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Sinningia calcaria usually has one or two pairs of leaves on a thin stalk. Sometimes only one of the leaves develops, so that it resembles S. sp. "Santa Teresa". It can even flower in this form. The most obvious difference between the two species (which are not closely related) in that case is that the flowers (if you can get them) come from the leaf axil in S. calcaria and from a peduncle coming directly from the tuber in the case of S. sp. "Santa Teresa".
This is terrible photography, but it does show S. calcaria in habitat, growing on a sheer rock face. The plant has four leaves, which my plants, even blooming ones, usually do not get. I took this picture on the GRF expedition to Brazil in 1999.
Behind me, as I was moving in to get this picture, was a large wasp nest that Mauro just managed to keep me from bumping. That would have made the expedition more memorable than it needed to be.
This plant illustrates the benefits and hazards of growing sinningias outdoors. My indoor plants of Sinningia calcaria are smaller, usually with only one pair of leaves, but they bloom, although with only a few flowers. This outdoor plant has two pairs of large leaves and initiated plenty of flowerbuds. I anticipated a good photo for this site, with lots of flowers. However, something got into the buds and ate out the centers, so that not one developed.
Oh well, maybe next year.
The above picture, from Karyn Cichocki, shows fruits of S. calcaria, adorned with droplets of nectar. Kinda look like eyes, don't they?
It's too soon to tell about most of these potential fruits, but the one just below and to the left of the center of the picture, with the shriveled style, is clearly going to produce seed. The beak of the fruit is already fattening up.
The nectar is still around even after the corolla has dropped because, it appears, there are no hummingbirds in Karyn's house to sip it. Note where the beads of nectar appear: only in the two upper junctions between the calyx lobes, which corresponds to the position of the two nectaries in the picture of S. 'Texas Zebra'.
| Plant Description | |
|---|---|
| Attribute | Information |
| Growth | Determinate |
| Habit | An odd plant with a stem which can seem like an extension of the petiole(s). |
| Leaves | One-four. Usually asymmetrical. Dark green on top, tinged with red on reverse |
| Dormancy | Stems are deciduous, but new ones often sprout as the older ones die back. |
| Flowering | |
| Attribute | Information |
| Inflorescence | Flowers in terminal cluster. |
| Season | Blooms when it's in the mood |
| Flower | Tubular, orange |
| Horticultural Aspects | |
| Attribute | Information |
| From seed | 18 months to bloom, under my conditions |
| Hardiness | Has survived 30 F (-1 C) in my back yard, without any leaf damage |
| Recommended? | Yes, if you're a better grower than I am. It is picturesque in bloom. |
| Botany | |
| Attribute | Information |
| Taxonomic group | The douglasii group of the Dircaea clade. |
See Ron Myhr's gesneriad reference web for a picture. It is not clear how many leaves this plant has, but the color and texture closely match those of my plants, much more so than another picture on the same site. The latter plant, with markings on the outside of a yellow corolla tube, seems rather strange for S. calcaria.
Chautems 1990.