PlantFiles: Lace Flower, Lace Flower Vine
Alsobia dianthiflora

I bought the plant recently blooming. Mine is pure white. They gave it the same name and classification. Looking for as much information as I can get. Leaf and plant look the same. I did take pictures.

The photo appears to be a related plant, Alsobia 'Cygnet', a hybrid between Alsobia dianthiflora and Alsobia punctata. The true A. dianthiflora has pure white flowers with a fimbriate edge, while A. punctata has a white flower with fine red spotting on the lower petals. The hybrid also has spotted flowers. The foliage of E. dianthiflora is much denser and smaller in leaf. The foliage is also has a deep velvety green color. A. punctata is much coarser and has foliage of a grayish green. The hybrid is in-between.

Some taxonomists still include these species under episcia (pronounced Ee-peesch-e-a), however most gesneriad growers put them in the genus alsobia. True episcias include the species, cupreata, lilicina, fimbriata, sphalera, and reptans. Another genus sometimes included in episcia is nautilocalyx, with many species.

Alsobias come from Costa Rica to Mexico (mainly the latter). They are more cold tolerant than episcias (from Peru to Costa Rica, and Brazil) but generally go dormant during winter, when they should be kept barely moist. Grown indoors and under lights they may be kept in growth during winter. The true epsicias are very intolerant of cold and must be grown above 60 degrees (F). The same is true for nautilocalyx.

Episcia dianthiflora is a member of the Gesneria family, native to tropical South America.

Their trailing habit makes them ideal subjects for hanging baskets in warm or hot houses. They can also be trained vertically up a frame. Episcia dianthiflora produces single very pale pink flowers with frilled edges (rather like Dianthus; presumably hence its name).

It is listed as hardy only to Zone 10 and in my experience takes great exception to a temperature below 60ºF. They also tend to suffer in winter conditions, not from low temperatures, but the amount of light available. Ideally they should be given a minimum of 12 hours light each day. However, by keeping mine at a very warm 70ºF in winter, they seem to survive OK.

Propagated by cuttings, which are very easy if sufficient bottom heat is given. Raising from seed is not easy, not least because seed is rarely produced, small, and very difficult to handle.