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Messages - Dennis Kramb

#1
Current Photographs / Sinningia Sdlg. K5
February 17, 2023, 03:27:16 PM
This cross is  ( leucotricha × "Seminole (white-flowered sport)" ).  The first sibling to bloom from this batch took only 4½ months from seed, but K5 shown here took 3½ years.  You can tell its old because the tuber is quite large.
#2
Current Photographs / F2 Sinningia siblings
December 11, 2022, 12:45:17 PM
Three years ago I did a selfing on my Sinningia Sdlg. K1 which was a cross between [Sinningia leucotricha × Sinningia 'Seminole' (white sport)].  It was a lovely flower & I was excited to explore what offspring it could produce.

Two of the F2 seedlings have bloomed so far and they both have strange flowers.

K1F2-3 has wavy rimmed flowers.
K1F2-6 has petaloids inside the flowers.

I suppose two seedlings is too small of a sample size to draw conclusions from but I am disappointed to see them having narrower, more leucotricha-like flowers than "K1" (the F1 parent).  There's a few more siblings I'm waiting to see bloom, but I'm losing enthusiasm after seeing these first two.

Many of the seedlings have a sprawling habit which is both strange and annoying considering they're genetically half leucotricha which has a very compact growth habit.  The soft lambs-ear foliage is quite nice but it's not enough to make me consider any of these F2 an improvement on the F1 parent.  Maybe the next one will have spectacular flowers?
#3
Current Photographs / Sinningia sulphurea
December 02, 2022, 05:20:25 PM
Formerly known as Sinningia sp. 'Bahia' for the region of Brazil in which it was discovered, the official name Sinningia sulphurea was published a couple months ago.  Of the 75-ish species in the genus it's one of the few yellow-flowered ones.

https://bioone.org/journals/candollea/volume-77/issue-2/c2022v772a1/Two-new-species-of-Sinningia-Gesneriaceae-endemic-to-Bahia-Brazil/10.15553/c2022v772a1.short

I don't have the other species that is named in this article, but some friends here in the USA are growing it.
#4
Current Photographs / Re: Sinningia flammea
December 02, 2022, 10:06:20 AM
Yeah both ways whenever possible.  Last year I tried crossing it with sulphurea, brasiliensis, nordestina, barbata, richii, leucotricha, and some hybrids.  This year (so far) I'm trying sulcata, ramboi, and an amabayensis hybrid.  I'll save and freeze flammea pollen to try on other Sinningias that bloom in spring and summer when flammea is dormant again.

I've been advised by some gesneriad botanists to try it on the micro-mini species but i loathe working with them as I've never gotten anything but selfings.

The quest continues!
#5
Current Photographs / Re: Sinningia flammea
November 30, 2022, 03:15:11 PM
Here's a better pic of the ballerina in 2nd position from last year.  I was utterly amazed!  I've grown hundreds of different kinds of Sinningias and nothing else looks like this!  
#6
Current Photographs / Sinningia flammea
November 30, 2022, 03:09:32 PM
This species produces a spectacular display of flowers in late autumn for me in my indoor growing conditions.  Its scientific name was just published in 2019, but I've been growing it since 2016 under its original collection name of Sinningia sp. Itaguaçu (Itaguassu).  Frustratingly it has resisted my attempts at hybridization.  Not that it doesn't produce seeds... but so far none have germinated.

The stems from the previous two years are still attached to the tuber providing it with some aesthetic balance.  The oldest stem has dropped its leaves but last year's stem still has them persisting.  Seeing this plant in bloom reminds me of a ballerina.  Last year this ballerina bloomed in 2nd position (both arms extended, see final photo) and this year she's in 3rd position (one arm extended, first 3 photos).

This is such a unique plant and an absolute joy to have blooming in the winter.  I highly recommend it to anyone with a houseplant addiction.  (It's fully dormant for me in summer months and requires almost no attention whatsoever.)
#7
Current Photographs / my Sinningia seedling N1
August 15, 2022, 10:25:04 PM
Well, this is weird.  This is maiden bloom for this 3-yr old seedling.  It produced flowers directly from the (large!) dormant tuber.  I've never seen this happen before.  While it's normal behavior for a few obscure, rarely grown Sinningia species, none of those species are in the background of this hybrid.  So I think this effect is temporary and cultural, but only time will tell.

Another weird thing is that the flowers bee guide is deeply warped into a 3-D gully effect to an extent that I've never seen before on a Sinningia.  I quite like it!

For comparison I'm adding a couple photos of its sibling who had maiden bloom 4 months ago with normal flowers on a normal plant.

The parentage is Sinningia eumorpha 'Saltao' x "Seminole" (white-flowered sport)
#8
Mystery Bulbs / Re: Tiny yellow stars
July 07, 2022, 10:05:21 PM
Is it a Hypoxis species?
#9
Quote from: EZielinski on June 30, 2022, 12:01:38 PMA guess -- One of the South American Sisyrinchiums.

Sisyrinchium palmifolium looks like a close match.  Compare to the photos on JC Raulston Arboretum's page.
https://jcra.ncsu.edu/resources/photographs/plants-results.php?serial=115316

#10
User Profiles / Re: MarcR
June 21, 2022, 08:22:26 PM
Did you have any luck with Pine Ridge Gardens?  I chased up my old contacts for Alophias from a decade ago but they no longer grow them anymore.
#11
Hello!  Gesneriads won't survive winters outdoors here so I don't even try anymore.  I know Dr. Lindstrom was hybridizing Sinningia for cold hardiness in the South, I'm not sure if that was Z7 or Z8.  I have some of his seedlings but they're houseplants for me.  Do you grow anything like that?  I've heard some of the Gesneriad species from Chile have been grown outdoors in PNW but I don't remember the details.
#12
General Discussion / Re: Grown from the BX/SX seed
June 16, 2022, 09:16:35 AM
Absolutely perfect Sinningia specimen there!  I love that tuber.  I have a cardinalis that looks very much like it.
#13
Current Photographs / Opuntia macrorhiza 'Ohio'
June 12, 2022, 06:10:10 PM
A geophytic prickly pear cactus from Ohio?  Apparently so!  This is blooming en masse in my garden right now and it is GLORIOUS.
#14
General Discussion / Re: Grown from the BX/SX seed
June 10, 2022, 09:43:40 PM
That Hymenocallis is gorgeous!!!  Way to grow!

Dennis in Cincinnati
#15
User Profiles / Re: MarcR
June 03, 2022, 05:30:10 AM
I haven't grown those two Alophia in about 10 years, so I have nothing to share.  Mine came from the SIGNA seed exchange, but they're not available every year.  Brazil Plants currently offers seeds of Gelasine coerulea which was once classified as Alophia sellowiana.  Pine Ridge Gardens offers potted plants of Alophia drummondii but they do not ship to Alaska, Arizona, California & Hawaii.  I've bought from all of these sources several times each in the past and was always thoroughly pleased with them.