Hemiboea flaccida 'Velvet Touch'

We received this lovely hardy gesneriad in 2004 as Hemiboea cavaleri, but after growing it for a few years, we keyed it out instead to the rare, Hemiboea flaccida. This African violet relative hails from up to 4,500' elevation in the alkaline forests of western Guangxi and southern Guizhou, China, where it grows among the rocks. Our nine-year-old plant of Hemiboea flaccida has made a slowly expanding patch to 18" wide. The luscious, felty green foliage adorns the 10" tall upright stems which are then topped, starting in late October, with small tubular flowers with maroon interior stripes.