This is the florist’s gloxinia from Brazil, instantly recognizable by its enormous, furry leaves and large, bell-shaped flowers. Bought just as the buds begin to open, each plant will provide color for several weeks during the summer, with individual blooms lasting up to a week.

Since its introduction during the nineteenth century, breeding has produced a rich range of flower colors, including white, pink, red, maroon, violet, and purple. Varieties include those with a white frill edging colored petals, speckles, or splashes of color on a white background, and blooms with a contrasting throat color.

Size: Height 8 in. (20 cm).

Light: Indirect sunlight or partial shade.

Temperature: Normal room.

Moisture: Keep moist at all times while in leaf.

Feeding: Apply half-strength liquid tomato fertilizer every two weeks from when flowering stops to when the foliage dies down.

Propagation: Take cuttings of the young leaves and stems or divide larger tubers in spring. Or sow seed, mixed with silver sand, and place in a box in a position which receives bright, filtered light at 70°F (21 °C) in late winter.

Special needs: Avoid getting water on the leaves because they will scorch. The tuber can be stored dry over winter and brought back for a subsequent year by potting up in late winter, with hollow side up.