Sinningia cardinalis

Spring is definitely here when the Sinningia comes to life with it's vibrant flowers and fuzzy leaves.

Sinningia cardinalis

A beautiful, caudex forming member of the Gesneriaceae, these plants are easy to grow. They go dormant during the winter but at about this time every spring, they put out new leaves and bright red flowers. During the summer, they appreciate adequate water and bright filtered sun or light shade.

Sinningia leucotricha and cardinalis

I was able to get out to the greenhouses today to take a few photos. I'll start off with two nice succulent tubers. First, Sinningia leucotricha with its felted, silvery leaves and pinkish-red flowers.

And secondly, Sinningia cardinalis with larger, green leaves and bright red flowers.

These both come out of dormancy with a tremendous show of flowers and then the leaves continue to grow larger throughout the summer. Outstanding plants.

Sinningia cardinalis

I posted Sinningia leuchotricha earlier. This is S. cardinalis with flowers which are more red and leaves which are less white/fuzzy. This one also has a really nice large tuber.

Sinningia cardinalis

These have very large green leaves, not nearly as fuzzy as S. leuchotricha. They go dormant in the winter and come back strong in the Spring. The caudex can reach 30 cm. in diameter. Needs rich soil with good drainage, bright light when growing. They're native to Brazil.