'Sinningia 'Romanza
Family: Gesneriaceae | Origin: North America, but the parents are from Brazil
The plant before us was created in the US less than 20 years ago, but its two parents are cold-hardy species from southern Brazil, Sinningia bullata and Sinningia eumorpha.
Usually, when thinking of Brazil, we imagine Carnival, the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, and the Amazon River with the mighty jungles surrounding it. Few remember that the vast Brazil reaches in its southernmost corner to the latitude of Cape Town in South Africa, where a Mediterranean climate similar to ours prevails.
In southern Brazil, the climate is temperate and rainy due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, but in certain mountainous areas it snows and the plants that grow there are resistant to extreme cold.
Sinningia 'Romanza' has fleshy, purple stems that bear large, beautiful leaves, with red prominent veins on the underside and with a wrinkled and shiny upper side. The plant also has many beautiful pink tubular flowers outlined with dark longitudinal stripes on the inner throat that appear between the leaves.
All this abundance rises from a perennial tuber that can reach a diameter of 30 cm.
The mother plant in Botanica Nursery, which is more than 10 years old, has such a huge tuber.
The leaves emerge at the end of winter and shortly afterwards, in April-May in the warm regions of the country and in June in the mountain area, the special flowers appear and continue blooming for about six months.
Unlike the other sinningias that we hold, this plant prefers bright shade and not direct sun, but like them it will thrive with regular irrigation, disappear at the beginning of winter and return in spring. It shows no sensitivity to cold or heat, but certainly prefers a corner protected from dry winds in the summer.
In nature, Sinningia bullata, to which 'Romanza' is more similar, grows on rocks and cliffs with little soil, and in any case, these plants do not like our heavy, calcareous soil. Therefore, we recommend planting it in a medium-sized pot (with a wide opening to accommodate the large tuber), adding drainage holes, fertilizing in the spring with a slow-release fertilizer, and placing it in a bright corner without significant direct sunlight.
With reasonable care, you are guaranteed a special and charming flowering plant for many years.
Don't forget: excellent drainage is a must!
לקריאה על סינינגיה 'רומנזה' בעברית, לחצו כאן
