Gesneriaceae

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Gesneriaceae >

Read about Gesneriaceae in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Gesneriaceae (from the genus Gesneria, named after the early botanist Conrad Gesner of Zurich). Gesneria Family. Fig. 53. Herbs, rarely shrubs or small trees, sometimes climbing: leaves usually opposite or whorled, simple: flowers bisexual, irregular, often bilabiate; calyx 5-parted; corolla 5-lobed, gamopetalous, hypogynous, often gibbous below, imbricated; stamens rarely 5, usually 4 and didynamous, rarely 2, the sterile usually present as staminodia, epipetalous; hypogynous disk present, diverse; ovary superior or inferior, of 2 carpels but 1-celled with 2 parietal placentae, often falsely 2-4-celled; ovules numerous; style 1; stigmas 1-2: fruit fleshy with pulpy placentae, or capsular, or silique-like with twisted valves. Eighty-four genera and about 500 species are widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics of both hemispheres. The largest genera are Cyrtandra containing 180 species and Roettlera with about 100 species. The family is related to the Scrophulariaceae, Orobanchaceae and Bignoniaceae. The 1-celled ovary without winged seeds, and the non-parasitic habit are distinctive. The only economic plants in the family are the ornamental, of which there are many. The flowers throughout the family are uncommonly large and showy. Twenty or more genera are in cultivation in N. America. Among these are the following, all of greenhouse culture: Agalmyla, climbers; Episcia; Gesneria; Isoloma (Kohleria); Naegelia (Smithiantha); Saintpaulia (Usambara Violet; African Violet); Sinningia, including the Gloxinias; Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose); Trichosporum (or Aeschynanthus), trailing or drooping.CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Genera

Selected genera^wp

Achimenes Aeschynanthus Agalmyla Alloplectus Alsobia Ancylostemon Anodiscus Asteranthera Besleria Boea Briggsia Bucinellina Capanea Chirita Chrysothemis Codonanthe Columnea Conandron Corallodiscus Crantzia Cyrtandra Diastema Didissandra Didymocarpus Drymonia Episcia (Flame Violet) Eucodonia Gasteranthus Gesneria Glossoloma Gloxinella Gloxinia Gloxiniopsis Haberlea Hemiboea

Henckelia Isometrum Jancaea Koellikeria Kohleria Loxostigma Lysionotus Mandirola Mitraria Monopyle Nautilocalyx Nematanthus (Goldfish Plant) Neomortonia Niphaea Nomopyle Opithandra Oreocharis Paliavana Paraboea Pearcea Petrocosmea Phinaea Ramonda Raphiocarpus Sarmienta Saintpaulia (African Violet) Seemannia Sinningia Smithiantha (Temple Bells) Sphaerorrhiza Stauranthera Streptocarpus (Cape Primrose) Titanotrichum

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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