S. ‘Little One’ was a seedline sold by Parks Seed Company for many years, sometimes referred to as S. ‘Park’s Little One’. It has been widely grown for the velvety red and green leaves, and the very attractive bright orange and yellow flowers in terminal racemes. Often difficult to grow indoors, it does very well when grown in a fairly high-humidity environment. Although particulars cannot be found, it is assumed to be a hybrid involving S. zebrina, as both flowers and foliage are similar to that species — although S. zebrina tends to be much taller.
S. ‘Little One’ has hairy leaves that look like red plush edged with green, which beautifully set off the bright yellow and orange flowers. Like most of the Smithianthas, ‘Little One’ produces numbers of fat rhizomes during the growing season. These can be potted separately to produce many new plants.
The feature photo above was exhibited in the 2021 virtual show of the Gesneriad Society.
Additional photos can be seen in a slideshow by clicking one of the links below: