Sinningia sp. "Ibitioca"

1. In habitat
2. Horticulture
3. Cold tolerance
4. Comparison to S. aghensis (link)
5. Hybridization
6. Feature table

This new species has very handsome flowers, quite large for a sinningia, held well above the leaves for maximum exposure.  It takes a few years to get going, but a mature plant blooms well in a sunny window.

One good quality I discovered when I took the plant to a local club meeting.  The peduncles swung and swayed with every turn of the car and every bump in the road, during a trip 35 miles each direction, but not one of the flowers fell off.  The pedicels appear to hold their flowers very firmly.  (At the meeting, I demonstrated this by shaking the plant.)

This picture shows Sinningia sp. "Ibitioca" in bloom in May 2006.

In habitat

According to the article by Tsuh Yang Chen in The Gloxinian, vol. 55, No. 1 (first quarter 2005), Sinningia sp. "Ibitioca" was first found in 1993 near the town of Ibitioca in the interior of Rio de Janeiro province of Brazil.  Tsuh Yang Chen and Mario Peixoto found it again in 2001, growing in full sun in niches on the side of a steep cliff.

Horticulture

Lots of light, lots of water!

Cold

In my yard, Sinningia sp. "Ibitioca" is less tolerant of cold than most other large sinningia species.  One I wintered outdoors in a protected location did not come back in the spring.  When I checked the pot, I found that the tuber had turned to mush.  On the other hand, one I kept indoors [winter 2006-7] and did not cut back has set buds in the spring on the previous year's growth. My guess is that somewhere around 40 F (4 C) is the minimum for this species.

This is another trait it shares with S. aghensis.

Compared to S. aghensis

See a comparison between the two species.

Hybridization

Dave Zaitlin has crossed S. sp. "Ibitioca" with S. aghensis and obtained viable seed.  He generously gave me some seeds, and they germinated quite promptly.  It will be interesting to see what the hybrid looks like.

[August 2007] After a year, my three seedlings are still quite small, about two inches high and two inches across.  This is consistent with Dave's experience with this cross, and quite puzzling, since both parents are vigorous growers.  The leaves are very dark, almost black, like the seedling leaves of both parents.

Bill Price has crossed S. sp. "Ibitioca" with S. eumorpha "Saltão" to get a nice hybrid.

Feature table for Sinningia sp. "Ibitioca"