Sinningia eumorpha

Feature table
Publication and etymology

Sinningia eumorpha has flowers with a yellow stripe down the center of the tube. There are purple markings in the yellow stripe; The corolla itself is either white (as here) or lavender. The white seems more attractive to me.

Unfortunately, this particular plant is no longer alive.

Sinningia eumorpha has been used a lot in hybridization, and was one of the main parents of the xGloxinera hybrids of 50 years ago. It brings a lot of good qualities to hybrids, such as compactness, good leaf texture, and quickness to bloom from seed. This species usually has only one flower per axil, so increasing the flower count by appropriate choice of breeding partner is one of the goals when hybridizing with this species.

See three views of a S. eumorpha tuber.

Feature table for Sinningia eumorpha

Plant Description
Attribute	Information
Growth	Indeterminate
Habit	Stem(s) upright
Leaves	Green, some with red or red-tinged reverse
Dormancy	Stems fully deciduous. Dormancy appears to be obligate.
Flowering
Attribute	Information
Season	Blooms in summer
Flower	White or lavender, campanulate, usually one per axil
Inflorescence	Axillary cyme, usually one flower
Horticultural Aspects
Attribute	Information
From seed	19 months to bloom, under my conditions. You can almost certainly do better, since S. eumorpha bequeaths rapid maturation to its hybrid progeny.
Hardiness	Has survived 28F (-2C) in my yard
Recommended?	Yes, with reservations. I have not had a lot of luck keeping plants of this species alive for more than a few years. On the other hand, they have nice foliage, and interesting flowers (especially if you like a lavender/yellow color combination). S. eumorpha is a superb parent for hybridizing, however.
Botany
Attribute	Information
Taxonomic group	The eumorpha group of the Dircaea clade.

Publication

H. E. Moore, 1954.

Etymology: eu- ("good") + -morph ("form, shape").