Scientific Name:
Streptocarpus saxorum
Pronunciation:
strep-toe-KAR-pus sacks-ORE-um
Common Name:
bavarian belles, false African violet, cape primrose
Family Name:
Gesneriaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (grown as), Flowering pot plant
Key ID Features:
Mounds 5-8cm high, semi-shrubby; stems slender, hairy; leaves small, softly hairy, fleshy, elliptic to ovate leaves that occur in whorls of three; flowers arising from the upper leaf axils, single or paired, bilabiate (three lower petal lobes are larger than the upper two), about 2cm wide with a with a corolla tube up to 3cm long.
Habit:
Arching
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
0.3 - 0.6m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa - tropical
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade, Deep shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Bedding plant, Container planting
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown may include S. 'Concord Blue'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Heavily veined, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Shapes:
Elliptic, Ovate
Apices:
Obtuse
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Ciliate, Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Cyme, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Blue, Violet, Purple, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Twisted, 2-valved; rarely seen on indoor plants
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Pest Susceptibility:
Mildew, Mold (Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
