# Gesneriad ID please



## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

OK... after thinking this might be Drymonia ecuadorensis (thanks to Antone, Harry, and Chuck) I looked at pictures on line of that plant and I don't think that is what it is. Either that or I have some weird aberration of that plant... The thing is, the leaves are not quilted at all, and they are iridescent... really sparkly.

The flowers:









And the leaves:


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Sarah, you may be right and it could be something like D. cuyabonensis or even another species. That's why I was originally a little hesitant to say for sure. But, I still think there is a good chance that it is D. ecuadorensis. Look at the leaf of D. ecuadorensis 'Red Elegans' (I always thought it was called 'Red Elegance' lol) Other than the red color, it has a similar texture, pattern and no "quilting". The problem is that with a lot of gesneriads there is a lot of variation between cultivars of the same species. This could easily have been a seed grown plant too multiplying the possibility of looking slightly different. Probably the only way to be certain is to talk to BJ or send in a flower for identification.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

You know, you could be correct Chuck. Ill see if Richard remembers having the plants... as he was just giving them away at NWFF because they were looking kind of scragly.

Whatever it is, Im really starting to like it, its got another bud about to open too. Are Drymonia generally trailers like other gesneriads or are they upright.... this one has a semi-upright habit. I say semi because it get top heavy and falls over, but has that thick stem like it wants to be upright.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I have a gesneriphiles member that says it looks just like hers and hers is Drymonia ecuadorensis 'Red Elegance'. 
edit: Yes she also called it Red Elebance so I suspect this is a common mistake.
More to come...


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Another vote for Drymonia ecuadorensis although he is somewhat confused by your 'quilted' comment. His are not at all quilted either.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Quilted... you know.... puffy in between the veins, not laying flat.... Much like.... a quilt 

Ok, well I stand corrected... I guess it IS a Drymonia. I guess Ill trust you guys next time  :wink:


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Harry,

I think Sarah was looking at some photos (prob. the one on the Canadian site. http://www.gesneriads.ca/drymon32.htm ) and it shows an ecuadorensis that has some "quilted" leaves. She was comparing that photo to hers that isn't "quilted"


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Thats the one! Thanks Chuck.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

As for the 'quilted' statement. I was only passing along the answer I received, it was not mine.


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

Harry,

I realize that was not your statement. I was just trying to clear up how that "quilted" description got mixed into the id. Since your friend was confused by it.

sorry for the confusion.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Well, this plant has created a number of responses so I gon;t think we should call it done yet.
One question, How lond do the flowers stay on the plant? Evidently ecuadorensis does not hold flowers very long.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Well, I didnt see them right away.... so atleast 2 days... cant say with much sureity beyond that.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

Well the tide seems to be turning to D cuyabonensis because of leaf size. I need to search the list archives for a picture but have not had time yet. 

I will most likely get to it this weekend after a HUGE software upgrade I have to do tomorrow at work.

It's funny that I got this much discussion on this plant since sometimes I post things and hear nothing. Seems to many Drymonia growers on the gessie list.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

The only picture on the internet I could find was this http://www.gesneriads.ca/drymon34.htm and it looks identical to my plant.... Does it go by another name, since when I googled it, there was only one website on the whole world wide web that came up?


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

It's just an uncommon species, so there's not a lot of info. Believe it or not the web only has a small portion of the info that is out there. :wink: 

I did mention earlier that it could be D. cuyabonensis, but that's still a maybe. Notice that even that great website you got the picture from says it is possibly cuyabonensis.

I think we are getting closer, if we aren't already there.


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

Oh I know Chuck, I just dont have the money and/or the space for books that have pictures of all the known plants of the genus I deal with, especially when I only have one or two plants maybe of that genus, and the local libraries are kind of a joke... so, most of the time I have to rely on people like you guys or the internet if I dont know what something is or what it looks like.

Someday I would like to have a book collection that encompassed mostly the plants I was interested in, like bulbos or what not. Someday...


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## Manuran (Aug 28, 2007)

I know Sarah  I was just teasing you.
No University library close by? I guess even if you do, you have to find the time. It takes some time to reference out stuff.

Hopefully even after the day when you have your library comes,I hope you still have great questions and conversations in you!


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## housevibe7 (Sep 24, 2006)

There is a university library within 10 minutes walking distance of my house, but the books are kind of hard to find. Maybe I jsut am not familiar with their referancing system. They may have lots of books with plants in them, I just always seem to be in the middle of doing something else when I walk by it everyday.

I know you were teasing :wink: 

As far as me having my library and still having questions and conversation... I find books are "dangerous" things. I spent most of my time in Seattle last month looking at all the great books in Todds house. They make me have more questions, and more interested in other things.... made me wish I could keep carnivorous plants alive.


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