Episcia
Encyclopedia
Episcia is a genus of about 8 species belonging to 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...

. The species are found in the tropical regions of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 (frequently cultivated elsewhere and sometimes naturalizing in tropical regions). The species are perennial herbaceous plants characterized by a stoloniferous habit, red (rarely orange, pink, blue or yellow) flowers, and frequently have marked or patterned leaves. They are grown in the tropics, and in temperate regions as houseplants, primarily for their attractive foliage. Numerous cultivars have been produced, primarily by selection and hybridization of the species E. cupreata and E. reptans.

For much of the Twentieth century Episcia had a broad circumscription but since 1978 has been restricted to a much narrower one, with the genera Paradrymonia
Paradrymonia
Paradrymonia is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae. It contains the following species :* Paradrymonia aurea, Wiehler* Paradrymonia binata, Wiehler* Paradrymonia fuquaiana, Wiehler* Paradrymonia hypocyrta, Wiehler...

, Chrysothemis
Chrysothemis
Chrysothemis or Khrysothemis , is a name ascribed to several characters in Greek mythology.Most prominently among these, Chrysothemis was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra...

, Nautilocalyx
Nautilocalyx
Nautilocalyx is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae. It contains the following species :* Nautilocalyx biserrulatus* Nautilocalyx bracteatus* Nautilocalyx bullatus Sprague...

, and Alsobia
Alsobia
Alsobia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Mexico, Guatemala and Costa Rica.The two species are succulent, stoloniferous herbs and were previously included in the genus Episcia. Recent molecular studies have supported the separation of Alsobia from...

separated from it. The segregation
Segregate (taxonomy)
In taxonomy, a segregate, or a segregate taxon is created when a taxon is split off, from another taxon. This other taxon will be better known, usually bigger, and will continue to exist, even after the segregate taxon has been split off...

 of these genera from Episcia has been supported in recent molecular phylogenies.

Episcias are sometimes called "Flame violets".

Episcia contains the following species (updated 2010):

Section Episcia
Episcia
Episcia is a genus of about 8 species belonging to the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The species are found in the tropical regions of Central America and South America...

  • Episcia andina Wiehler
  • Episcia cupreata (Hook.) Hanst.
  • Episcia duidae Feuillet
  • Episcia lilacina Hanst.
  • Episcia prancei Wiehler
  • Episcia reptans Mart.
  • Episcia xantha Leeuwenb.

Section Trematanthera (Leeuwenb.) Feuillet
  • Episcia fimbriata Fritsch
  • Episcia sphalera Leeuwenb.
  • Episcia rubra Feuillet



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