No, it is a low elevation tropical from Cosa Rica. I remember seeing this plant for the first time. I went over to visit Wayne Roderick a local horticulturalist (late 70's or early 80's?) who had just come back from a botanical vacation in Costa Rica. He collected cuttings and plants, which in those days, were easy and legal to bring back. Not being a grower of tropicals, he gave this one to the person who accompanied me, Bartley Schwarz, who gave it this name. He propagated it and gave it out, so that it is still around today.

'Chocolate Velour' is a lilacina. This genus is generally harder to flower, and I don't know which clones are easier to flower than others. This one may be a more difficult lilacina. This genus likes warm, humid, high light conditions to flower. For me, that means growing enclosed and under a well lighted light stand. In Florida, lilacinas, as a rule, flower fairly well out in the open. I would think that Singapore is much like Florida. Personally, I don't know of any lilacinas that are from higher elevations, though I suppose it is possible. I wish I could ask Wayne specifically where he collected this one. He has passed away. But, I vaguely remember that he found it in low elevation coastal forest. I believe there are clones of cupreata from higher elevations--such as "La Solidad Bronze'.

So, Wilson, I would not give up. Give it good culture-- bright light and regular fertilizing. If it gets too big, keep it pruned and restarted to get the crown(s) big and vigorous. But, meanwhile, get the mind set that the foliage alone is well worth cultivating. Very little in the way of hybridizing has been done within lilacina or with lilacina x cupreata (the pink flowered episcias) since the early 80's. I know there is a lot of potential in this group. Harry Luther was one who made many of the crosses we grow in this group. He is still at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota Florida, but has been exclusively involved in Bromeliads for many years.

One lilacina that I have flowered, is 'Shaw Gardens'. I seem to recall that this one is known for flowering. I think 'Blue Nile' is another flowering lilacina. By the way, in the 1950's botanist Harold Moore coined the botanical name for crosses of lilacina x cupreata. They are called "x wilsonii's", a term that isn't used much these days.

Jon

Hi Jon,

Thanks for that enlightening piece of advice. I will give them a try - with the feeding as well as the lighting part. It is just surprising that Choc Velour is just less floriferous than its cupreata counterparts.

Below is a link of my Choc Velour for viewing pleasure:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v139/kuehlapis/choc_velour.jpg

Wilson
Singapore

It could be temperature. The cutting that I put down in the spring has got a bloom coming. I have it growing in my cool basement (65F-70F) where most episcias don't grow well -- and it's thriving!

Maureen, that's interesting. You seem to be contradicting what I have learned and posted--that all lilacina need warmth to flower. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I really don't know where in Costa Rica this one was found--i.e. elevation. I thought I remembered it was low coastal elevation--but that bit is a dim memory.

My rule of thumb for all lilacinas has been: high light, high humidity, warmth, plus the usual episcia care. But, there certainly could be quirks and cultivars that don't know this rule. I have a greenhouse but the episcias only tolerate it in the summer. In winter it gets too cool. So, I would love to find some cool tolerant cvs.

So, I just grow them under lights.

One of the wonderful things about episcias is that they are so fast in the summer that they really respond to lots of working on. I think one way to induce flowering is to get the individual crowns as large as possible. This is just theory mind you. So, rerooting, burying stems down, rolling etc. to get the crown down to the soil with a good root system is my ideal. (Rolling is when you bend the stem around the root ball so that when repotted the crown is just above the soil line).

The biggest problem with episcias that are worked on, is that one ends up with lots of propagations that take up room and are hard to get rid of. Having a local club to share propagations with has been my method. At our show and sale last week my episcia starts sold very well and helped the club treasury nicely.

Wilson, thanks for sharing your photo. I hope you can induce some flowers. I love the lilacina flowers--for me they are rare and delicate. They are also larger than cupreatas.

Jon

Hi Jon,

Thanks for sharing again.

Frankly I have just started on Choc Velour - earlier I had no luck with them, the leaves kept shrinking and becoming mishappened. Apparently I found out the plant was suffering from low humidity. From I can gather, I find Choc Velour actually needs higher humidity than most other cupreata-type episcia. I hope I am able to induce it to flower - any secrets? :P

I am quite surprised that lilacina type episcia needs high light. In the register, it mentioned as a group, lilacina actually requires lower light, if I did remember correctly! Interesting and puzzling!

Rgds,
Wilson

Mine bloomed yesterday.

Yes, Jon. I don't normally grow episcias because they do need to be warmer. I've tried almost a dozen varieties with little success. The only ones that I can grow in the cool basement are Pink Panther and now Chocolate Velour. Blue Nile was doing fine for a while and put out two new stolons but seems to be petering out now.

I used to buy a couple of episcias every year but now I've been experimenting with leftovers from the club leaf/plant exchange at meetings.