Gloxinia perennis

This first photo is property of the Gesneriad Reference Web.  http://www.gesneriads.ca/

I have a cool flower blooming in my plant room this week and it so happens that the Ges. Reference Web has some interesting commentary on this flower. I quote from them: "Gloxinia perennis is a rare example of a "perfume flower".  The perfume droplets produced by the flower at the base of the corolla are collected by male bees, and used to mark swarm areas and attract females.  During the course of collecting the perfume the bees effect pollination of the flowers.  While rare in the Gesneriaceae, numerous orchids use similar mechanisms for attraction of pollinators."

 My plant, which seems to be a robust grower, is just coming into bloom now this fall. The blooms are simply glorious because of their fuzz and their size!

 As you can see the flower is handsomely large and a cool shade of lavender!

If I were a bee I'm sure I would really like the season these are in bloom. I've not detected the scent yet, but I understand that it is sort of like spearmint.

I look forward to seeing if I can detect the fragrance soon from my flowers.

Questions??
Comments???