GLOXINIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



GLOXINIA 



Gloxinia than a Gesnera in appear- 

 ance, being very succulent and 

 covered with fine hairs. 



GLOXINIA (after B. P. Gloxin, a 

 botanist of Colmar). Nat. Qrd. Ges- 

 neracese. — The Gloxinia of the 

 botanist and the Gloxinia of the 

 gardener are quite distinct genera, 

 although they both belong to the 

 same section of the same family. 

 The garden Gloxinia would be 

 more correctly known under the 

 name of Sinningia, as most of 

 the forms in cultivation have been 

 evolved by plant - breeders from 

 Sinningia speciosa. This species 

 was introduced from Brazil in 

 1815, Waterloo year, and to show 

 what changes have taken place 

 since, these garden forms may be 

 compared with the following de- 

 scription of <S^. speciosa : — Plant 

 short-stemmed, more or less hairy, 

 with blunt or slightly pointed 

 oblong leaves, more or less con- 

 vex, usually narrowed towards the 

 base, crenulate on the margins, 

 velvety in texture, and sparsely 

 clothed with hairs. Flowers with 

 ovate lance-shaped, velvety, calyx 

 segments ; corolla tubular, bell- 

 shaped, irregular, drooping, five-lobed, 

 and usually violet in colour. 



It would be difficult to recognise in 

 this plant the parent of the garden 

 Gloxinia of the present day, with its 

 innumerable shades and spottings of 

 colour, and its large and more or 

 less erect and regular blossoms so 

 distinct from the drooping, irregular, 

 violet ones of the wild type. In the 

 modem florists' Gloxinia all shades 

 of colour exist except yellow and 

 true blue, shades that may never 

 appear. The colours now range from 

 the purest white to the deepest 

 crimson and the brightest of fiery 

 reds, passing through purple, pale and 



deep violet, rose, pink in numerous 

 shades. In addition to "self" or 

 uniformly coloured varieties there 

 are many exquisite forms beautifully 

 speckled with colours quite distinct 

 from the groundwork; and the fact 

 that by raising seedlings, still more 

 charming combinations of colour are 

 possible, makes Gloxinia-growing at 

 the present day one of the most 



257 



Fig. 176.— Gloxinia, various. (J.) 



interesting of cultural operations. 

 Although chiefly grown for decorative 

 eifect as pot plants, the flowers of 

 Gloxinias are useful in a cut state, 

 and will last several days in water. 

 Indeed I have used the blossoms 

 from plants grown in a cold house 

 without any heat, for such mourning 

 emblems as wreaths, crosses, anchors, 

 etc., and was astonished to find that 

 they last several days longer in the 

 open air than the flowers of much 

 hardier plants. 



CuLTUEE. — The Gloxinia having a 

 tuberous root-stock like the tuberous 

 Begonia, may be grown in much the 

 same way and under almost identical 



