Sinn. Stone's Mario

One of the newest Stone's mini Sinn. seedlings, named "Stone's Mario", presence of the dense, mixed velvet purple dots and lines ... so that Mario goes chic. :-)

Sinn. helioana on a marble table

The headline has no meaning at all, that's because I put this bloomer on the marble table for taking picture of it.  Sinn. helioana ... always blooms on time for Christmas season. Had any one called it Christmas Sinningia as nickname ? Well ... it's relatively compatible. :P

Kei Yoki

An adorable Japanese violet hybrid, woth to get one in your violet collection. I did not spend time on violets for years but no doubt they are still charming with their various features.

HCY's Smithiantha

My Smithiantha doesn't grow well in the new planting house, they usually give flowers for this season but no bloom so far.  XD

Fortunately, I saw some photos from Mr. HCY about his blooming Smithiantha. With his consent, I post 2 interesting photos here in my blog because mine is definately absent for this blooming season. :-)

First one is Smithiantha "HCY's Winter Glory", the name does tell how it can be the glory of the winter. This beautiful hybrid is a compact cultivar (or can call it dwarf) with the ability of giving branching spikes.

The second photo shows his outdoor Smithiantha that was mix-planted with Alloplectus martius under tree shade.

A cross seedling of Sinn. speciosa Carangola

Someone in Taiwan, but not sure who made this cross. Obviously this seedling has flower patterns similar to Sinn. speciosa Carangola and the best part that I adore is the foliage is not big as Carangola.  First bloom in my planting house.

Sinningia in November

Pirate's Damask

Hybrid

Red (Hybrid) and Isabelle x self

Hybrid

Pirate's Forever Perfect



Chirita n' Begonia

Chirita and Begonia are good friends in their natural habitates and they are also good mates in my planting place. Interesting relationship.

How big is Sinn. eumorpha "Saltao" ?

Here is the photo, the miniature one is about 3cm in diameter.

Episcia in the office

I have several pots of Episcia in my office, and I took photos to keep their beautiful moment because the temp. is getting cooler day by day.

Episcia "Caroshelle" and "Harmony Pink ???"

Got them in Taipei from a Gesneriads lover who lives Singapore. :-) I am not sure the name of green one, but it does grow up fastly from a single plant.

Sinn. "Pirate's Lost In Rainbow"

over 3cm in diameter and flat-opened flower, clear-cut colors and patterns ... especially this photo was taken during HOT SUMMER in Taiwan, a pretty and well-developped miniature Sinningia.

Sinn. Stone's Yulia

A seedling between miniature Sinningia and Sinn. tubiflora. Coming with the most popular color combination of mini-sinn. , it's really adorable. It was put in 2 inches pot, now it is moved to 4 inches pot for next sprouts. More blooms are surely expected.

Looking for a little difference

After years, when checking the new bloom of Mini-Sinningia seedlings, the most comment comes out with " they look ok but not outstanding ". I've picked out many seedlings so far but I'm always looking for a little difference within current flower patterns. It could be a rare color or small diversity to impress people at the first sight. Therefore, to think about this issue before making cross will increase the percentage of getting unusual bloom. We can't count on beginer's luck for always. :-)

Whytockia sasakii (玉玲花)

2 weeks ago I travelled to central of Taiwan with a friend, we went hiking in the forest at sea level around 1000m and happily found Whytockia sasakii (玉玲花) in bloom near the path. This Gesneriad species is endemic to Taiwan, good to see it in situ with blooms. The habitat is quite shaded and wet, these photos are the best my camera can do.

Sinningia sellovii

Sinningia sellovii blooms in season, the color is as hot as the temperature in August. It is 37℃ recently. :-(

迷你岩桐花色兩三事

如果我們從第一棵迷你型的岩桐被作出開始講起，很難理解為何介於所謂的大岩桐 (Sinningia eumorpha) 跟超迷你岩桐 (Sinningia pusilla) 之間的跨節交配產物，時至今日可以變化出如此多樣的顏色組合。且不論跨節後代的稔性問題 (因為真的不容易解釋清楚)，單就演變至今迷你岩桐顏色的多樣化來說，完全達成可供品種收集的嗜好植物 (Hoppy Plant) 的目的。而令人驚喜的是這一切還都是人力促成的。

Sinn. Dollbaby

Sinn. eumorpha

Sinn. pusilla

以目前可查到最早出現的一棵迷你岩桐品種 Dollbaby (Sinn. pusilla x eumorpha) 說起，由 Ruth Katzenberger於1964登錄的。此品種表現出的中度藍紫色完全是兩個原種親本顏色的綜合。Dollbaby 的自交後代顏色並無明顯差異於原母株的花色，表示這個 F1 的顏色基因相當穩定。那好了，如果 eumorpha 跟 pusilla 這兩棵原生種只能給 F1 提供或深或淺一點的藍紫色，現在一堆各種顏色的迷你岩桐是怎麼搞出來的？這或許能牽拖因為岩桐屬 (Sinningia) 是一個大家族，屬之下又分不同的節，當然少不了很多愛好者今天挑這個不同節的交交看，明天跟另一個節的配配看的好奇心。我相信很多非藍紫色系的早期迷你岩桐品種，如較為經典的Delta Fox、Super Orange、Mother of Pearl、Super Red等等，都是這樣被搞出來的。不過注意到這些早期品種的花色不外乎單純的粉-橘-紅之流，且由葉子都是雷同的翠綠色、而自交花色無變化或者很多品種花朵不完全展開等性狀，或多或少能佐證這些早期品種多半是夾雜比較單純的 Dircaea或Galea 節血統的 F1 或 F2。而這些節的原生種岩桐也是比較早被拿來亂搞的品種。以上大概是對於各式迷你岩桐的前身種源比較合理的一個推測。

世界各地對於迷你岩桐育種有興趣的朋友，能夠取得作為親本的花基本品種多數來自於美國。這是因為美國苦苣苔愛好者在豐富迷你岩桐的花色上貢獻了初步成果。這些成果主要來自於上述那些 F1 或 F2 的迷你岩桐被繼續雜交而出現的花色變化。好了，既然這種撿現成的親本品種來源都差不多，而且早期品種畢竟沒有多到八竿子打不著的程度，如果只是隨便拿兩棵已被命名的品種來做實生播種，那就常有機會配到跟別人一樣或者類似的親本組合，這樣的花色育種不論誰先作誰後作，說白了都不容易出現高創新性的品種。

Ozark Rosy Tiger

Orange Zinger

 Cindy-Ella

如果將作出迷你岩桐的早期親本原生種岩桐 (pusilla、concinna、eumorpha等) 的花色視為遺傳的顯性表現，那迷你岩桐花色之中的藍、紫色必定是最易顯現出來的。事實上也是如此，所以大多數人使用藍紫色的迷你岩桐作為育種的親本，原則上出現偏藍紫色的後代比例也將佔多數。不能忽略的是迷你岩桐的另一類橘紅色系統，其中代表品種如Super Orange、Super Red等等。這類橘紅色系統的迷你岩桐的橘紅顯性顏色遺傳也相當強，與藍紫色雜交之後，許多後代出現調和過後的介於紅藍的中間色，這應該就是現代迷你岩桐的花色基礎。由此出發所做的各種花色育種，除承襲了早期育種者的成果，仍應該強化各種色系中的變化，以豐富整個迷你岩桐的花色。海盜系列迷你岩桐的花色，主要方向之一就是在顏色強化中取得優秀的顏色個體，同時也期待在顏色重組過程中，出現有特色的個體。前者或許還有脈絡可循，後者即是看運氣了。

選擇花色親本之時，最好對其花色的質感與可塑性先進行評估。質感說的是整個花朵上顏色分佈的樣子，如相同的紅色系，搭配上絨質感、螢光質感或透明質感等等的花朵都可能影響紅色在花瓣上呈現的感覺。可塑性講的是該品種合適哪個方向的育種。比方說適當的使用紅色可增加紫色的鮮豔度及色彩深度，或者橘色可增加粉紅色的柔美感等等，做好這些事前評估可讓育種的成果更有期待性。

Pirate's Petite Chili
("Pirate's Smoky Eye" x "An's Queen Sofia") x "HCY's Coral Candy"

Pirate's Smoky Eye

An's Queen Sofia

HCY's Coral Candy

另外花瓣上的斑點、線條及色塊，更甚者花朵外筒的顏色，只要搭配協調，都可以增加品種間的差異度以及觀賞價值。利用不同性狀的品種作為親本組合，加深後代遺傳基因性狀的複雜度，也可增加特殊花色被培育出的機率。海盜系列下許多的紅色迷岩，並非直接由兩棵紅色迷岩作親本得來，而是來自於藍紫色與桃紅色的組合，取得部份帶濃紅色的子代。再將不同親本的紅色子代作雜交，取得表現更穩定的紅色個體，之後陸續加入一些斑點及線條的元素，於焉形成目前的海盜紅色系迷岩。

常常接觸迷你岩桐的朋友或許已經發現，不同來源的雜交迷岩或者開出類似的花色，或者跟某某品種分不出誰是誰，這是因為使用的親本過於接近所致。為了避免這樣的現象，選擇親本時應更慎重。我的想法是被公認為是美花的知名品種盡可能使用在特定目的育種就好，一般性的育種能不用就盡量不要用這類的品種。如有空間時間的話，自己做出一些堪用的親本群來作為育種的基礎是較為理想的育種方式，除了避免可能的"撞花"情形，也能連貫屬於自己的品種風格。

對於花色的追求，每一位作迷岩雜交的工作者都有不同的衡量標準。所謂"美"的基準究竟為何也沒有規範。但是每位有心育種的人應該做的是多看多聽別人作出的成果，以此來判斷自己所走的方向是否有意義，也能佐以審視每個階段的育種成果是否有價值。雖然說勤作能補拙，在育種上卻不一定實用，真正有目地的育種絕對是有計畫有過程才能得來的成績。

too hot ......

This summer is hot as usual, but there isn't any cooler system in the new growing place, the temperate inside the greenhouse is even hotter than before. The Kohlerias becomes dizzy.  XD

Sunshine

HCY's Vanilla Puddin

Sinn. richii "Robson Lopes"

First bloom of my yellow richii ..... really yellow , no ?  It also comes with fragrance, not strong but I can smell it in different times within a day.

Sinn. "Stone's Nieves"

This hybrid between mini-sinn. and tubiflora is impressed. The color tends to tubiflora but the foliage is much compact than tubiflora. This one successfully combines the good characters of its parents, unfortunately the scent is not so sure as some say yes , some say no smell. :)  The name "Nieves" is a Spanish name which means "the snow". Courtesy to Mr. Stone, the owner of this pretty Sinningia.