Chirita (Gesneriaceae) HWJ1056

speciosa 'Crûg Cornetto'

A spectacular species as its epithet implies, which I collected (while Dan and Sue cleaned seed) for the second time, from the base of a high waterfall in the lofty mountains surrounding Sapa a small hill-town in northern Vietnam, at 1900m in 2003. Where it formed a wide carpet of large rounded overlapping dark green softly hairy leaves which are a bright purple below on this selection. Bearing a long succession of large foxglove-like long blue and white flowers from June through to September. Easily grown in a warm shaded situation with adequate moisture. Untried for hardiness, but the area I collected it from regularly receives snow and ice, during the coldest part of their winter. Syn. Henckelia.