Trailer vs suckers, how to tell with noids

5 years ago

This may be a newbie question, but how can I tell if an AV has suckers or if it's a trailer?

My BF brought home an AV from the store for me since he knew I had to throw out my old plants and the new plants aren't flowering yet. It has leaves growing in different directions that don't follow the pattern of a crown. I've removed suckers from a plant before but they were more developed and I saw obvious multiple crowns (and the plant was not flowering). I can't seem to identify different crowns on this plant.

I'm attaching photos below. I hope someone can help teach me how to identify trailers vs suckers when the plant if flowering and it's not very obvious.

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irina_co

5 years ago

Great explanation!

Some add ups.

Hybridizers cross trailers with rosette varieties... and get something in-between. They decide what it is - and put it into description. As a result - depending on your conditions.... you scratch your head and try to guess - why this trailer is so hard to grow multicrown.

Standards have Saintpaulia ionantha and Saintpaulia confusa in the background -they do not sucker too much. Minis and semi -minis - have Saintpaulia mangungensis var. minima in a background - and first trailers had Saintpaulia grotei in a background. Both these species are natural trailers. That's why minis and semis - sucker more than standards.

Some minis and semiminis ...example - Optimara Little Crystal just refuse to grow in one stem... some trailers...do it - I had trouble with Candy Fountain. It showed all the signs being a trailer - but grew as a Christmas tree - up.

For me the easiest way to decide if it is a trailer or not - is to look at the stem. Trailers have long internodes. Old trailers - the ones that are much closer to Saintpaulia grotei - have very long internodes. These are what Alabamaav calls creeping. And I call pain in you know where. They cannot keep the shape for long = they overgrow the optimal length and go for a walk. Most vintage trailers are like this. The bush trailers - if you think about Rob's trailers - they are mostly bush. They have relatively short internodes and they form a dense mat of leaves and they shape themselves nicely if planted in a very shallow pot.

What else to look at - besides long internodes? Extra long bloomstalks. Also inherited from S, grotei.

Modern trailers have a complex genetics - means they have everything and the kitchen sink thrown together... Dr.Jeff Smith experimented with other Saintpaulia species. His trailers have the nik 'Yesterday' and his standards = 'Tomorrow'. What I see - these hybrids are gorgeous - but they show a lot of wild in them. They are NOT well behaved,

Anyway - here is a photo of a typical trailing species - Saintpaulia pendula var. Kizarae. Long skinny bloomstalks and long internodes.

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Comments (8)

Sans2014
5 years ago
I don't have an answer, but would like to know the difference too. Very nice healthy looking plant by the way.
alabamaav
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Trailers which are blooming will do so on multiple crowns if they are sufficiently mature. They often may have smaller flowers than plants with similarly-sized crowns. Three sizes are mini, semi-mini and standard trailers (based on leaf and individual crown size.) Some may be difficult to tell apart from vintage minis which suckered more than modern ones. There are two primary types of trailers: bush-type and creeping. The bush trailers will produce a bunch of suckers on a main crown generally (I.e, Jersey Girl Trail). The creeping type produce suckers that spread out, suitable for a hanging basket (I.e, Rob's Miriwinni). Check out AVSA.org for more information. The plant in the photos appears to be a semi or mini, but not a trailer. Remove suckers to improve symmetry and for consistant blooming.
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alabamaav
5 years ago
I also have S. pendula var. Kizarae. Mine stays somewhat more compact under LED light. It blooms fairly easily and is a joy to grow. Very easy to propagate from suckers. I have read that plain S. pendula is not as easy to flower and produces tons of suckers. Irina, does grotei silvert need a terrarium to bloom? Mine grows plenty of suckers in a small mound, but no flowers.
irina_co
5 years ago
No, S.grotei Silvert clone is an easy one, Doesn't need anything special
irina_co
5 years ago
Here is Sauntpaulia pendula.... in bloom... very stingy bloom...
irina_co
5 years ago
S.goetziana needs terrarium... I think the rest are ok. There is a couple of high elevation once. S.teitensis and something else... they are quite rare in culture - hard to say if they need high humidity or just chill. Never put my paws on these ones.
irina_co
5 years ago
My friend grows micromini AVs - Pipsqueak is one of them - and she keeps them under the domes...