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As the name suggests, this is one of the hairy sinningias. This picture and the one below show that the calyxes are particularly hairy.
Sinningia 'Freckles' is S. concinna x hirsuta, hybridized by Carl Clayberg in the 1960s. Since the two species are in different subgroups (S. concinna in the Corytholoma clade, S. hirsuta in the Sinningia clade), it is not surprising that 'Freckles' is sterile. However, a presumed tetraploid, S. 'Hircon', was created from 'Freckles', and this plant is fertile.
Several years ago, both Dave Zaitlin and Mauro Peixoto crossed S. hirsuta with S. kautskyi. After some consultation, they named the resulting hybrid S. 'Amizade', from the Portuguese word for friendship. Since S. hirsuta and S. kautskyi are in the same clade, there was at least a chance that S. 'Amizade' would be fertile. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case. Both Dave and Mauro report that they have been unable to self 'Amizade' or back-cross it to one of its parents.
See the photo of S. 'Amizade' on the Gesneriad Society's web site. The plant was grown by Gary Dunlap.
I believe that all species in the Sinningia tribe can be successfully crossed with any other species in the tribe. In general, it appears that species in the same clade (see a full discussion, including which species are in which clades) will form fertile hybrids with one another. This certainly seems to be true of the Dircaea clade, which includes many well-known species (S. eumorpha, S. reitzii, S. cardinalis, etc.).
The above example (S. hirsuta x kautskyi) is the only example that I know of so far where the result of crossing two species in the same clade is not fertile.
| Plant Description | |
|---|---|
| Attribute | Information |
| Habit | Stem short, giving plant a rosette appearance |
| Leaves | Hairy |
| Dormancy | Normal |
| Flowering | |
| Attribute | Information |
| Season | Summer |
| Flower | White, with purple throat, narrow white stripe down the center of the throat, dark purple spots on both the white stripe and the purple sides. Width of flower: about 2 cm [less than an inch]. |
| Horticultural Aspects | |
| Attribute | Information |
| Hardiness | Has survived 32F (0C) in my yard |
| Problems and pests | Mildew one year |
| Recommended? | Not exactly. This is a very attractive species, but (for me) hard to keep alive. If you're a better grower than I am (and who isn't), try this one. |
| Botany | |
| Attribute | Information |
| Taxonomic group | In a subgroup by itself within the Sinningia clade. |
The Gesneriad Society's web site has a picture of a plant of S. hirsuta entered in the 2002 convention show.
See also a picture on Ron Myhr's Gesneriad Reference Web.
Sinningia hirsuta was first published (as a Gloxinia) in 1829 by John Lindley (1799-1865). It was transferred to Sinningia by Nichols in 1887.
Etymology: Latin hirsuta ("hairy").