Is this a trailer?

13 years ago

I picked up this little NOID at a local garden shop. (Incidentally, this shop has been a gem! I also found Ode to Beauty, Lyon's Private Dancer, Alamo Frills, Cripple Creek, Rebel's Splatter Cake, and could have bought many more! Love finding named varieties in a local shop.)

Anyway, when I bought it, it was almost completely white with a single crown. It stayed like that in my window for 4 or 5 weeks. A couple of weeks ago I put it under fluorescent lights. Since then, the foliage has darkened, the variegation has turned pink and tan, and it has developed at least five little crowns under the leaves.

What I'm wondering is, is this plant a trailer and should I leave the crowns be, or is it a regular mini where I should remove the crowns as suckers? Is there any way to tell?

In this picture, you can see several of the crowns...there are actually several more on the other side of the plant.

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Comments (8)

susan_kc
Original Author
13 years ago
In this pic, you can see the original color of the leaves around the edge and the new color in the middle.
susan_kc
Original Author
13 years ago
In this pic, you can see the original color of the leaves around the edge and the new color in the middle.

This post was edited by kcgirl81 on Fri, Sep 13, 13 at 12:01
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User
13 years ago
I just comment that you find Rebel's Splatter Cake. Wow.
irina_co
13 years ago
Looks like a trailer to me.

i.,
susan_kc
Original Author
13 years ago
How can you tell, Irina? What characteristics should I be looking for?
susan_kc
Original Author
13 years ago
How can you tell, Irina? What characteristics should I be looking for?
irina_co
13 years ago
Trailer AV has more than Saintpaulia ionantha in it's genes. So - the petioles are longer and skinnier, the internode distance is larger, the bloomstalks are long and wiry. It shares some of these features with miniatures and semis - since the mini-gene comes from a species trailer - but I would say this one shows these features in a quite way - so my guess it is a semi-mini variegated trailer - probably an older variety. Modern trailers have shorter petioles.

I.
fortyseven_gw
13 years ago
Irina, Thanks! That is very helpful. I just got a new plant
I did not realize was a trailer until it arrived. It has
a large collection of leaves on long petioles. When I
look at the photos of the AV shows for trailers that
win prizes, they seem to be contained in one bowl.
I shall have to do research to understand how
that is done. I have some books to consult, and
can search out older posts on this forum.

Before I moved a few months ago, and had to
thin my collection, the trailers
were the first to go! I divided them all
into single pots -- as though they had one crown--
(and crossed-my-fingers behind
my back to avoid telling a lie)
as I sent them off to new homes as AVs.
Fortunately, the people who got them are
happy with trailers. Someone reciprocated
by giving me a trailer in exchange! That grew
quickly and also was adopted out.