Streptocarpus

Cape Primrose

This one is really interesting!  I’ve been enjoying the blossoms forever but hadn’t really taken a close look at how it grows!  This sucker is PERFECT for a grow wall!  I bet it will happily climb up on the outside of the felt once it’s established!

Look at the bottom part surrounded by roots.  I have the plant sitting on a couple dead leaves so I could take a picture without having to rinse the roots again, so ignore those.  See the nubs that run up the stem like teeth on a zipper?  Those are where the leaves have wasted away and been removed.  That’s interesting, but not the really interesting bit.

Look at the base of the leaves.  Each leaf produces at least two stalks with the larger leaves producing 4 or 5 stalks.  Each stalk splits in two and produces a flower.  Every new leaf, multiple stalks produce blossoms.  No wonder it’s got blossoms all the time!

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