Saturday, November 28, 2009

The Rosettifolia group - Part II

The next form of "the Rosettifolias" is perhaps the most ornate of them all. The foliage on P. rosettifolia #3 is very showy indeed. It is often a winner at shows when out of bloom due to the light yellow veination along the central and lateral veins of the deep almost black-green leaves.

Petrocosmea rosettifolia #3 is also sometimes labeled P. sp. 'G25KC00'. It was brought into cultivation around the year 2000, after being imported from Chen Yi Nursery (or Kaichen Nursery) in China as a wild collected plant. This form produces the largest rosette of any of the forms. Leaves are more elliptical in shape, forming a sharp point, with teethed or serrate margins. The leaf is very deep glossy green, almost black in the right light. The centers show a bright yellow veination along the central and lateral veins. Leaves are covered in a course hair and have a rough texture. The rosette tends to be very symmetrical naturally. This form does produce offsets quite readily as it approaches flowering, which unfortunately, often ruins the flat rosette. Flowers are produce singly, on stout light green peduncles, with three bracts. Flowers on this form are clear, bright white, with a yellow throat, and often have four or five lower petals.




A flowering plant of P. rosettifolia #3 showing it's white flowers over the striking dark foliage.



The clear white flowers of P. rosettifolia #3 have a lemon yellow center and usually extra petals. Note how the two upper petals are fused into a green hood on the top of the flower. These petals, if measured from base to tip are about one half the length of the lower petals...a characteristic which places this species within Section Anisochilus of the genus Petrocosmea.


My show plant of P. rosettifolia #3 entered in the July 2009 annual convention show of the Gesneriad Society in Silver Spring, MD. The plant won both a first place in it's class and Best Petrocosmea in the show....likely due to the extra ornamental value added by the yellow center veining of the glossy leaves. The contrast is quite showy. The plant was seven inches in diameter.


This photo shows the peduncles on P. rosettifolia #3 which have three bracts, instead of the two bracts found on forms #1 and #2. This form's flowers also have extra lower petals. This photo also shows the rough texture to the glossy leaves and the teeth along the leaf's margins. (The white tag is marking the parentage of a seedpod on the peduncle on the left.) The more compact rosette of P. rosettifolia #2 is in the background. Note that it does not reach the margins of the 5" pot, while the leaves on the larger rosette of #3 are extending over the pot's edge.



A favorite shot of the center of the rosette of P. rosettifolia #3, shows the nice yellow veination forming a yellow feather pattern in the center of the leaves. Even without flowers, this form is a showy plant.