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bubba62

Chrysothemis pulchella dormancy

bubba62
16 years ago

I have two pots of C. pulchella (I think the cv. is 'Black Flamingo'), one of which I propagated last summer from a stem cutting. Both seem to have produced decent tubers and are now fully dormant. I store sinningias, achimenes, eucodonia, and gloxinia rhizomes and tubers in cool, almost dry soil for the winter, but I'm not sure whether to dry out the Chrysomthemis as much as those, or to keep it in a warmer, moister position. Any advice?

Comments (5)

  • greenelbows1
    16 years ago

    I haven't had it for a few years--keep meaning to get it again, but I have a shortage of 'round tuits'--I always kept at least one growing in the house and planted the others ouside. I lost them when I spent a year living out of the country. Sometimes they grew tubers and came back, and sometimes they didn't. But 'dry' is not something we have a lot of usually. It did do very well just keeping it growing--I don't think it's a plant that requires dormancy. Anyway, since many of the ones outside came back, I would think dry storage wouldn't be necessary, tho' maybe 'on the dry side'? Don't know how much help that is!

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    Interesting ,I bought one of these on impulse and planted on my seep wall. Grew so big it pulled the planter down. I separated it into 3 pots did'nt notice any tuber or bulb. It is still flowering away though got some damage from the fall.
    We must be talking about different plants but the tag says Chrysothemis "black flamingo" Has very large dark green leaves with orange calyx and yellow flowers with spots. Sound like yours??
    I know almost nothing about gesneriads.

  • greenelbows1
    16 years ago

    Sounds like that's what you've got, Gary. I haven't taken a lot of notice with my own plants, but I have read that they don't necessarily make tubers. I just assumed the ones that came back had tubers and the ones that didn't probably didn't--shouldn't state things as fact when I haven't verified it, I guess. But I read it several times in good sources. It's a really dramatic plant that loves our heat and humidity.

  • bubba62
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks guys. Mine have definitely formed tubers, and keeping them growing was not an option due to space considerations. I didn't induce dormancy - for me, they seem to take a rest after each bloom cycle, no matter what time of year that occurs. Maybe it's a clonal thing. Anyway, I'm treating them like sinningias, begonias, arisaemas, etc., and keeping them moist enough to avoid shriveling, but not wet enough to rot (I hope). We'll see what happens.

    Interestingly, I put in one of the dying stems as a cutting about a month ago, and while the actual stem rotted away, the growth buds from the leaf axils still appear viable - I'm wondering if perhaps they'll act as dormant buds and grow when the temps begin to rise (all of these are under lights in my cool garage - temps hover around 50 at night in winter). Fun to experiment with things like this, anyway.

  • garyfla_gw
    16 years ago

    Hi
    Now you've raised my curiosity lol. I bought mine at HD among the landscape plants. The tag only said Chrysothemis "black flamingo". I just stuck it up on the wall and it surpised me at how rapidly it grew. I'ts gotten much larger than I thought it would and was extremely heavy.
    Has been in constant flower since i got it.. I find the leaves very attractive and the flowers are downright gaudy lol When I repotted ,after the fall, I was impressed at how shallow rooted it was. hairroots only and secondary ones at the nodes. No sign of a tap root let alone a bulb.
    We have just now had the first cool weather but only in the mid fifties at night Has been extremely warm especially at night. until this last week.
    Guess I'll have to do a search on the family .Think it will get much too large for the seep wall but looks fantastic among the other tropicals.
    It's funny I got into this forum by punching the wrong button was looking for GH lol. Thanks for the Info and the possible ID.!!! Good luck with yours gary