BAY NEWS
Newsletter of the American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
Volume 26, No. 5, May 2004
Next Meeting: Sunday, May 23, 2004
Program: TBA
Message from the President
by Terri Campbell
Our June show and sale date approaches! I hope that everyone will be able to bring several plants – or many plants – to show. The main purpose of the show is to educate the public about gesneriads. The more variety we can show, the better. Most people have seen an African violet, and they will be interested to see the variety of types available. However, in the case of other gesneriads, we are showing plants that many people have never seen. People may find it difficult to believe that Sinningia cardinalis is in the same family as Episcia cupreata, Columnea microphylla, and Petrocosmea formosa. Please check your collection and plan to show several plants, at least.
Along with our show, there’s the sale. I hope that everyone has been growing sale plants. It’s not too late to start some episcias from stolons – they will probably be large enough to sell by sale time. Nematanthus and columnea cuttings would have time to root, too. We will also need cuttings in ziplock bags to sell. Please plan to contribute as many sale items as you can. As you know, the money we raise for the sale pays for room rentals, the holiday dinner, speakers’ and
judges’ honoraria, slide shows, and expenses for club outings, among other club purchases.
Most of the club members have volunteered to help during the show and sale. I urge everyone to do so, since we have a small but active group and everyone’s help is needed. We’ll need people to monitor the show and sale, and give out information to the public. The first year I helped with a sale, I really added to my knowledge about gesneriads. Setting up the sale and answering questions – or finding someone who could answer a question, and then listening to the answer – was a great educational experience for me. People buy the sale plants fairly readily, but if someone helpful is behind the sale table to give them a couple of facts (Yes, it has a red flower; yes, it will grow indoors in a sunny window) it really increases our sales. Finally, the sum of gesneriad knowledge in AGS-SF is enormous. Please take the opportunity during your time at the show and sale to share knowledge, or ask for advice. We are very busy, and even at meetings we don’t usually have an opportunity to talk extensively about growing the plants.
Flyers for the Upcoming Show and Sale
by Lorah Gross
I will be unable to make it to the May 23 meeting, but will send plenty of flyers and post cards to David Waugh so that he can distribute them at the meeting. Also, I have put the flyer up on our web page in both HTML format (easiest to view) and Word format (easiest to print). If you are unable to print your own flyers or postcards from the web page and would like me to mail some to you, just let me know.
Show and Tell and Raffle Table
by Lorah Gross
Terri Campbell brought Columnea scandens var. tulae,
Saintpaulia semi-miniature trailer ‘Cirelda,’ and Episcia ‘Silverdust’ to show.
She donated Episcia ‘Silverdust,’ Chirita tamiana, and Codonanthe luteola.
Larry Williams brought two African Violets to show—Chimera of Mary??, which is
white and has picot edge leaves that are white and light green. The other is
called Athena and has been propagated since 1958. He also shared some chocolate.
Celine Chase brought Primulinea tobaccum, Sinningia Santa Terresa, and a Kohleria.
Paula DeBella forgot her one blooming Sinningia to show, but donated two
African Violets to the raffle table. Alan LaVergne brought Sinningia guttata,
Sinningia arenicola, Sinningia lineate, Sinningia amambayensis, Sinningia leucotricha,
Sinningia species “Desafinado,”, Sinningia insularis, Sinningia bulbosa, and a
mystery miniature bulb to show. He donated the mysery miniature bulb to the
raffle table. Katherine Henwood brought Sinningia douglassie and bulbosa, mini
Sinningia ‘Alex,’ mini Sinningia “Piglee,” and mini Sinningia “Cherry” sprite.
She also brought Chirita “Blue Moon,” Chirita “Chastity,” Chirita “Dianie
Marie,” Chirita New York, and Sarmilata repens. She donated Sinningia Humming
Bird Mix and piah reitzii.
Sinningia Program
by David Waugh
The program for the April meeting on Sinningias was to be by Jon Dixon who was unable to attend the meeting. In his place Alan LaVergne, also an avid Sinningia grower, gave his ideas on how he has success with them:
They are easy to grow in commercial soil available in the Bay Area branded “Super Soil”. He grows his mostly outside, except the miniatures. Sinningias produce new foliage every year; so if they get to be ratty looking, they will improve with the new growth in the next year. They are tolerant of getting dry, usually. There are always exceptions, of course. They seem to tolerate a good deal of sun; the taller plants seem to usually be more sun tolerant.
Alan leaves his tubers outside in the winter and they seem to endure the West Coast dampness, mud etc. He lifts his bulbs in early spring to peek at their roots and see if they are damaged by the winter weather. He then replants them for the upcoming spring and summer.
Columnea microphylla--a few questions
by Terri Campbell
I have a small Columnea microphylla which I grew from cuttings Katherine Henwood gave me ten months ago. It’s a small, attractive plant, growing in the usual kind of small plastic pot.
In Harold E. Moore, Jr.’s book, African Violets, Gloxinias, and Their Relatives, he discusses the habitat of this plant:
Columnea microphylla is a small-leaved counterpart of C. gloriosa with very similar flowers. In its native habitat it grows on tree trunks in humid forests. The central cordlike brown stem is buried in masses of ferns, bromeliads, and orchids, only the pendulous flowering branches being visible….There it grows at about the same elevation as C. gloriosa.
Perhaps my microphylla would be happier hanging vertically on a bark plaque, planted in long-fibered sphagnum, and with a fern or orchid in the same container. I’m definitely going to try it.
How far can we go in attempting to approximate growing conditions? Do they all have to grow centrally placed in plastic pots for show purposes? If so, why?
White and Purple Bi-color African Violets
by Larry Williams
The white and purple bicolor at first had only white leaves and it never bloomed. Gradually all new leaves were green and then it bloomed. The longer the flower is on the plant the larger it becomes. Some flowers are semi double, and others are double (true doubles as the calyx is normal). It is fascinating to have a plant covered with flowers, no two of which are the same. In an attempt to preserve this variety I will try to root some of the flower stems. See the pictures for two views of this AV.
The purple violet has been in continuous culture since
1958. The purple flowers have too many petals for an impatient person to
count. This makes the flower very heavy.
Bi-color African Violets
An excerpt from African Violets (pages 6-7)
By Tony Clements
Transcribed by Lorah Gross
One group of violets which has become increasingly popular in recent years is the bi-colours. These striking flowers have petals marked with two or more colours, an in full bloom are really eye-catching. Two of the top-selling varieties in the African violet list are bi-colours. Fist in popularity comes ‘Fancy Pants,’ whose white petals have a frilled magenta border; close on its heels comes ‘Miss Pretty,’ its large white blossoms edged with pink. Also high in the popularity ratings are the blue-edged whites, such as ‘China Cup.’
Minutes of The American Gesneriad Society of San Francisco
April 18, 2004 Meeting
by David Waugh, Secretary
President Terri Campbell called the meeting to order at 1:20pm. Members present were Terri
Campbell, David Waugh, Celine Chase, Irene and David Fey, Katherine Henwood, Ben Franklin, Alan LaVergne, Harriette Poss, Ron Parsons, Paula de Bella, Larry Williams.
The President asked if there were any amendments or corrections to the minutes of the March 2004 meeting attached to the March Newsletter. There were none.
Treasurer’s Report: Our financial condition continues to be good. As we have a good amount in our checking account and the money in savings is earning very poor interest, the Treasurer suggested that we put a sum of money into a Vanguard Mutual Fund. This should earn us considerably more interest and dividends. A motion was made and seconded that the Treasurer investigate investing in a Vanguard Mutual Fund.
Business: A draft of the Flyer, designed by Lorah Gross, for our upcoming combined show and sale was passed around for comments or revisions. No one had any comments or suggested revisions. The African Violet Society of San Francisco will look it over at their meeting on April 24.
The President then turned the meeting over to the Chairman of our June Show and Sale, Katherine Henwood. She said “Clip, clip, clip and grow, grow, grow.” She urged everyone to grow plants for the Sales Table as well as groom plants for the Show. This will help promote the ‘other’ gesneriads. She would also like to see more design displays and bubble bowels featuring gesneriads entered in the show. The designs group in the Show Schedule will have the design rules to follow for their entry.
As soon as the Show Schedule is available it will be sent to everyone and will include a form for submitting possible entries a week before the actual show date. Show plants and sale plants will be received from Noon until finished on Friday, June 25, 2004.
We then did ‘Show and Tell’, which will be in the May Newsletter.
The Program is discussed in the newsletter
We then had the raffle
The meeting adjourned about 3 15pm
2004 Officers
President: Terri Lynn Campbell
Vice President: Jon Dixon
Secretary: David Waugh
Treasurer: Irene Fey (please request Irene’s address from Lorah Gross)
Newsletter Editor: Lorah Gross lorah@lorah.net
Meetings: Usually third Sunday of each month, 1-4 p.m. at Library of County Fair Bldg., Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. (Enter from parking lot North side of 10th Avenue and Lincoln Blvd., turn right through gate next to building, go to third door)
2004 meetings: 1/18, 2/15 (in the Recreation room), 3/21, 4/18, 5/23, 6/20, 7/18, 8/22, 9/19, 10/17, 11/21, no meeting in December.
Dues: $10 single, $11 family. Make checks payable to AGS SF, mail to Treasurer.
Website: http://www.agssf.org