Dennis, I've been wanting to try some crosses with rubrovittata for several years now but I can't get the darn thing to bloom! I even tried treating it with Florel to force it. Nothing. :-(

I don't know if it blooms any better in Florida or Australia than it does here, but I've never heard of any crosses with it. Your cross with Gespacho could be very nice!

Hi Lisa

I must admit that mine didnt bloom well either and I wasnt expecting any seed from it (at least it bloomed). The seedlings are on a few leaves already. I will post on their progress.

Lisa:

Surprised to read that you have had difficulty blooming this sp. I have a number of plants from two origins; grown hard they flower every year and pup very prolifically. One of the clones quite upright/vase-like, fairly large, nice strong yellow cast and very distinct red fretting on the basal portions of the leaves. Perhaps it needs cool nights to pop-off? Certainly they get floppy and lime-green here if not grown full sun...have you tried them out from under the saran?

Ciao,

J

I've never tried it out in full sun, Jay. That tends to be a bit too intense for all but my toughest Neos, at least during the summer months. It colors up just fine in my 40% shadehouse, and it pups well too, I just can't get a bloom. It probably does need a cool period, or at least cool nights to initiate flowering.

I find the species intriguing because I consider it kind of a "missing link" plant. It's somewhat stoloniferous, not quite tubular but not quite open, and the markings (on my clone anyway) are somewhere between marmoration and zonation, so it has the potential to combine equally well with species as diverse as ampullacea and correia-araujoi. That's my theory, anyway, but I won't know for sure until I can try it!

Here's a thread I started on it a year ago. From the general lack of response I got the impression that not many people were growing it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neo. rubrovittata

Hi Guys

Thanks for your "old" link Lisa. Nice pic too. Mine plant is in way too much shade I see...I will have to try a few pups in full sun like SJ says.

Cheers

Dennis

Lisa:

The excellent color on the plant depicted certainly suggests that it is a climatic rather than a light intensity issue. Your comment about it being rather a "missing link" is right on the money...it apparently was a Wittrockia sp. at one time. For reference, I grow some of mine along with hohenbergias and porteas and the rubros don't even break a sweat in our sunshine.

We have not seen the sun here for 10 days, but I braved the rain this weekend and poked around in the rather smelly center of an old mother plant that had not been cut out yet out front. As remembered, the infl. is WAAAAAY down at that bottom of the rosette...floral bracts are quite long and "artichoke spine-like" if you can visualize this. This sp. does not flush at all when it flowers.

Good luck,

J

After reading J's post about no sun for 10 days I think I might not move my rubrovittata into full sun after all......

Dennis:

OK, horse's laugh on my account...

Unfort. my staff interrupted my diligent slacking off here yesterday with office biz and client backchat so, irritated and distracted by work, I ommited the preface to the sentence in question, "And speaking of sunshine, thanks to back-to-back trop depressions and somewhat ironically..."

Guat City dry season sunshine (14 degree N, 1600 m elevation) is of the Super Nova quality...certainly will toast full Florida sun-acclimated neos when first imported. Makes for wicked colors when they adapt, tho'.

J

Hi J

Ja we get a few days a year here that burn just about everything...I reckon its the hole in the ozone layer thats the bugger!

How are the palms growing? I have enjoyed your posts on palmtalk!

Cheers

D

My rubrovittata is flowering today and the flowers do smell nice, kind of like cinnamon. Dennis, I was wondering if you got any decent results with your cross?

I was thinking of crossing it with Canistrum seidelianum, Q marmorata or Nid rutilans and maybe even Hannibal Lector or DeRolf but I don't normally do Neo x Neo crosses.

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Hey Nick

haha I thought they smelt like nutmeg!

Hmmm will check this weekend and post a few pics monday. I can tell you they are flippin slow growing.

Cheers for now

Dennis

I've sure enjoyed crossing rubrovittata. Everything is big and easy to access and the smell is just wonderful. The anthers are about 2cm long and full of nice powdery pollen. I froze some pollen because I really want to cross it with this unidentified Neo that is not a johannis since it has white berries. I sure hope the big petals and nice smell make it through.

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Hi

Forgot the pics!

That cross should be a goodie nick!

Hi Nick!

Ok the long awaited pics. As you can see they are not the prettiest youngsters you have ever seen! They are slow and rubro seem to colour-up as they mature, so I will hang onto them for now...

This is on planted out in the garden, a bit bleached from the full winter sun at the momement, same for the second pic. The third seedling has a bit of colour though.

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I have another 2 trays full of these....

Hopefully yours look a bit better, maybe the flowers and scent will let me hang onto them?

Thanks for posting the pictures. The results are not what I expected/hoped for but I'm not familiar with Gazpacho hybrids either.

I'm quite curious to see if the flowers and scent make it through. Maybe you could Florel one of the them?