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Primulina 'Loki'

A favorite of mine blooming right now is Primulina 'Loki' which I have been slowly nursing along this year into a larger plant. I decided against repotting it until it's finished flowering but it is over due to have the soil refreshed. The chilly conditions down in the basement has turned the older leaves a beautiful rosy purple. I love the foliage on this plant. I really should self pollinate it for seeds.

Not great photos - quickies while down in the basement working on streptocarpus.

Comments (21)

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Yes, we have moved. Sort of. We are house sitting for family while we sell our home. We aren't making an offer on the home we want until ours sells so it will probably be spring before we are moved again and settled. Until then most everything we own is in storage, packed up. Ugh.

    The plants are hanging on but it's chilly down in the basement. I am way, way over due to repot everything and finally have the time to play catch up! I still have about a thousand plants left (or less. I haven't counted them recently) but I sent several thousand to my local AVSA club (many of them leaf babies in flats I just didn't want to deal with).

    Yes, if this is an intergeneric hybrid, you are right that they are usually sterile. I did attempt to self it before and it didn't take so if I try it again and it still doesn't take, then it probably is sterile. Shame too because it's so lovely! Duly noted and thanks for that information.

    As for intergeneric hybrids, I'm thinking about trying to cross corytoplectus cutucuensis with an episcia! I don't know if that will take or produce anything either but I just have to try it. Problem is that I restarted my own cory from a tip cutting and got rid of all the rest of them I had left when I moved. So I have to wait until it blooms again this spring. I didn't bank any of the pollen. Bad me! ;)

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    My local Atlanta AVSA club is having it's show in May so I am planning to thin out my collection again by probably half at that time. So round two is coming! Then I should be down to my favorites and far more manageable for a hobby at my leisure.

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    Interspecific - not intergeneric - between the species in the same Genus Primulina.

    I love 'Loki' - it is probably the very best Peter Shalit's hybrid as of today - but I think the market is saturated right now. It is a very easy plant - so people do not kill it.

    Regarding Corytoplectus... I am not aware if anybody successfully crossed Corytoplectus - even there are several species in culture... C.capitatus is the second one you can find. Since C.capitatus is an X-large plant - the cross will not be an improvement. Regarding Episcia - I do not think there were any successful intergeneric crosses - I know that at some point Alsobia and even Nautilocalyx were supposed to be in the same genus with Episcia - but despite all the attempts... Episcia stubbornly refused.

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Yes, I have read about Alsobia and even Nautilocalyx not crossing with episcia. I'm not holding out much hope. Even a number of Dale's crosses, she's had to attempt them multiple times before she got anything. But if we don't try, we won't know. It wastes nothing but literally a few seconds of my time.

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Dale and I were chatting about the possible corytoplectus and episcia cross and she's being very encouraging to try it. They even have the same number of chromosomes, though that in and of itself isn't a deciding factor. So, we'll wait and see if I can get anywhere with that experiment later.

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    I know. Dale loves intergenerics. And she manages to produce very decent plants ... while the rest of hybridizers get something with very large leaves and very small flowers ... for all the trouble.

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Hahaha, Murphy's Law! ;)

  • Paul MI
    6 years ago

    Lovely plant and flower. How large does this one get?

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Mine's about 7 inches across right now. They can reach about 10 inches or more if you count flower stems. I think Terri Vicenzi's is about 12 or more inches across in this photo, but the actual foliage is much less. She's a dear friend of mine and has out standing plants. Irina may be able to chime in here if she's seen larger ones. I think the largest one I've seen in person was at Kathy Spissman's house, and it was about 10 inches across. You can easily keep them smaller by removing older leaves.

  • Rosie1949
    6 years ago

    Beautiful Hyn! Rosie

  • Paul MI
    6 years ago

    If I were to try one, I would likely have to do the leaf reduction you mentioned. My "real-estate" is limited, unfortunately.

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    I am with Hyn - this is a compact plant - and probably higher light will decrease the length of petioles. Peter Shalit finally registered his plant:

    http://www.gesneriadsociety.org/registry/primulina-loki-2/.

    His original plant had very short petioles - 2 cm.



  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I am given to understand that the best examples of this plant have three leaves to a whirl, but those propagated by leaves only produce two alternating leaves per layer. Those harder to find ones with three leaves per layer are outstanding but I'm told you have to reproduce them like chimera AV's - that is to say by suckers from the adult plant. I have not managed to obtain a three layered adult or baby yet but I'll keep my eye out for one. All of my other prims throw babies of both sorts randomly - two or three leaved but my Loki has only produced two leaved so far.

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    Lets ask Peter Shalit the hybridizer. Probably a good idea is to get a leaf from his original plant - if he still has it - the cross was made in 2004 - so a long time for a genetic drift created by a vegetative propagation - leaf - from a leaf - from a leaf.

    I just imagine somebody will start complaining about plants not being stable Gesneriads are not stable, period. They are evolving in front of our noses. They respond fast to a change of the conditions - and if you walk into the locality where Primiulina species are growing - you can find a noticeable variation within 100 plants growing in one cave. Another cave 50 miles from the first cave - and the difference is evident to the point that you doubt that it is the same species.

    I.



  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Already spoken with him through someone else on Facebook and that was the information he conveyed, Irina. That it's not a trait that transfers through leaf propagation. But you are welcome to ask him again. ;)

    Otherwise I agree on the variations and I'm not personally worried about it. I like my plant how it is. The three leaved whorl version is more attractive but harder to get. I have way too much on my plate right now to waste time hunting more details down at this time.

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    Shoot... we need more 3 leaf ones.

    I am with you- in any case it is one of the best compact patterned Primulina hybrids if not the best. Like Omen and Rachel as well.

    And I am here with you - there is enough things to worry about besides whorls.

    I.






  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    I talked to Peter regarding the whorl pattern and opposite leaf pattern on 'Loki'. He said that if you set the leaf for propagation - some babies will come this way - and some that way - and the grower will most probably keep the whorl plant for himself to grow - and sell the rest at the club sale. Here is how the evolution and natural selection works nowadays.

    I.

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    Good to know, though I have produced quite a few Loki babies (about 70 of them) in the past year and none of them had the three leaf whorl or I would have kept them. It could also be the case that temperature and PH may also play a role, I don't know. Anyway, I will be putting more leaves down eventually and I can mention if I ever get three leaf whorled babies. You also have this plant, Irina?

  • irina_co
    6 years ago

    Yup. Mine is an indifferent opposite, not a whorl. Not like Kitaguni - this one puts straight crosses for me like no tomorrow. I am thinking that if you start with a whorl plant - you have better chances to get at least some whorl babies. But who knows.

  • Hyn Patty, Western NC Mountains (USA)
    Original Author
    6 years ago

    I suspect you are right. That could make sense.

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