# Vivarium Gesneriads



## dirtmonkey (Feb 10, 2007)

I did a search, and see that several people here are growing various gesneriads in their setups. Most of them were mentioned just in passing, and there were a few unanswered questions-- Before I go into a long list of plants and how they've done for me, can I ask for those of you growing any now how they're doing under what conditions for you? I've been working with them a long time, hybridized some of my own, and checked out many of them in warm wet vivariums, with some surprisingly great results and a few disappointments.

Here are a few examples, with the commonest common names:

African violet
Episcia 
Columnea ("Goldfish Vine") (broken into several genera now but mostly sold as Columnea still)
Nematanthus ("Guppy" or "Goldfish" plant)
Codonanthe & xCodonatanthus
Aeschynanthus ("Lipstick Vine" for the trailing types)
Streptocarpus ("Cape Primrose") & Streptocarpella
Sinningia (mostly miniature and microminiature in vivaria)
Kohleria ("Jester's Caps", in Sweden anyway)
Gesneria (PERFECT for PDF setups with good light!)
Gloxinia (and several close relatives)
Achimenes ("Magic Flowers", "Hot Water Flower")
Chirita
Chrysothemis
Nautilocalyx
Drymonia, Paradrymonia
Pearcea
Petrocosmea
Gasteranthus
Corytoplectus

And others...

Vincent


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Many of the people I have talked to that went to Costa Rica or Belize were very impressed with the larger Columnea they saw while there. Most of the ones they mentioned were also known Dalbergaria and are large growing epiphytes. Some have insect like flowers that are amazing. They may get a little large for terrariums but some may not. I seldom see the available so they are not all that easy to come by. May be worth a look though.


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## Dancing frogs (Feb 20, 2004)

I have an episcia that I got from BJ (they didn't specify the variety) has purplish leaves, grows like crazy in my vivs and froglet containers, and gets a bright orange flower that is bright enought to blind you...(pics in my exoterra thread).
I also have a streptocarpella and aeschynanthus that I got from Harry that are growing real well, but have not seen flowers yet (other than the ones that were on it when I got them)...still nice plants though.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

The Streptocarpella will be in flower all the time if given very bright light. Depending on the species of Aeschynanthis, it flowers off and on all year long.


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## Kribensis (Jan 14, 2021)

I have some African violets, Streptocarpus/Streptocarpellas, some Episcias, some Nautilocalyx, some Columneas, Nematanthus, and some Aeschynanthus in my vivs. All of them do well as long as I keep the light level high and (in the case of the terrestrial ones) the soil well drained. I get lots of flowers and fairly fast growth from them.


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

> All of them do well as long as I keep the light level high and (in the case of the terrestrial ones) the soil well drained. I get lots of flowers and fairly fast growth from them.


Ditto, my experiences with the family. I'm not a plant collector so my experience is limited to a few common ones. My longest-kept, most-propagated one is Episcia "silver skies". I plant it in ABG-type soil pockets high up on on my taller vivs' backgrounds and let it cascade and root. Down low it gets leggier in the dimmer light, I just trim it up now and then. 

My soil pockets are typically held in place by cork partial-rounds that are integral to "cracked cork mosaic" backgrounds. I can see that the _Episcia_ greedily roots throughout the LFS I have packed between the cork pieces, facilitating its spread.


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## alus (Nov 5, 2020)

I have quite a few _Sinningia _in my ExoTerra that really appreciate higher light and not as much water on the leaves. The one I had in lower light definitely seemed less happy, though that also could have been because it was getting overwatered. Fortunately moved that and all three seem to be thriving—I'm even getting some flowers that are really nice to see in my tank.


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