652 



GLORIOSA 



GLOXINIA 



A. Segments (or petals) much crisped. 

 superba, Linn. CLIMBING LILY. Stem 5-10 ft. high: 

 Ivs. ovate-lanceolate ; segments 3-4 in. long and less 

 than an inch wide, opening yellow, but changing to 



Sellow-red and deep scarlet. Africa, Asia. B.R. 1:77. 

 n. 38:784. R.B. 23:121. 



AA. Segments somewhat undulate, lut not crisped. 



simplex, Linn. ( G. virtscens, Lindl. G. Plant ii, Loud. ). 

 Fls. opening yellow, and remaining so in shade, but be- 

 coming deep yellow-red when exposed to the sun; wider 

 than in G. superba, barely undulate and wavy, and not 

 prolonged or hooked at the end as in the latter species. 

 Africa. B.M.2539. Var. grandifldra, Nichols. (Methdnica 

 grandiflora, Hook.), has fls. 8 in. across. B.M. 5216. 



6. Abyssinica, Rich., said to be the largest-fld. species, seems 

 not to be in cult. L H B 



GLOKY OF THE SNOW. Fanciful name for Chiono- 

 doxa. 



GLOEY PEA. See Clianthus. 



GLOXINERA. Name given to hybrids of Gloxinia 

 (Sinningia) and Gesneria. See Gloxinia. 



GLOXINIA. The genus Gloxinia was founded by 

 L'Heritier in 1785(named in honor of P. B. Gloxin, a bota- 

 nist of Strassburg) upon G. maculata of Brazil. Early 

 in this century a related Brazilian plant was introduced, 

 and it attracted much attention : this plant was named 

 Gloxinia speciosa by Loddiges in his Botanical Cabinet 

 in 1817, and it was there figured. In the same year it 

 was figured by Ker in the Botanical Register, and 

 also by Sims in the Botanical Magazine. Sims wrote 

 that the plant was "already to be found in most of 

 the large collections about town [London]." These 

 writers refer the plant to the Linnaean class Didynamia, 

 but Ker also suggests that it may belong to the Cam- 

 panulacese. This Gloxinia speciosa was the forerunner 

 and leading parent of the garden Gloxinias, plants which 

 are now referred to the family Gesneracea3 ; but it turns 

 out that the plant really belongs to Nees' genus Sinnin- 

 gia, founded in 1825 on a Brazilian plant which he 

 named S. ffelleri. All our garden Gloxinias are Sin- 

 ningias, but to gardeners they will ever be known as 

 Gloxinia; therefore, we will trace the evolution of them 

 here. The genus is one of the Gesneracece. 



Gloxinia has no tubers : Sinningia has. Gloxinia has 

 a ring-like or annular disk about the ovary : Sinningia 

 has 5 distinct glands. The Sinningias are either stem- 

 less or stem-bearing, with a trumpet-shape or bell-shape 

 5-lobed and more or less 2-lipped corolla, a 5-angled or 

 5-winged calyx, 4 stamens attached to the base of the 

 corolla, and with anthers cohering at the tips in pairs, 

 and a single style with a concave or 2-lobed stigma. 

 The garden Gloxinias belong to the subgenus Ligeria 

 (subgenus of Sinningia), which has a short stem or 

 trunk, and a broad-limbed bell-shaped flower. 



The true Gloxinias are not florists' flowers, and they 

 are little known in cultivation. They are apparently not 

 in the American trade. The old G. maculata is figured in 

 the Garden 39:801 (p. 364), and it is probably to be 

 found in choice collections in the Old World. It pro- 

 duces knotty rootstocks, which, as well as the leaves, 

 may be used for propagation. It is also figured in B.M. 

 1191. G. glabrata, Zucc., from Mex., is the G. glabra, 

 Hort.,Achimenes gloxinia? flora, Forkel, and Plectopoma 

 gloxiniflorum, Haust. It is a stemmy plant, with white 

 fls. with yellow-spotted throat. (B.M. 4430, as G. fimbri- 

 ata, Hort.) Plectopoma is now referred to Gloxinia. A 

 few forms of this were once offered by Saul, but, with 

 the exception of P. gloxiniflorum, they are probably all 

 garden forms. 



The garden Gloxinias (genus Sinningia) are nearly 

 stemless plants, producing several or many very showy 

 bell-like fls. each on a long stem. Gloxinia speciosa 

 originally had drooping fls., but the result of continued 

 breeding has produced a race with fls. nearly or quite 

 erect (Figs. 918, 919). The deep bell of the Gloxinia 

 is very rich and beautiful, and the erect position is 

 a decided gain. The fls. also have been increased in 

 size and number, and varied in shape and markings ; 



aite. 

 par- 



the Ivs. also have become marked with gray or whi 

 The color of the original Gloxinia speciosa was appi 

 ently a nearly uniform purple. The modern races have 

 colors in white, red, purple and all intermediate shades: 

 some are blotched, and others are fine-spotted or sprin- 

 kled with darker shades. It is probable that the larger 



918. Gloxinia of the florists. 



part of the evolution in the common greenhouse Gl( 

 inia is a direct development from the old G. specie 

 but hybridity has played an important part. One of 

 earliest recorded series of hybrids (1844) was with Si 

 ningia guttata, which is a plant with an upright st 

 and bearing rather small spotted fls. in the axils of 

 Ivs. (B.R. 13:1112). The issue of this cross showed lit 

 tie effect of the S. guttata, except a distinct branchii 

 habit in some of the plants (B.R. 30:48). It is possil 

 however, that S. guttata has had something to do 

 the evolution of the spots on the present-day flowei 

 although the original G. speciosa was striped 

 blotched in the throat. The student who wishes to ti 

 some of the forms of garden Gloxinias may look up tl 

 following portraits : B.M. 1937, speciosa itself ; B.J 

 3206, var. albiflora; B.M. 3934, var. macrophylla v 

 gata; B.M. 3943, var. Menziesii; F.S. 3:220, Zeichh 

 (hybrid); F.S. 3:268; F.S. 4:311, Fyfiana (hybrid] 

 F.S. 6:610; F.S. 10:1002; F.S. 14:1434-6; F.S. 16:1< 

 and 1705; F.S. 17:1768, 1772-1776; F.S. 18:184(i, 

 1885,1918-19; F.S. 19:1955, double forms; F.S. 21:2164; 

 F.S. 22:2324. I.H. 42: 39, 41. Gt. 47:79; Gt. 48, p. 

 Gn. 15:168; 43:909; 52, p. 268. R.H. 1846:301, Teuc 

 lerii; R.H. 1848:201, Fyfiana; 1877:70, variabilis; R.H. 

 1883, p. 248. For florists' plants, see A.F. 11:7; A.G. 

 14:49; Gng. 6:83. There are many Latin-made name 

 of garden Gloxinias, but the plants are only forms 

 the G. speciosa type. One of the commonest currei 

 trade names is G. crassifolia, a name applied to some 

 the best and largest-growing strains. 



There are double forms of Gloxinia, in which an out 

 but shorter corolla is formed. These forms are more cui 

 ous than useful. Gloxinia (Sinningia) has been hybr 

 dized with Gesneria; and the hybrid progeny has beei 

 called Gloxinera (G.C. III. 17:145, Fig. 22). L. jj. B. 



Gloxinias are general favorites with most peopl< 

 Their large tubular and richly colored blossoms, 

 gether with their soft, velvety green leaves, make 

 gorgeous display when in flower. Being natives of tropi 

 cal America, they require stove temperature during thei 



f rowing season. Though they may be grown so as 

 ower at almost any season of the year, yet they 

 naturally summer-flowering plants, and do best wh( 

 treated as such. They are propagated by seeds, or 1 

 cuttings made of leaves or stems. Seeds are preferable 

 unless one wishes to increase some very choice color 

 variety, when it is best to propagate by leaf cuttinj 



