I bought a bunch of Achimenes this spring because I once had them and really enjoyed them, and they were easy to care for because they went dormant over the winter, eliminating the hassle of carrying them over under lights. When I placed my order, I also got some Eucodonia 'Adele' rhizomes. They have finally bloomed, and although lovely, the flowers aren't the main attraction in my opinion.
It's the leaves. Pinkish red cotton-candy like hairs cover the underside of the leaves, pleasantly thicker at the veins. The tops of the leaves have a bit sparser covering of white hairs.
Makes you wonder what would drive this species to put so much of its energy into hairs. I'm guessing that it foils insect pests since it is so much thicker on the underside of the leaves than it is on the tops. I don't think it is protection from sun or water loss, since there isn't enough on the upper leaves to help filter strong light or prevent transpiration.
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