Where are the spikes for the flowers on chiritas??

The flower is almost open............do ya suppose it is going to bloom under the leaves because there is no long spike??

here is another cultivar (don't ask me what....this one just says chirita senensis)

This is the same one with all the numbers that Ki posted.....my leaves are drooping because I overwatered it for a couple of weeks!!!

It should have a longer stalk than that, Gail, but I don't know why it doesn't. Someone else posted in the last few days about a really short Chirita flower stalk.

Here's a picture of C. sinensis 'Hisako' blooming. http://www.gesneriads.ca/chirit22.htm And this page http://www.gesneriads.ca/chirit17.htm states, "It also produces attractive lavender flowers on long stalks held well above the foliage." about C. sinensis. Maybe someone else will have an idea for you about why they're not longer. I wish I knew what to tell you.

Don't you just love Chirita blooms? They're so pretty!

Have you gotten the extra moisture out of the overwatered one so it can start drying out?

yes, in fact i think I am going to put dry paper towels under the pot....that is what I usually do when I overwater.... I have two or three Hisakos....they haven't bloomed yet...

Is that a flower stalk on that first pic, Gail? It looks sorta like new leaves to me, very pretty! What's the name of that one? I love the variegation in those leaves and also the shape of the leaves!

I still only have two Chirita's blooming right now ... 'Diane Marie' and 'Kazu'. Got my order from Rob's yesterday. Was a bit disappointed in the size of the plants ..... very tiny! I sometimes have trouble with real teeny tiny plants, so I hope these will survive. They look healthy, so maybe they will do okay for me.

I think you are going to need a Greenhouse very soon at the rate you are going, Miss Gail! You've said your house is small ... do you have any room left for furniture? LOL. Your plants look awesome, you have really found your niche!

I looked again at the same plant.....these probably are new leaves, but why would they be this color??? they are everywhere on this plant.....
this pic is blurry but you get the picture of maybe they are new leaves

Yeah, that is interesting. They look like new leaves to me still ... but with that reddish color, so different from the mature leaves! Sure would be Wonderful to have a Strep with all the leaves that color!!!

Well, Gail, sometimes you just have to ignore me and my random thoughts! I just glanced at your picture because I was in a hurry and didn't take the time to notice that they really do look like leaves rather than blooms. Sadly, I again have no answers or advice as to why they'd be that color. They're pretty that way, but I don't have any idea what would be causing it. I fear it might not be a good thing, but hopefully someone with much more knowledge than me will come along and offer some insight. Was this one overwatered or perhaps in too much light?

Maybe those leaves are kinda reddish in color because of being shaded by the large leaves? Maybe they haven't gotten enough light? I will be curious to see what they look like as they grow larger!

I am wearing out this camera......it never leaves my side (LOL)