I think you mean "petrocosmea". I'm not sure I want to know what a proctocosmea is...... Check on the photos and descriptions on the Gesneriad Reference Web.

Jon

I grow 3 Petrocosmea varieties. forrestii has many buds up now, which should open soon. begoniifolia is forming a nice tight rosette. and minor is one that i just put down as a leaf, and a tiny rosette has been growing as its baby. it took forever!

Since I'm here, let me put a question to other Pet growers. These don't need to be potbound to flower, right? My forrestii is putting up buds and it has not filled its pot. I want to put all three of mine in a big bubble bowl to make a collection, but they'd be growing in sort of open mix. You all don't think that would be a problem, do you?

I find they are very drought tolerant/succulent. I have grown them outdoors here all year long and they tolerate our wet cool winters (lows into the 30's) but I recently took them inside and put them under lights and already they look better. So, I think they like a dryish cool rest in winter but will grow on a lightstand. Outside in our dry summer they seem to tolerate tiny pots and drying out--at least begoniifolia did that. Kerrii seems to wilt if too dry. I love them just for their foliage but flowering really sets them aglow.

Jon, busy getting ready for the January meeting today of the San Francisco Gesneriad Society. I'm bringing lots of show and tell today! and a bunch of raffle plants :)

Nikki, do you have any idea what petrocosmea means? I have a theory but I would like to know what the latin root words really mean????

Jon

petra is "rock" so I vote for "rock cosmos". Would love to know what it really means.

I don't know what it means. The petra part is for rock, which makes sense since it often grows on mossy rock (says a gesneriad reference site), and the only meaning I know for cosm part is universe. I don't generally know this kind of thing, though.

Someone just informed me that, in addition to the "universe" meaning, cosmo also has a "decoration" meaning. So "decoration on rocks" makes more sense than "rock universe", so I'll guess that.

I looked up "cosmo" in my old Britannica dictionary and saw that the root, kosmos (greek) was mainly meant as universe, or orderly universe. The words cosmology and cosmic come from kosmos. But, then I noticed that cosmetic and cosmetology also come from kosmos but the root word instead of referring to "universe" refers to "order or ornament". So, I think this is what the name means--a rock ornament. I was hoping that kosmos somehow referred to star, making the meaning of petrocosmea to be "Rock Star".

Now that I think about it, the name is spelled with an "e" as petrocosmEa and not petrocosmIa. I am guessing this has something to do with the fact that cosmetic and cosmetology have the "e" thing going on, while "cosmic" and "cosmo" have the "i" or the "o". I'm sure John B. can set this all right. Now back to discussion of things that actually matter.....

Jon
PS: speaking of what matters, here is a link to the new kid on the block, still without a formal name, just a bunch of letters and numbers. It is something in the order of "really spectactular"--take a look. I have some tiny starts, off of which I just put down tiny leaves. If all goes well I will have some plants to bring for the AGGS convention sale next July (finger's crossed).

Here is a link that might be useful: One of the new pets

Wow!!!

Oh my gosh -- That is way, singularly cool!
I'm quite fond of the couple Pets I have (slightly more common ones)! They don't mind my cool house (I guess when it gets in the 40's F it could be called downright COLD), they tolerate a skipped watering here or there...plus, they're SO pretty!
Another sort of pet, Naughty Kitty, recently ruined the beautiful form of my once-flawless Momo :(
She also ate half of the first, just-opened, blossom of a Strep (Bristol's Hey Mei.) *sigh* If it weren't so cold out, I might be reconsidering her indoor status. (yeah, I'm all talk.) Stinkin' little gourmet can't be happy with oat sprouts...

Hi, I have never heard of this plant, it looks pretty and very danity, do you send for it or start it yourself, sorry I cant help.