Sinningia sceptrum

1. Tuber position
2. Dew on the leaves
3. Feature table
4. External link
5. Publication and etymology

This is one of the tall sinningias.  It prefers quite a bit of sunlight, and is one of the ancestors of S. 'Apricot Bouquet'.

This picture was taken in September 2005.

Sinningia sceptrum has a much wider range than most Sinningia species, which are confined to the Atlantic forests and mountains of Brazil.  The Gesneriad Checklist shows that this species is also found in Peru and Ecuador.

Tuber Position

When grown from seed, the plant positions its tuber well down into the soil.  This indicates that the tuber should be planted beneath the soil line, which is typical of most sinningias which grow in full sun.  I have not seen this plant growing in the wild, but I suspect that it grows in clumps of several plants, with the tall stems supporting one another, since that is how S. curtiflora and S. elatior grow.

Morning dew

Dew in the morning on two shoots of Sinningia sceptrum, May 2006.  The dew collects on the points of the leaves.

Feature table for Sinningia sceptrum

External Link

Mauro Peixoto's Brazilian Plants site has a page about S. sceptrum.

Publication

by Martius (1829) as Gesnera sceptrum
by Wiehler (1975) as Sinningia sceptrum.

Etymology: Latin sceptrum ("scepter").