Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Specific Families and Genera => Gesneriaceae => Topic started by: Maggi Young on April 08, 2019, 11:52:06 AM
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I have had this message from Julian Shaw, a botanist working for the Royal Horticultural Society.
"......I am trying to find out when Petrocosmea grandiflora first appeared in cultivation. Can you help please?
Why do I need to know this? Because I have just realised that all the cultivated plants labelled Petrocosmea grandiflora are a different species. And P. grandiflora is not in cultivation, except at a botanic garden in China. Consequently finding the origin of the plants in cultivation is an important step in solving this puzzle. I had to carry out a similar investigation a few years ago with P. cryptica, which was circulating as P. rosettifolia at the time.
So any help anyone can give would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks
Julian Shaw"
julianshaw@rhs.org.uk
I know that various forumists grow "P. grandiflora" and we often see it on the show benches, so I do hope you will get in touch with Julian to help in his researches.
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This sounds like another Chen Yi introduction from sometime in the early 00's? She used to have a list of Gesneriads, I could probably dig them out from my email if needed - as well as the pictures.
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Here are the likely suspects, I couldn't find the lists, but they should be in the Alpine-L or Arisaema-L archives.
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I agree, Bobo, that these plants most likely arrived via Chen Yi.
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I had a look on Taobao, but while there was some Petrocosmea listed nothing looked like P. grandiflora of cult. Knowing her I would guess they either came from somewhere in S Yunnan (+N Burma), or from around Baise in Guangxi.
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I have this as petrocosmea grandiflora
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Just heard from Julian Shaw, who sends this link to a Chinese ( translated) article on the confusion with the mis-named P. grandiflora in cultivation......
For the interest of your forum members there is a link to the Chinese centre for Gesneriad conservation with a few images of genuine P. grandiflora http://gccc.gxib.cn/showNews-278.aspx (http://gccc.gxib.cn/showNews-278.aspx)
A photo from that article of the "true" P. grandiflora ...
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Julian also says :
Since the last query was so successful, please could I try another one?
Does anyone know anything about the origin of Petrocosmea HT-2 and TT-27 Such as what the letters stand for, who introduced them and how long they have been around?
I think it would be useful to clear up these identities too if we can while we are at it."
I hope forumists will again be able to help!
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Does anyone know anything about the origin of Petrocosmea HT-2 and TT-27 Such as what the letters stand for, who introduced them and how long they have been around?
TT is Tim Tuttle, according to http://www.gesneriads.info/genera/petrocosmea-sp-tt-27/ (http://www.gesneriads.info/genera/petrocosmea-sp-tt-27/) . The numbers (TT) 27 and 64 sound like they also might be Chen Yi's, I suggest contacting him to ask - or checking her old lists.
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Internet Archive saved a copy of her gesneriad lists here (https://web.archive.org/web/20031008151337/http://home.no.net:80/aroids/).
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Razvan Chisu grows Petrocosmea rather well - look at this beauty....
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Razvan has made these compilation images to help with ID and has agreed that they be shared here - Thanks, Raz!
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Petrocosmea aide-mémoire # 2
"Some species have flowered already and a few are still in early bud. But these are at their best now"
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Really useful info here. Must check my labels!
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Maggi,
This is the best info I could find:
Petrocosmea grandiflora
Petrocosmea grandiflora has been in cultivation since the late 1990's and was first introduced as P. duclouxii. It has a limited distribution in the wild, growing in cracks in rocky limestone cliffs in south-eastern Yunnan at around 2000m. Belying its tender appearance and provided that it is kept dry, it has regularly survived sub-zero temperatures under cold glass. Cultivation tips can be gained from the information supplied about its natural habitat - cracks in limestone cliffs - so a free draining compost that never becomes too wet is the order of the day. A 50/50 mix of loam,leaf mould versus gritty sand, perlite, fine bark based compost is a good starting mix.
From the Alpine Garden Society archives.
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Thanks, Marc, I think Julian has this information. Interesting to see it here.