Sinningia & Friends
Welcome to the SINNINGIA and FRIENDS web site.
It is intended to provide the sinningia grower with
a bit of botanical and horticultural information.
It's not scholarship, though -- it's just pictures and
observations and opinions, plus facts I got from others!
This project had its (now distant) origin in an educational display
(designed and formatted by Debra LaVergne)
about Sinningia tubers at the 2003 American Gloxinia
and Gesneriad Society convention in Sacramento.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Hans Wiehler and the
Gesneriad Research Foundation.
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Organization
At the top of each page is a link to a list of all published species of sinningia,
vanhouttea, and paliavana.
The list also includes unpublished species which have holding names.
Another link connects to a list of hybrids, which is admittedly very incomplete.
I'm working on it.
The link always worth checking out is "What's New".
Every time a new page or picture is added, a link to it will be provided on the
What's New page.
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Highlights |
| What's new |
Pictures and text added in recent weeks |
| Overview |
Quick summary of the genus Sinningia |
| Relationships |
A taxonomical survey of sinningia, paliavana, and vanhouttea
species
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| Key |
A horticulturally oriented key to the species of
sinningia, paliavana, and vanhouttea, which
may help in identifying some of them. |
| Tubers |
Debra's original educational exhibit. |
| Growing tips |
Horticultural advice? From me? Good luck... |
| Related links |
Other sites, references, about this site, contact information. |
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Pictures
The emphasis is on showing instructive features of the plants.
I have tried to use attractive pictures whenever possible,
but on some occasions I have used less-than-perfect pictures of
less-than-beautiful plants when they showed some important aspect of the plant.
Also, I'm teaching myself photography, by trial and error.
We can hope that the pictures will get better as I get more experience!
Coverage
Most of this material relates to species.
There are too many hybrids, particularly of S. speciosa and
the miniatures, for me to discuss in the space and time available.
Also, I don't grow very many.
Except my own.
Not that they're so great or anything, but I can't bear to throw them away.
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Content |
Sources and Acknowledgments |
| Pictures |
Unless otherwise noted, all pictures on this site are mine, of my own plants.
See the photo credits for pictures taken by others.
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| Botanical information |
Among the many sources, the ones I have used most extensively are
- The papers of Alain Chautems and co-authors. Particularly useful was
the paper by Mathieu Perret et al. on Sinningieae taxonomy.
See the list of references.
- Mauro Peixoto's web site
- Ron Myhr's Gesneriad Reference Web
- The
Sinningia Register (1988) of the
Gesneriad Society
(formerly the AGGS)
- Gesneriana, Volume 1 (and only), Number 1 (and, alas, only)
Many many thanks to those who helped make this information
(and so much plant material) available!
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| Publication information |
Here I have relied heavily on the Smithsonian's
Gesneriad Checklist,
compiled and maintained by John Boggan and Lawrence Skog.
I have also used the AGGS Sinningia Register mentioned above,
and The Plant-Book by D. J. Mabberley.
Also very useful is the International Plant Names Index.
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| Cold hardiness information |
Unless otherwise indicated, all the cold tolerance data on this site
is from my own experience.
Since northern California winters are not as stern a test for sinningia
tubers and plants as other climes, I would be grateful for information
which indicated the extremes that the Sinningieae could and could not
tolerate.
This would be especially useful for the non-tuberous species.
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Why Sinningias Are Special
Ornamental Value
Many of the sinningia species are attractive just the way they are.
A short listing of species that will appeal to all:
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Horticultural Value and Hybridizing Potential
Some sinningias (like S. douglasii) have a very short blooming season,
but others, like S. amambayensis,
S. reitzii, and its hybrids bloom for many months.
Therefore it would seem that some sinningias would have potential as
breeding parents for bedding plants.
Imagine a bed of plants with S. leucotricha foliage and
S. cardinalis flowers!
Ecological Significance
Many gesneriads grow in places which are threatened by habitat destruction,
and sinningias are no exception.
The type species (the species which defines the genus Sinningia), S. helleri,
is probably extinct already!
As far as anybody knows, Sinningia concinna exists only in cultivation (and
since it is not easy to grow, it is fragile there too).
Therefore keeping a sinningia alive is a contribution to maintaining the
diversity of plant life on this planet.
Fragrance
Sinningia tubiflora flowers have a wonderful fragrance.
This species would be much more popular if it were easier to bloom.
Sinningia conspicua blooms easily and has a more subtle lemony scent.
A few species have very delicate, nose-of-the-beholder aromas
(such as S. guttata).
Finally, several sinningias with waxy leaves have scented foliage
(S. aggregata,
S. amambayensis,
S. carangolensis, for example).
Amusement
Need I say more?
Nutritional Value
Baked sinningia tubers with sour cream?
Scalloped sulcata?
Guttata frittata?
Macrophylla fries?
I've always wondered about the edibility of the tubers.
Perhaps they are a wonderful source of vitamin B-52.
Sooner or later, somebody will get around to looking at their nutritional
value, but they won't have a chance unless we keep them alive.
Also available: