with a combination of rolled up towels and shredded paper.  Sorting prior to packing For the most part, the plants traveled well, even with unloading and reloading the car for the overnight hotel stay in Frankfort, KY. Upon arriving in St. Louis the plants were unpacked and spread out in the room. An Achimenes plant had dropped most of its flowers, with few buds showing colors. I later joked that there should be an Artistic class in the sh...

Brandon Erickson gave an informative talk on growing Kohleria at the July 2024 Gesneriad Society Convention in St. Louis entitled, “ Kohleria – The Most Beautiful Weed.” He spoke about taming Kohlerias for show. Kohlerias are among my favorite gesneriads to grow, both the species and hybrids. During the talk I was reminded some of my own “weeds.” I had plants of Kohleria tublifora ,  Kohleria warszewiczii,  and (similar but not a Kohleria ) Pearcea sp. "Carol Ann” growing on one of the light stands. These tall growing plants were getting a bit wild, and climbing up between the shelves and the basement wall. I was almost afraid of trying to work them out. However, they don’t stay well-trimmed back in the wild either! Pearcea sp . "Carol Ann” I had already started new pots of all before convention, so I moved the big pots onto the screened porch when we returned. The tall stem on the Pearcea I found most intriguing and couldn’t bring myself to cut it back. I'm enjoyin...

Sinningia 'Paper Moon' is an older hybrid by John Boggan. I acquired a small plant at the 2023 Gesneriad Society Convention plant sale. 'Paper Moon' is one of the "oldie but goodie" hybrids I have been focusing on reacquiring. It's an interesting cross of the diminutive S. pusilla ‘White Sprite’ and the tall growing S. schiffneri . The plant does not seem to form a tuber and essentially ever-blooming. Rooted cutting, October 2023 When the new plant arrived home, I reduced it to a single pinched cutting to be rerooted before adding to the collection. The cutting was put in a 3" pot. It grew fast and started blooming again within a few weeks, and has been everblooming since. While it can develop a somewhat messy appearance if the numerous spent blooms are not consistently removed, a well-maintained plant puts on a nice display. I took the plant to "show and tell" at a recent meeting of the National Capital Chapter of the Gesneriad Society. I...