Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is rainha do abismo (Sinningia canescens)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called rainha do abismo, white velvet sinningia, woolly sinningia.

More about rainha do abismo

About rainha do abismo

Sinningia canescens · also called rainha do abismo, white velvet sinningia · houseplant

Sinningia canescens is a tuberous Brazilian gesneriad prized for its densely white-felted, silver leaves and tubular orange-red flowers. It thrives in bright indirect light with thorough but infrequent watering and a distinct dry dormancy in winter. A compact grower ideal for windowsills and collectors of miniature and species gesneriads.

Cold limit: USDA 11-12 · RHS H1b (15–26°C)

Watch for — Leaf spotting: Cold water droplets on the hairy leaves leave permanent brown spots. Water at the base only and keep foliage dry.

What rainha do abismo's hardiness rating actually means

rainha do abismo is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 11-12 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). rainha do abismo has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for rainha do abismo as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can rainha do abismo go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when rainha do abismo can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

rainha do abismo hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is rainha do abismo cold hardy?

rainha do abismo is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. rainha do abismo can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 11-12); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature rainha do abismo can survive?

What hardiness zone is rainha do abismo?

rainha do abismo is rated USDA 11-12 and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can rainha do abismo survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to rainha do abismo below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.