Sinningia bullata

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  • Previous Name: Sinningia "Florianopolis"
  • Photographer: Kyoko Imai
  • Grown by: United States Botanical Garden

Images copyright by the individual photographers or their institutions.


This species is remarkable for the thick white wool on the back of new leaves and on the tips of new shoots, as well as for its “bullate” (bumpy or pebbly) leaves and its beautifully contrasting red flowers. It has begun to be widely used in hybridization, and has even been crossed with micro-miniature species.

It hails from southern Brazil, and was collected on the island of Florianopolis. Its typical habitat is rocky steep cliffs, where it will trail tubers on “stolons” down the slope.

A second collection of the species has recently been made, further south in Brazil, and at higher altitude. This collection is named after the collection location, Fortaleza Canyon, hence S. bullata Cânion de Fortaleza (the proper Portuguese spelling). In its natural habitat, it is subject to more sun and wind, and cooler temperatures. It apparently has a more compact form, without quite as much fuzziness as the collection from Florianopolis.

Other photos which can be seen in a slideshow include the following. Click any of them to initiate the slideshow.