Sinningia speciosa ‘Candida’
A cultivar of Sinningia speciosa (Lodd.) Hiern. I have found no description but the name candida suggests a pure white flower and its introduction by 1832, preceding the introduction of the Fyfiana cultivars, means it would have been of the wild, slipper form. Probably similar to the pure white slipper flower illustrated by Fitch in the Floral Magazine of 1861, shown here.
Horticultural & Botanical History
Not listed under this name in the main Gesneriad Register – Sinningia. ‘Candida’, 1837, is listed in the Appendix with no details. It is probably an old variety, pre-dating 1837. The only reference I have found is a report in The Athenaeum of 1832, page 161: ‘In the exhibition , we observed , flowers of Gloxinia candida, and of Echeveria…’
History at Camden Park
Recorded in a handwritten entry in a copy of the 1850 catalogue held at the Mitchell Library and inscribed on the front Wm. Macarthur, 23rd Dec. 1854. [ML635.9m]. Gloxinia candida was requested of James Backhouse on 1st February, 1849 and this is the likely source [MP A2933-1 p.183].
Notes
Published Sep 02, 2009 - 05:16 PM | Last updated Aug 21, 2011 - 05:09 PM
Fitch (Floral Magazine), 1861. Early Florist's gloxinias. The white slipper form is probably very similar to the variety candida.
| Family | Gesneriaceae |
|---|---|
| Category | |
| Region of origin | Probably garden origin |
| Synonyms |
|
| Common Name | Gloxinia, Slipper gloxinia |
| Name in the Camden Park Record | Gloxinia candida |
| Confidence level | medium |