# Sinningia cardinalis



## John M (Jan 14, 2015)

I got this plant as a little, mable-sized tuber about 15 years ago when I joined the Toronto Gesneriad Society. As a welcome gift, I got to choose a plant off the member's sales table at their show. It was small and cute; but, it's grown to be quite large, now. The stems and leaves are covered in a thick, dense fuzz. The leaves feel like they're made of velvet. I keep it in the greenhouse and even though the stems with leaves and flowers regularly die down, I never rest the tuber. It just keeps on getting whatever the orchids around it get. Then, it will shoot up one or two new growths like this. The blooms are chock full of nectar, literally dripping from the base of the tube as the flower ages. Hummingbirds love this plant and they come into my greenhouse in the summer to take advantage of the free food. The tuber is now the size of a very large grapefruit. I'm going to finally repot it this spring and see if I can't improve on the number of stems. I'd love to get half a dozen flowering stems all at once, if that's possible.


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## SlipperFan (Jan 14, 2015)

Cardinal flower. One of my favorite perennials.


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## John M (Jan 15, 2015)

Dot, this is a tropical Gesneriad...a Sinningia. It's not a hardy perennial. It's not Lobelia cardinalis.


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## Secundino (Jan 15, 2015)

So wonderful.


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## NYEric (Jan 15, 2015)

I grow a few, not this one, minis and would like to try some micro-minis like pusilla and concinna again. Maybe even try to make a small hybrid w/ red color!! Thanks for sharing.


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## SlipperFan (Jan 15, 2015)

Fooled me!


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## abax (Jan 15, 2015)

Beautiful color and the photo has wonderful depth.


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## jjkOC (Jan 16, 2015)

I really like the photo too! Very pretty!


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## PaphMadMan (Jan 16, 2015)

John M said:


> Dot, this is a tropical Gesneriad...a Sinningia. It's not a hardy perennial. It's not Lobelia cardinalis.



Convergent evolution for hummingbird pollination accounts for the strong similarity in the flowers.


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## Erythrone (Jan 16, 2015)

Well grown, John!!!


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## littlefrog (Jan 16, 2015)

Is it deciduous?


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## John M (Jan 16, 2015)

Thanks everyone.

When the flowering is done, the whole plant collapses and dies down. After a short rest with no "above the pot" growth, it will begin growing one or two new stems and repeat the whole cycle again.


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## Clark (Jan 16, 2015)

A phoenix.


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## gnathaniel (Jan 17, 2015)

Beautiful plant, John, definitely going on my 'gesneriad wish list'.


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