So if you buy a big pot of h. KQ or KP that has totally reverted to all green, is that plant then correctly labeled "H. Rubra" ??? or does it stay KQ or KP no matter what color the leaves are? I guess what I'm really asking is, what is h. rubra? and are KP and KQ variegated forms of h. rubra or of h. carnosa....? Or is the name actually h. carnosa rubra??? Aghhhh...any help appreciated....
SR
confused....and possibly a little stupid...
If you were older we could tell you the story....but...afraid it is not for your young ears!!!!
Those plants have a hundred names...and their (one of them, forget which) has Rubra in it....they are cultivars so would have a tendency to revert. IF they revert, then I don't think they are KP or KQ anymore, but H. carnosa.
My 2cents...not sure....
Thanks Carol (and I only wish my ears WERE that young)....what you said actually makes sense to me...your'e saying KQ, KP, and Rubra (along with like a bazillion others) are all varietal names for h. carnosa, right? So it would be h. carnosa KP, h. carnosa KQ, and h. carnosa rubra... I can completely "get" that and I feel ever so much better now :)...thanks again...
SR
For what it's worth, what I was told, way back when, is that Krimson Princess' official name is "Hoya carnosa Rubra" and Krimson Queen's official name is "Hoya carnosa Tricolor". To keep their names straight, I was also told that the "queen" wears her colors (the white and pink/red) on the outside and the "princess" wears her colors on the inside.
Christine
Thanks Christine, that's interesting.....but then I come back to: if the plant has reverted to solid green and is no longer "rubra" (red) or "tricolor", then you can safely label the pot just "h. carnosa"....right??? I think....or, h. carnosa sp. (?)...
And I do like the way to remember who's who with the Queen and the Princess :)
SR
Well, if it reverts, it still has the virus in it that caused the variegation so I'm not sure about that question at all. Parts of my KP have reverted, and I'm really tempted to take a cutting and grow it out to see what happens. In fact, I think I'll do just that anyway and see what happens.
Christine
Plant Files lists KP as Hoya carnosa, cultivar Rubra: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57702/
and KQ is listed as Hoya carnosa, cultivar Tricolor: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/57703/
Carol, Thank you for that explanation. I have a couple that have reverted and my thinking is that if it reverts back to solid green, it would be called Hoya carnosa since that's what the parent plant was.
I'm glad you asked that question, Shelley. My oldest carnosa (KP) has reverted almost completely, so I took cuttings from the few branches of variegation left and started a new pot with them. The "old gal" is still growing and blooming to beat the band, so I plan to keep her around. I don't plan to change the name, though. She was, is and always will be Hoya carnosa 'Krimson Princess'. Maybe I'll add "reverted" to the end for my own info.
My two cents, too.
Barb
Edited cuz I can't type
This message was edited Oct 6, 2008 3:01 PM
LOL Barb, I still call mine KP too because that is what it was when I got it back in the 1970's. I figure even Queen's and Princesses take off their capes/colors once in awhile!
I will be curious to hear if the cuttings grow out to have the variegation.
Just a question out of curiosity ......
Are the flowers identical on all three?
No, the flowers are not identical on mine. On my KP, the coronas are much darker than green carnosa, almost raspberry/purple and a very, very dark burgundy corona. On my KQ, the flowers are a bit darker pink than green carnosa, but still quite similar from what I remember - it hasn't bloomed this year because of my move in the spring.
Christine
Christine, I like you way of remembering too.
I made up my own way-
Krimson Queen is regal and observes her duties, as in making flowers, which she does frequently.
Krimson Princess is more young and frivolous, she rarely remembers or bothers to make flowers.
If the flowers are different and do not "revert," I vote the name remains!!
:-)
Some things are so similar in some families that only the flower will tell you which one is which ..... epis come to mind in this respect.