(SKG dressleri x Ree papillilaminum) x carlablackiae OG1x5

Seed parent from Daryl at Tezula from Bill at SKG's bench, and shipped to me by Aaron at Urban Leaf Shop. Kind of a mouthful and perfectly representative of the web of growers and sellers out of Miami, growing beautiful plants and figuring out how to get them to people elsewhere. The plant itself is large (thanks, pap), dark (thanks, dressleri) and very velvety. Highly tolerant of dark grow spaces thanks to the genealogy, as well.

That pollen parent, carlablackiae OG1x5, has a history of almost not existing in my hands. It's an ecotype cross from Scott Cohen from a few years back, and my actual first attempt at owning one ended in me killing a seedling I bought from Enid at NSE and then whining about it until she took pity and sent me this one as a replacement. So this whole line exists because I'm bad at keeping plants alive and good at complaining about it.

Most people chase the thin-veined, muted side of carlablackiae, named, I believe, for Carla Black, a Heliconia person down in Central America. Not me. I want the thicker, louder veins, the ones that look like someone turned up the contrast. This particular representation has made some killer hybrids already, and crossing it onto the seed parent felt like a natural next step.