Genus of flowering plants
Sinningia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herbaceous perennials, all occurring in Central and South America, with the greatest concentration of species occurring in southern Brazil.
The best-known species, "Sinningia speciosa", was originally introduced in cultivation as "Gloxinia speciosa" and is still commonly known to gardeners and in the horticultural trade as "gloxinia", although this is now considered incorrect. The true genus "Gloxinia" is distinguished by having scaly rhizomes rather than tubers.
"Sinningia" species often grow on rocks or cliffs and most are pollinated by hummingbirds or bees but "Sinningia brasiliensis" is bat-pollinated, and "Sinningia tubiflora", with large, powerfully fragrant tubular white flowers, is apparently pollinated by sphinx moths. Most of the species have large, brightly colored flowers. Because of this, numerous species and numerous hybrids and cultivars are grown as houseplants. A cultivar worth knowing is "Sinningia x 'Lovely.' "This beautifully gentle plant is a cross between "Sinningia sellovii" and "Sinningia tubiflora." Its tall spikes and tubular flowers attract butterflies, and delight gardeners. Some species with particularly large tubers are cultivated by cactus and succulent enthusiasts as caudiciforms. One such example is "Sinningia leucotricha", often listed under the older name "Rechsteineria leucotricha" and dubbed "Brazilian edelweiss" for its covering of silvery, silky hairs. Other species with large tubers are "Sinningia iarae", "Sinningia lineata", and "Sinningia macropoda."
The Brazilian genera "Paliavana" and "Vanhouttea", consisting of shrubby plants without tubers, are closely related to "Sinningia" and recent morphological and molecular analyses (Boggan 1991, Perret et al. 2003) suggest that these genera are, in fact, nontuberous "Sinningia" species. All three genera were included in tribe Gloxinieae in the classification system of Hans Wiehler but are now recognized in their own tribe, Sinningieae.
Numerous genera, including "Corytholoma", "Rechsteineria" and "Lietzia", have been synonymized under "Sinningia".
Garden uses and cultivation.
Sinningias are attractive greenhouse plants and houseplants that appeal strongly to gardeners who like to specialize in particular plant groups. The chief environmental needs are warmth, high humidity, suitable soil and good light with shade from strong sun. The soil should be well drained. It should contain a liberal proportion of organic matter, such as leaf mold or peat moss, and enough coarse sand or perlite to ensure good porosity.
The hybrid cultivars 'Empress Purple Spotted' and 'Empress Red' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Species.
81 species are accepted.
References.
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