wonderful Thunbergia

[Hans J]

In this time I have a lot of flowers on my Thunbergia plants 

Thunbergia natalensis
Thunbergia gregorii
Thunbergia gibsonii

Enjoy
Hans

[David Pilling]

Lovely plants.

I wonder if in general anyone knows of a good source of thunbergia seed. I've been looking for t. grandiflora and t. mysorensis for a few years. Had various t. grandiflora seed which have failed to germinate.

Found somewhere selling plants this year - it had clearly been a good plant, but something horrible had happened on the way - when I opened it all the leaves were dropping off. Company said "transit shock, it will start to grow again" -  taken all year to turn into compost.

[Hans J]

David ,

maybe look for seeds by Silverhill or African bulbs ...

I have bought my plants of T.gregorii + gibsonii from a special nursery ...
My T.natalensis I have received before some years from a friend as cuttings ...they need some weeks for rooting - after this no problem - it grows like a perennial
A other friend has promised me ( maybe ) a plant of T.battiscombei 

[David Pilling]

Thanks for reminding me of silverhill. In the past when I looked at their site, the thunbergia where something like 'purple variety' a non-specific species description.

But better to have something unknown that grows than something exactly dead.

Time to place another order with silverhill...

[Hans J]

here is the new  member of my Thunbergia's :

Thunbergia battiscombei

a really wonderful dark blue !

[Paul T]

These are all beautiful.  I've seen the orange with the black throat around as a weed when visiting warmer areas than here, but have no idea whether it would grow here or not through winter?  I did grow a pale apricot coloured one for 2 years, it surprised me by coming back the second season, but a wet winter last year knocked it off.  They are a beautiful flower, but something I've definitely rarely ever seen around here.  I just love that blue, Hans, and the gregorii (which I'm assuming is the one I've seen as a weed in warmer areas?).  Thanks for showing us.

[Hans J]

Thank you Paul !

I grow T.natalensis since several years ( like a perennial ) - in winter I cut the stems and the pot is in our garage ( more or frostfree ) - same should work with T.battiscombei

What you have seen as weed should be T.alata - I have it not in my collection
..so far I know is T.alata and T.gregorii not the same plant.

My T.gregorii + T.gibsonii comes from a special nursery ...they grow it as anual plant

Hans

[Paul T]

Thanks for the info, Hans.  I was surprised when the peachy coloured one I was given survived through one of our winters outside.  I expected to treat them as an annual here.  Unfortunately it never set seed.  The dark coloured one does look like alata now that you've given me a name.  Interestingly, the pics of gregorii on the Net do not have a dark throat, so yours may be unusual.  The pics there show gibsonii and gregorii as superficially very similar.

I never realised until now that there were so many species of Thunbergii.  Fascinating to learn new stuff.  Thanks.