Sinningia 'Carolyn'

1. History
2. Comparisons
3. Fragrance
4. Feature table

History

Sinningia tubiflora and Sinningia warmingii were crossed in the mid-20th century by Carl Clayberg, and a fertile hybrid was obtained (see the crossing table).

The resulting plant has long tubiflora-like flowers, which are, like the tubiflora parent, fragrant.

The name 'Carolyn' honors Carolyn Ripps, one of the administrators of the Gesneriad Society seed fund.  Here is her explanation:

Years ago, I planted seed of that cross from the then AGGS Seed Fund. When the plant bloomed and I found that the flowers were fragrant, I sent a cutting to John Boggan who was interested in gesneriads with fragrant flowers. He gave a piece of his plant to Tony Avent and suggested that it be named for me. My five minutes of fame.

Flower Comparison

The length of the corolla tube of Sinningia 'Carolyn' is intermediate between that of its parents.  So is the color of the corolla, and, for that matter, the color of the calyx.

Because they hang, either vertically or almost vertically, the flowers of Sinningia tubiflora and Sinningia 'Carolyn' have a sharp, roughly 90-degree bend between the corolla tube and the pedicel.

Sinningia warmingii flowers are held almost horizontally or as close as possible to it, given the arching stem, which means that the angle between the corolla tube and the pedicel is about 180 degrees.

Leaf Comparison

The length of the leaves of Sinningia 'Carolyn' is intermediate between that of its parents.  Here the comparison is a little risky, since culture affects leaf size more than culture affects flower size.

The texture of the leaves is very similar, which isn't too surprising, given that the two parents are closely related.  The leaves of Sinningia tubiflora and Sinningia 'Carolyn' have almost no petiole (are sessile), while those of Sinningia warmingii have a short petiole (about 1 cm long).

Fragrance

The flower scent is not the same as that of S. tubiflora. Some people like it, some people don't. Scratch here for a sample.