Cape Primrose Streptocarpus saxorum bluish flowers

Credit: John Robert McPherson

Streptocarpus saxorum green leaves

Credit: Edouard Brulhart

Cape Primrose blue flowers

Credit: Tatters

Streptocarpus saxorum white flowers

Credit: HQ Flower guide

Streptocarpus saxorum white and blue flowers

Credit: Leaf0605

Streptocarpus saxorum, Cape primrose

Nicknames are not always well chosen. Take Cape Primrose, in Latin Streptocarpus saxorum. This plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family and is therefore not a primrose. What's more, it doesn't come from South Africa, but from Kenya and Tanzania.

How to recognize Streptocarpus saxorum, the Cape primrose?

Streptocarpus saxorum is 20 to 30 centimetres high and 80 centimetres in diameter. It's a semi-succulent perennial with a flared, drooping habit. It can be grown as a hanging plant.

Unlike Saintpaulia, Streptocarpus saxorum is not acaule. It has a flexible herbaceous stem that lignifies with age.

The green leaves are obovate and thick. They are covered with a fine down. On the underside, very pronounced veins give the leaves a waffle-like appearance. Blade margins are serrated. Leaves grow in whorls: three by three, in a circle around the stem.

Tubular flowers bloom at the top of drooping stems. They appear from March to October. Blue and white in the botanical variety, they can be mauve or pale pink in certain hybrids.

In ancient Greek, streptocarpus means twisted fruit. The Cape Primrose produces twisted capsules. When they open, they release a multitude of very fine seeds.

Streptocarpus saxorum is not toxic. Although ingestion may cause digestive discomfort, the plant is harmless to humans and animals.

Our maintenance tips

You don't have to do anything to make your Cape Primrose bloom again. However, if the plant stops producing flowers, give it a rest. For three weeks at the end of winter, place it in a room with a temperature of around 16°C and reduce the frequency of watering.

Watering

Cape Primroses like to keep their soil cool, but not soggy. Water generously to soak the root ball, then leave to dry on the surface for a centimeter or two.

Pour the water at the base of the plant, avoiding wetting the foliage. You can also water by capillary action. This way, you can be sure that the leaves will stay dry. Place your Cape Primrose and its pot in a larger container filled with water. Wait thirty minutes. Once the substrate is saturated with water, remove the plant, drain and replace the pot.

Roots are fragile. To avoid damaging them, always water at room temperature. Preferably use recycled rainwater.

Finally, don't let water stagnate in the saucer or planter. It will rot the roots.

Spray

The foliage of your Cape Primrose is covered with a fine down. You must not get it wet. Fogging is therefore strongly discouraged.

Repotting

Every spring, repot your Streptocarpus saxorum to give it more space.

Get yourself a pierced pot, preferably plastic. Indeed, cape Primroses do not tolerate the accumulation of mineral salts. With a plastic or porcelain container, they'll drain more easily than with a terracotta model.

Fill the bottom of the pot with potting soil for flowering plants or green plants. Then plant your Cape Primrose and add substrate. Tamp the soil lightly and water for the first time.

You can place your pot on a dish filled with moist clay balls to improve humidity.

Fertilization

To promote the growth of your Streptocarpus saxorum, apply fertilizer in spring and summer.

Apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants to promote the appearance of flower buds.

Prune

To encourage the growth of your Cape Primrose, prune regularly.

Remove wilted stems, leaves and flowers. They can rot your Cape Primrose.

Cutting

You can take cuttings all year round.

Using a clean, sharp tool, cut off a leaf with its petiole. Choose a healthy leaf, preferably close to the flowers.

Line a plastic bucket with potting soil for seedlings and plantations.

Make a pilot hole with a pen or your finger. Plant the petiole of your leaf in the soil. Press lightly and water.

Cuttings take better if they've been suffocated. Place the pot in a mini greenhouse. You can also cover the leaf with a glass or enclose your pot in a translucent bag.

Place your cutting next to a window so that it gets as much light as possible.

Diseases / Threats

Information

Family	Gesneriaceae - Gesneriaceae
Type	Streptocarpus - Streptocarpus
Species	Cape Primrose - Streptocarpus saxorum
Lifecycle	Perennial
Foliage	Evergreen
Exposure	Half-shade
Substrat	Humus soil
Planting methods	In pots Planter
Categories	Interior Flowery Hanging plants
Tags	Beginner Flowery Fritillary
Origin	East Africa
Hardiness (USDA)	11a
Leaf color
Flower colors