Here is the posting

Here is a link that might be useful: El Crystal

It was too much for me to pay for it, but I just about fell in love with it. Oh well.

Larry

I know bogotensis but have never heard of this clone of the species. I have grown the beautiful form of bogotensis called 'Gray Feather'. This one looks close to that one and is very nice--I'll have to get one. Meanwhile I am growing tons of other kohlerias as I am "krazy for kohlerias".

This fall I put many of my plants in my living room near some very large east facing picture windows. They had been neglected and were not flowering or growing well. Now, after a few months in the wrong time of the year, they are growing up nicely and starting to flower. They love good light and to be kept evenly moist. The room is on the cool side, with no heat in winter, which slows them down a bit. But, being indoors is not too cool. Upstairs on my light stand they do even better.

Also, I am finally discovering the lost art of restarting flowering stems to make little compact flowering plants. It is really easy. The hardest part is getting up the nerve to cut off the stem loaded with buds. The best time to cut is when the stem is fully budded up and the first flowers are not yet open. But, even a stem well past this point should work. Then I put the cutting in a 2" pot of perlite and vermiculite or my regular gesneriad mix, water it in, and put on a tray with a dome over it, and place under lights. Under the dome the cuttings do not wilt, but instead root quickly. The buds open up normally and within weeks I have a cute little plant in flower. So far, this technique has worked three times out of three. Today, I am taking more cuttings from the leggy but budded up plants in the living room.

The orginal inspiration for this project is a plant of K. 'Empress' that I saw at the 98 AGGS convention in Chicago. It was grown by the late Nancy Maybloom. Appropriately there is a photo of this plant on the Gesneriad Reference Web, so I am including the link to it here. To repeat: This photo shows a plant that was created by rooting the budded tip of a taller plant, creating an amazingly compact and full flowered kohleria. It won a trophy at that show.

Jon

Here is a link that might be useful: Koheria 'Empress'

That's a great idea for getting new people interested, Jon. I don't understand why more people don't grow these beautiful guys, but if I root some that way and take 'em to my plant-buddies monthly meeting maybe I can hook some of them. I've given 'em rhizomes a number of times, but I've only seen one plant. That's a gorgeous plant, Larry. Congratulations, and thanks for sharing!

It's a gorgeous photo but the plant looks like the same clone that has been in cultivation for several years (see link). This is a hybrid rather than a species.

Here is a link that might be useful: Kohleria

I think of bogotensis as being the same as the old plant called 'Gray Feather', which I think is the same plant as the one that John posted the link for. When the leaves are larger they show a very nice gray color with a pattern along the main veins. I lost my plant so I can't go and look at it. I thought, when looking at the photo in the auction that it was different from this one. But, maybe I am wrong on that.

Jon