Gloxinia

Did you know

• Gloxinia flowers are made of pure velvet—the petals have a deep, soft sheen unmatched by almost any other plant, which photographers love and which feels like cool fabric to the touch.
• The plant is technically not a true gloxinia—the original genus Gloxinia was reclassified as Sinningia in the 1820s, but the old common name has stuck for two centuries.
• First brought to Europe in 1817 by King Wilhelm I of Prussia's gardener, gloxinias became a Victorian fashion craze—every fashionable parlor in London had at least one velvety bloom by 1860.
• The plant grows from a tuber that goes dormant in winter—one tuber can live for 20 years, producing fresh leaves and flowers each spring with no other care.
• Gloxinia's giant trumpet flowers can reach 5 inches across—they look like stained glass when backlit by morning sun on a windowsill.

Color meanings

Uses

• Houseplant
• Conservatories
• Gift plant
• Indoor display