Today, I’m writing about a houseplant that we have had for a few years, Streptocarpus, also known as the Cape Primrose. We acquired this plant from a small nursery in Proberta, which unfortunately went out of business several years ago. The fact that we still have it (alive) is a testament to my wife’s good care and its suitability as a houseplant in our Red Bluff area.
Streptocarpus is actually the name of a genus of plants native to the mountain areas of eastern, southern, and central Africa. According to Wikipedia, they grow in the highlands of the tropics at an altitude of more than 1,000 meters.
Streptocarpus are closely related to African violets and the optimal care is very similar. They require “Goldilocks” watering – not too much and not too little. If they get too much, they can fall victim to root rot. The website Gardener’s Path recommends allowing the top inch or so of soil to dry a bit between watering. They also said a south-facing window with sheer curtains provides ideal light for Streptocarpus. They can suffer in the summer if they get too hot. In the winter, you can step up the light. GardenersWorld.com recommends providing a high potash fertilizer to encourage flowering, but again, you don’t want to over-fertilize or you may get lots of leaves but few flowers.
There are many varieties of Streptocarpus, and some of them look a lot like African violets, based on photos I found online on a website called GardenersWorld.com. This website said that now the African violets and the Cape primroses are all considered to be in the Streptocarpus genus. That article contained a picture of a variety they called Streptocarpus, “Polka Dot Purple”, which looks exactly like our variety.
Most of the sources I found discussed propagating Streptocarpus by leaf cuttings. This method apparently works, but it takes a while for the cuttings to root. What we found out was that they can also be propagated by division. Sometimes, a second plant will form, which can be carefully separated from the first. This is how we ended up with multiple plants.
We have been delighted with our Cape Primrose, and we heartily recommend it as a houseplant that will provide lovely flowers during much of the year. (The picture that accompanies this article was actually taken on New Year’s Day.)
The Red Bluff Garden Club is a member of the Cascade District, California Garden Clubs, Inc.; Pacific Garden Clubs, Inc.; and National Garden Clubs, Inc. We meet on the last Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at the First United Methodist Church in Red Bluff, CA.
