I am not sure about the seeds, however the Chirita tamiana plant will grow like a small violet. It will not grow tall but grows more like a violet in a circular fashion, with the crown in the center. It is about the size of a semi-miniature violet.
I clean the leaves by washing them under a light stream of warm water. Tamiana doesn't have as many leaf hairs as some of the other gesneriads, but they do seem to be longer.

Also don't think that all the seeds will grow. Most of them won't really. I started my AV seeds in a clam shell container that is used to store sandwiches from a grocery store. I found that worked well. I know that my C.tamiana puts out seed pods often. After a while they will turn more brown and dry. I assume you would harvest them at this point. If you wait too long the pods will start to open sometimes. However I have never tried this, so I would wait till someone can verify this for you before you try it.
good luck
-Renee

Hi Korina, Um, I have no suggestions.....for what to do with 90,000 seedlings. That could pose a problem in the area of supply and demand--at least temporarily. Also, what do you do with the 90,000+ seedpods that then result three months after germination??

But the handling of the pods, seeds and planting, are a different matter. Here, there are plenty of suggestions--from me and many others of us. Its a rather easy situation.

But as to your question about where this plant has been all this time? Well, up until a few years ago, it was happily living, seeding, and reproducing only in the wilds of somewhere in Viet Nam. Then someone collected it and it made its way to growers in AGGS who then, in less than one year distributed first its leaves and soon its seed throughout the society and adjoining world. I remember that at the 1999 AGGS convention it was introduced (98??), with some leaves selling in the benefit auction for about $100, mol. The next year people were commenting on how the self sown seedlings were coming up on their capillary matting and in their pots and even in their hair (well, just kidding on the last one).

First, just let the plants grow, continue their good care, watering, light and fertilizing. I would let the little pods (Persian slippers) mature and crack. They break open along the top seam, so you have a window to collect and not lose the seeds. I carefully cut off the pods then and put them on a piece of regular paper with a crease down the middle. Then carefully open the pods and let the tiny seeds collect in the fold. Keep out as much of the chaff as you can, just for the sake of neatness, and store the seeds by folding up a little piece of paper, three ways by three ways and putting that into a small coin envelope. At least, that's how I save seed. Then, when all the pods are harvested you take your little collection of seed, and carefully open it and make a little pile on the middle of a piece of paper and gaze at it admiringly for a few moments. That's the most fun part. Imagine its value, if only you knew how to sell it to some mega-global plant or seed company--imagine those thousands of plants filling up the benches of a huge greenhouse. Then you can plant some.

Jon

LOL Jon, like the step where you admire the mound of seeds.

I had plenty of pods abort on my young plants. Now they are starting to set seed more regularly. I forget to harvest and before I know it, seeds have fallen into neighboring pots and I have to go weeding (when it's humid enough for them to germinate). No one said you have to let all the seed pods ripen either... it's like tossing the weak seedlings from a batch of veggies... you get used to the idea of waste. LOL.

I just had some luck cleaning some dry leaves in a dry environment with a paint brush. When I tried it a few months ago in a nicely humid enviro it didn't work, but now.... peat-less leaves!

Thanks Jon. I'd be afraid to admire, because I just *know* I'd sneeze them all over everything. However, I kind of like the idea of inflicting them on one of those mega-corps.

Ki, so far so good. Everything looks healthy, but it would be nice for the plants to do the weeding for me. Fortunately, I have my tamianas on a counter by themselves, with their very own light. The next nearest plant is three feet away -- the seeds couldn't get that far, could they?

I actually have ideas for at least some of the seedlings. I have a friend who has a booth at the local farmer's market, and next holidays my work is having another craft sale. Hopefully I won't saturate the market. Oh, and the 'local' AV club might like some; but one of their plants gave me aphids so maybe not. (I was surprised at how badly some of their plants looked at the club sales -- I mean, sheesh, they're an AV club!)

What I'll do with the other 89,950 I'll figure out later. Burn that bridge when I get to it, as it were.

A happy and healthy New Year to all and thanks!

Korina

oh, I have a picture for you. This is an example of how NOT to sow them. It's a 8" deli container and that's about 1/4 of one seed pod.... and every single tiny germinated seed made it.

{{gwi:838539}}

AAAAAAH! Ki, don't DO that! It's too early in the morning for a picture that scary!!!!!

Maybe I should do some judicious pruning...

Korina, shaking in my shoes

Okay, please don't laugh at me (although you probably will). When I came in this morning I saw reddish granules all over my tamiana; it looked like bug doo but I couldn't find any bugs(you know what's coming). I looked again a short while ago and discovered my seed pods had EXPLODED all over EVERYTHING. I hurriedly grabbed the nearest baggie and put them in, while carefully brushing seeds off the leaves. Oy.

So how long do I have before I HAVE to plant these things?

You're laughing, aren't you? I can tell.

Korina, relieved that part's over with

roflmao... can't help it.

You have at least a year as far as I know - probably closer to 2? Why not water your tamianas and put a bag over the whole thing? No doubt you will have seedlings sprout all over the place, including on the leaves!!!

LOL!!

Sorry you had some spillage. Usually they crack open on the top of the pod and don't spill anything for a while, but spillage happens, as they say.

I was looking really close at some pods the other day. Being nearsighted I still have good close up vision from a few inches. I noticed that the pods have a cream colored seam on the upper side. The pods are upright but at a slope--enough to contain most of the seeds when the seam splits.

If you really want to keep the seeds long term then you can put them in a folded piece of paper, and put that in a small coin envelope, and put that in a well sealed jar in the fridge (not the freezer). I use a regular jar but have been known to put the lid on with a piece of plastic wrap between the lid and the jar, to make sure that moisture doesn't get inside. Also, you can put some dessicant in the jar. Anyway, that will keep seeds viable for many years. Have fun with your seeds though. You can use them to do all kinds of experiments with sowing.

The other day, I gave a 2" pot of tamiana, complete with 2 seedpods to a grower from a nursery that grows 4" pot plants. So, expect to see this plant everywhere in a year or two ;). The nursery is Annie's Annuals--they have a web site and sell mail order too. It will be interesting to see what they do with this species.

One thing I haven't tried, is to find out how hardy or outdoor tolerant this plant is. It comes from N. Viet Nam, but I don't know the elevation where it is found. It may be hardy in coastal N. California or it may need warm conditions like a violet. I do have a plant in my cool greenhouse, which is healthy but not flowering.

Jon

Ooh, Jon, good idea. I have more than enough to experiment with planting some outside. Probably just watch them die, but, hey. Call it unnatural selection.

Have a good weekend, all, and thanks for your help.

Korina

I bet you'd be able to trade some of those seeds for other seeds or African violet leaves. (hint, hint)

I just found this thread. Very intersting. I'm justing getting into the gesnairds. Does anyone have extra seeds to trade?
:) Donna

Barb, I'd love to trade, but I got burned (twice!) so I'm a little leery. Unless you have named micro-mini AVs? (hint, hint) ;-)

Donna, check out the Gesneriad Society; with a membership you get a (relatively) large pack of various Gessie seeds.

Good luck.

Korina

Here is a link that might be useful: AGGS home page

Well, I finally screwed up my courage and sowed some seeds on Monday. Tuesday I noticed new flower buds. These are getting nipped as *soon* as the flowers fade.

Pray for me.

Korina

SQUEAL! I have sproutage! Teeny little cotlydons (sp?) are peeping their little heads up!

Well, that was all my energy for the day. I love long weekends; makes it even harder to come back to work. Erf.

I'm thinking Gesneriads are the tribbles of the plant world. Or is it just tamianas? I'm getting four flower stalks per plant, times four seed pods per stalk, times five plants, times 9,000 seeds per pod...

Korina

Don't worry Korina, they could never grow outdoors. They come from the mountains of North Vietnam. I've never seen one grown outdoors in N. California so, obviously, they wouldn't be good outdoor plants. Especially not in your cool and humid far north. So, they will only be tribbles on the light stand.

Of couse the above is a not-so-subtly written dare. Well, I'll show old so and so, and be the first to discover that these make a great little outdoor plant........I wonder....... They might live over in Sunset Zone 17, or maybe in S. Califonria, along the coast. It is such a drought tolerant species on my light stand it might even be drought tolerant in an area that gets lots of summer fog.

Jon

Jon, I'm pretty sure I have some growing among the dust bunnies under my bed.

That's funny John. Too bad tamiana only comes in one variety, almost no variation, and it doesn't seem to cross with anything. Will all the millions of seedlings, I wonder how long before we see a variegate??

I have one that came up in a covered terrarium. I guess the seed snuck in when I lifted the cover to water. I better get it out of there before it drops seeds. I wouldn't want it to crowd out my, ahem, Nautilocalyx cordatus (a keeper!).

John, have you tried tamiana in your garden? Who knows, it might turn out to be a good summer annual. Maybe seed could be scattered in spring, for flowers by July.

I wonder if they'd grow in Florida or one of those other warm soggy states. Of course, California is doing pretty well in the soggy area. Poor SoCal has received *twice* their yearly rainfall so far this year. And, hey, it hasn't stopped raining yet! Glad I moved to sunny, dry NorCal (no, really, it is -- freaky).

Korina

Yes, I have tried C. tamiana outdoors but with so-so results. They don't tolerate any direct sun at all. Perhaps I just haven't found the right spot for them yet, although even in the shade they may resent my region's beastly hot and humid summers. This year I may try direct-sowing some seeds in early spring and hope they will bloom by the end of summer.

I suspect this species would make an excellent shady rock garden plant in the Pacific Northwest.

You know, I think my pods always split on the underside first. I had another one explode on me today - seeds are all over the pot and leaves. Lovely. I snipped off the other still-green pods.