Gesneria
Encyclopedia
Gesneria is a genus
of approximately 50 species in the flowering plant
family Gesneriaceae
. Except for two or three odd South American species, all are native to islands of the Caribbean
. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae along with the genera Bellonia, Pheidonocarpa, and Rhytidophyllum
. Gesneria species are usually woody shrub
s or subshrub
s, and (with the closely related Rhytidophyllum
) are unusual in the family in having alternately (rather than decussately) arranged leaves. A complete list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.
The genus name honors Conrad Gessner
.
Selected species
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of approximately 50 species in the flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
family Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae is a family of flowering plants consisting of ca. 150 genera and ca. 3,200 species in the Old World and New World tropics and subtropics, with a very small number extending to temperate areas. Many species have colorful and showy flowers and are cultivated as ornamental plants.Most...
. Except for two or three odd South American species, all are native to islands of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae along with the genera Bellonia, Pheidonocarpa, and Rhytidophyllum
Rhytidophyllum
Rhytidophyllum is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae, native to the Caribbean islands and northern South America.-Species:* Rhytidophyllum acunae* Rhytidophyllum asperum* Rhytidophyllum auriculatum* Rhytidophyllum berteroanum...
. Gesneria species are usually woody shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s or subshrub
Subshrub
A subshrub or dwarf shrub is a short woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a similar term.It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting...
s, and (with the closely related Rhytidophyllum
Rhytidophyllum
Rhytidophyllum is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae, native to the Caribbean islands and northern South America.-Species:* Rhytidophyllum acunae* Rhytidophyllum asperum* Rhytidophyllum auriculatum* Rhytidophyllum berteroanum...
) are unusual in the family in having alternately (rather than decussately) arranged leaves. A complete list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.
The genus name honors Conrad Gessner
Conrad Gessner
Conrad Gessner was a Swiss naturalist and bibliographer. His five-volume Historiae animalium is considered the beginning of modern zoology, and the flowering plant genus Gesneria is named after him...
.
Selected species
- Gesneria acaulis
- Gesneria christii
- Gesneria citrina
- Gesneria cuneifolia
- Gesneria humilis
- Gesneria paucifloraGesneria paucifloraGesneria pauciflora is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Gesneriaceae known by the common name yerba maricao de cueva. It is endemic to Puerto Rico, where there are only three populations remaining...
- Gesneria pedicellaris
- Gesneria pedunculosa
- Gesneria reticulata
- Gesneria ventricosa