Exhibited in the 2020 virtual show of the Gesneriad Society.
Rhabdothamnopsis sinensis is the single variable species in the genus, native to parts of southern China. Floral variability includes a range of colors, from lavender blue through to purple exterior corolla with white lobes. It has been shown that at least some populations of the species exhibit “mirrored corolla bending”, where adjacent flowers have corollas that bend toward the other flower. It is thought that this facilitates pollination by some species of Bumblebee. An illustration of particularly dramatic mirroring can be seen in one of the linked photos below, but is also visible in the feature photo above. The article documenting this can be viewed here.
Additional photos can be seen in a slideshow by clicking one of the links below:
