How did this happen?

Sinniniga 'Esther' - four buds

            Remember when I told you about Sinningia ‘Esther’?

            This red flowered Sinningia has cardinalis-type flowers but it is limited by only one flower per leaf axil.

            This picture of a rooted side shoot from my original plant is budded and flowering.

            Four flowers per leaf.  How can this happen?

Sinningia 'Esther' -- How?

Sinningia 'Esther' Project

Sinningia 'Esther' with seed pods

Sinningia ‘Esther’ flowers were easy to pollinate and Sinningia cardinalis-types give you hundreds of seeds.

With S. ‘Esther’ being a hybrid of uncertain background, the seedlings will be variable.  But, hopefully, they will give a showy cluster of red flowers on upright branching plants.

            Since seedlings will be plentiful and cheap, I can plant 2-3 in a 4” pot for a reasonably priced novel flowering houseplant.

Is this a Flowering Plant that you would buy?

Sinningia 'Esther' grown by Gary's Specialty Plants

            I’ve been waiting for the bright red buds to open on Sinningia ‘Esther’.  Mel Grice shared this interesting Sinningia cardinalis-type hybrid with me at the National Gesneriad Convention in Delaware this year.

            Is it good enough to propagate for sales?  Red is always a good color to have.  The drawback seems to be only one flower per leaf axil.

            This plant is from a side shoot tip cutting.  There looks like a lot of pollen, so a seed pod may be a good method of getting a lot of plants that should be similar.

            Worth a try?

Sinningia 'Esther'