The Iochroma have arrived

The iochroma plants we ordered from Kartuz have arrived. They look great and they came so fast. The only down side, no planting instructions. I've searched and can't seem to find much info. So now Aga and I need to know what to do with them. I planted mine in the same soil mix I use for my brugs. Now what do we do? Any help greatly appreciated.

Congrats with your new plants.

I hope to have some exsperience with this Genus soon.There are 8-14 different species, but the info on the Net is only scarce. I hope it will be useful for you.

Iochroma cyaneum -- closeup -- more flowers -- evergreen subtropical shrub to 8’ tall and wide with soft, rather grey green leaves to 4" long. Pendant, tubular violet blue flowers, to 1/4" wide by 3-4" long, are borne in clusters of up to forty. Can bloom almost all year in mild winter areas, but bloom is heaviest in spring and summer. Related to Brugmansia, but more frost resistant. Sun to part shade, average to little summer watering, has survived 17°F. Northwestern South America. Solanaceae.

http://montereybaynsy.com/Ijk.htm

Iochroma - Tubeflower Solanaceae. Flowers mostly purple in summer and autumn. Fast growing shrub of which there are about 20 species grown in temperate and tropical climates. Easily raised from cuttings and grows best in warm sheltered spots with plenty of water. Can be used as wall shrubs or espaliered for display. Cut back in winter as it becomes straggly. Grows to 3m in height. Flowers mostly mauve and purple.

http://www.devonport.tco.asn.au/garden-club/

Tonny

Tonny, last summer there was a discussion about these plants. I have acnistus australe raised from T+M seed. It's just starting to bloom in the GH. Is it or is it not the same as Iochroma? I also have some in the garden that seem to be surviving over the winter.

Liz, I was going to ask him the same question. I have acnistis australis that are 3 years old. Some bloom white, pale mauve and a darker blue. They are hardy here.

In the botanical garden in Copenhagen I saw both Iochroma and Acnistus grown in large tubs. I would say it is the same plants blessed with two different Genus names. To be sure I will see, if I can dig forth some literature about the subject.

Here a link stating that Iochroma, Acnistus and Dunalis is identical.

http://plantsdatabase.com/go/1015.html

Here is a link to New York b.g. herbaria. Here are both dried specimens of Iochroma and Acnistus ... worth a study, but the site is heavy and slow:

http://www.nybg.org/bsci/hcol/vasc/Solanaceae.html

Clear prof here, Enjoy!:

http://www.support.net/Medit-Plants/plants/Iochroma.html

There are many more pages. Try and use Google (my spiritus familaris *lol*) and type Iochroma or Acnistus or Dunalis and push search :)

Tonny,
Thank you.

Thank you Tonny - I should have known the information was right here in daves backyard. I see that the last link says previously called Acnistus australe. I will now call it Iochroma. Another case of Thompson and Morgan not keeping up with the times.

Liz, what colour is yours? BTW, they take from cuttings also and I have found them to be very drought tolerant.

purply - blue. I haven't taken cuttings yet. Planted the whole package of seed last year so had them coming out my ears. Sent a few down south though.

What an interesting post. I was about to order some Iochroma from Kartuz, a friend in Brazil is looking for seed, appears only way to get some is to grow it. I have also been promised some Acnistus a. seed; had no idea these were identical plants... Look like nice companions to the Brugs... Does anyone have a few seeds of the Iochroma to trade or SASE? Thanks, John

I ordered Royal Blue and Indigo from Kartuz. Hope they are in great shape when they get here. Mine won't be shipped out until mid to late April. I've grown Acnistus, but don't know the variety and the ones I grew looked nothing like the Iochroma that I ordered. I was disappointed.

Catlady, from what I've learned, Tonny is right, the lochrona & acnistys austrlis are the same. Pam is sending me three from the batch she ordered, and said there were no instructions included, but treat them the same as a Brug. They are ok to grow in a pot, and she said they wern't hardy where she lives, so I know they won't be hardy here in NC. Like you, I'll go the link Tonny provided to find out more info. Brugie, she said these were in great shape from Kartuz. I'll "watch this thread" for more info. Catlady, notice the spelling difference.....iochroma vs other spelling of lochroma........don't know if that makes any difference or not.

Agapanthus, I had the worst time when I originally did my searches on this, as I thought it was an 'L' ( 'l' ) not an 'I'. It is of course and 'I' for 'Io', meaning purple.

Well I've had a full day in the road, just got home and look at all this info. I'll be up all night checking these sites to get my babies off to a good start. Brugie,
if yours come in as good a shape as ours, I think you will be pleased. Aga, the wine red is small, but the indigo is much taller. It barely fit in the box. I think mine have already grown since they got here, haha. I think one has a little bud, this will be a hoot since they are only about 6 inches tall. Now I heard some one talking about seeds. I didn't see any in the Kartuz catalogue, just plants. Can someone tell me where they found the seeds?
Tonny said there were about 20 varieties and I only have four,you know me, I want them all. Also need some to send to Antonio, I ordered one of the plants for him,but since it came potted in soil, I can't send it to Brazil. Even if we can't receive seeds, we can still send them, can't we?

Well, anybody got any cuttings to trade? I have Acnistus seeds on order, but I'd love the head-start cuttings would give.

Catlady, if you find seeds for any but Iochroma australis, would you let me know.

catlady, I found Iochroma plants, but not seeds, at Kartuz. I think it is still permitted to send seeds, just not receive them... Now, if Iochroma = Acnistus, does anyone have a source of 'Royal Blue' seeds under either name? Thanks, John

I bought some acnistus seeds from Chiltern's. The description says lilac to purple with a few deep blues thrown in for good measure. Anyone no how long they take to bloom from seeds?

Okay, now I have a question. My T&M book for 2002 doesn't have Acnistus Australis in it this year. I went back to last years catalog and it says L Lochroma, not Iochroma. What is the difference? I did a search and found a couple of sites, but no pictures. I know when I raised the acnistus from seed, they didn't look anything like the iochromas that I have ordered.

Okay, now I have a question. My T&M book for 2002 doesn't have Acnistus Australis in it this year. I went back to last years catalog and it says Lochroma, not Iochroma. What is the difference? I did a search and found a couple of sites, but no pictures. I know when I raised the acnistus from seed, they didn't look anything like the Iochromas that I have ordered.

Just looked again in the T&M book and it says Australe. I may be way off base on the Acnistus seeds, but these are the only ones I have seen and raised and they have bluish trumpet shaped blooms, but not in clusters.


This message was edited Saturday, Jan 19th 9:23 PM

Brugie, you are totally correct. The acnistis australis I grew had white, mauve and dark blue flowers, but not in clusters. That was on 3 separate plants.One colour per plant. I don't think they look like the Iochroma either, but maybe they're just a different cultivar of the genus. The flowers are tiny, tiny, nothing like brug flowers. IMHO

I feel better now Jeanne, because for a while I thought I was really needing to see my eye doctor again. You are right about the flowers being tiny too. Compared to brug blooms they are insignificant. I guess mine were about 2-3 inches long but only about 3/4-1 inch in diameter. Not pretty and I felt was a waste of my time. That doesn't mean that someone else might have a beautiful plant from their seed. I'm a firm believer that soil, temps., fertilizer, etc. makes a difference with plants. By the way, the acnistus doesn't like much fertilizer. Too much and they won't bloom.

I guess mine bloomed lots because they were ignored. LOL

Brugie - if you go to the photo section of the yahoo group & look in Rich's place ... he has pictures of related solanaceae species. He's got both the iochroma & acnistus. They look different to me. I don't know if this link will work but here it is http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/brugmansia/lst?.dir=/Rich%27s+Place/Related+Solanaceae&.src=gr&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/brugmansia/lst%3f.dir=/Rich%2527s%2bPlace%26.src=gr%26.view=t

Poppysue, it didn't work---can you try it again, or e-mail me the web address? I'd love to see these pics.

they don't look alike at all from Rich's pictures. will trade brug for Iochroma when someone has cutting.

I just looked at Rich's photos and his acnistis is exactly like the one I grew. Big difference in the acnistus and iochroma. I hope they are easy to propagate from cuttings.

If anyone finds good planting and growing instructions on the iochroma, would you please share with the rest of us. I'm not finding anything yet and am especially interested on fertilizer requirements.

This message was edited Sunday, Jan 20th 10:45 AM

I agree, those are two different things, but different like brugs and dats are different, not like oranges and apples are different. I'm going to treat my Acnistus seeds just like I would datura seeds, and see what happens.

Brugie,
I have both and to tell you the truth the white one isn't my favorite...more bush then flower. The Iochroma Grandflora is a very cute one except I had horn worm problems with it....not once but three times....maybe it's our heat here. As far as feeding them too much they didn't get a lot because of their location but they did get the same amount of water as the Brugs......they're planted in the same flowerbed as some of my Brugs.
Biloxi
Gloria

If these things grow as rapidly as brugs, and I don't kill them, I should have cuttings to share this summer. It will be so nice to have something to share with all of you who have been so generous in sharing with me. Hate that you are having trouble finding things Brugie, but at least now I know I'm not just looking in all the wrong places.
Think I'll send an e-mail to Mike at Kartuz and see what he knows.

Pardancanda, also had trouble with the L and I spelling. Finally figured it out. Have two coming. Evidently they grow well in containers? Maybe catlady will find out from Mike at Kartuz. House is full of brug cuttings, now I have to find room for more? Oh well, who needs a table to eat at, or chairs to sit on. Besides, if these do do as well as brugs, who needs the extra bedroom?

OK folks, I found this in one of plant books. I wanted to scan in, but DH was worried about copy rights especially on the web. Iochroma, also I.coccinea, lax srub with downy stems and ovate to oblong, sharp-pointed,prominently veined, lustrous, rich green leavs, 3-5 in, bears clusters of up to 8 tubular scarlet flowers, 1 1/2-2 in long, with light yellow throats, in summer to 10 ft. (min 45F/7C) Also, I. cyanea (tubulosa_ Umbel-like clusters of up to 20 tubular, deep purple-blue flowers, with downy shoots and narrowly ovate to oblong-lance-shaped or elliptic, softly hairy, gray-green leaves; to 10 ft (min 45F/7C).
--Cultivation - Under glass, grow in soil-based potting mix in bright to moderate filtered light. During growth, water moderately and apply a balance liquid fertilizer every month. Keep jus moist in winter. Pinch young plants to encourage bushiness. Top-dress mature plants with fresh soil mix annually in spring. Outdoors, grow in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade, with shelter from cold, drying winds. Pruning group 9; group 12 for scandent shrubs, after flowering;plants under glass may need restrictive pruning in late winter.
--Propagation: Sow seed at 55-64 F(13-18C) in spring. Root greenwood cuttings in late spring, or root semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
--Pests and Diseases: Spider mites ans whiteflies may be problems under glass.

sounds like I need to find this too. Hope the info helps.

Dee

If the spider mites and whiteflies like it, it has to be related to the brugs for sure.

Thanks Dee, for the information.

Thanks so much Dee. What book did you find this in? Don't know if I can bear to pinch these little things, will wait and see if they get leggy. Will post if I get a reply from Mike.

The book that I use most is "The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Dee

That IS a great book, isn't it? But some of the sites I read today make me think the Iochromas are tougher than a minimum temp of 45 degrees. Heck, brugs are lots tougher than that, and stuff I read implied that the Iochromas were more cold-tolerant than brugs are. Some of you folks who read German need to run a Google search---I used that 'translate this page' thingie, but some of the translations, while hilariously funny, are nearly unreadable.

Somewhere I read that these are hardy to 17 degrees, can't remember where as my brain hasn't awaken yet. The Mediterranean site listed a book, The Plantsman; vol. 5, part 3, A Review of Iochroma in Cultivation by Julian M.H. Shaw. Now I wonder where I can find this book and the one Dee mentioned in this part of the world. Must contact Kelly for that answer.

The book that I mentioned is usually in the book stores or try BarnesandNoble.com; and amazon.com. Dee

Beautiful flowers...anyone grown these from seed? Would love to see some pictures of seed or fruit from these plants.