Gesneriaceae
Encyclopedia
Gesneriaceae is a family
of flowering plant
s 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 species are perennial herb
s or subshrub
s but a few are woody shrubs or small tree
s. The phyllotaxy is usually opposite and decussate, but leaves have a spiral or alternate arrangement in some groups. As with other members of the Lamiales
the flowers have a (usually) zygomorphic corolla whose petals are fused into a tube and there is no one character that separates a gesneriad from any other member of Lamiales. Gesneriads differ from related families of the Lamiales in having an unusual inflorescence structure, the "pair-flowered cyme", but some gesneriads lack this characteristic, and some other Lamiales (Calceolariaceae
and some Scrophulariaceae
) share it. The ovary can be superior, half-inferior or fully inferior, and the fruit a dry or fleshy capsule or a berry
. The seed
s are always small and numerous. Gesneriaceae have traditionally been separated from Scrophulariaceae by having a unilocular rather than bilocular ovary, with parietal rather than axile placentation.
On the basis of both morphological and biogeographical differences the family is divided into two major subfamilies: subfamily Cyrtandroideae in the Old World
and subfamily Gesnerioideae in the New World
. The biggest and most widespread genus is Cyrtandra
, with about 600 species widely distributed in Southeast Asia
, Malaysia, Indonesia
, the Philippines
, and the islands of the Pacific as far away as the Hawaiian Islands
.
Several molecular systematic studies have shown that Gesneriaceae are not closely related to any other family of the Lamiales, but more recently a sister-group relationship with Calceolariaceae has been suggested. Other studies have suggested that two genera generally placed in other families, Sanango and Peltanthera, are more closely related to Gesneriaceae than to any other members of the Lamiales but there is as yet no consensus on whether those genera should be included in the family.
The genus Rehmannia
has sometimes been included in Gesneriaceae but is now referred to the family Scrophulariaceae
.
Several genera in the family have become popular as houseplants. The most familiar members of the family to gardeners are the African Violets in the genus Saintpaulia
. Gesneriads are divided culturally into three groups on the basis of whether, and how, their stems are modified into storage organs: rhizomatous
, tuber
ous, and "fibrous-rooted", meaning those that lack such storage structures (although all gesneriads have fibrous roots).
Botanists who have made significant contributions to the systematics of the family are George Bentham
, Robert Brown
, B.L. Burtt, C.B. Clarke, Olive Mary Hilliard
, Joseph Dalton Hooker
, William Jackson Hooker
, Karl Fritsch
, Elmer Drew Merrill
, Harold E. Moore, Jr., John L. Clark, Conrad Vernon Morton
, Henry Nicholas Ridley
, Laurence Skog
, W.T. Wang, Anton Weber, and Hans Wiehler
. Several researchers are currently working on this group and the generic classification has been changing rapidly.
The family name is based on the genus Gesneria, which honors Swiss
humanist
Conrad Gessner
.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of 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...
s consisting of ca. 150 genera and ca. 3,200 species in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
and New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
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 species are perennial herb
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
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 but a few are woody shrubs or small tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s. The phyllotaxy is usually opposite and decussate, but leaves have a spiral or alternate arrangement in some groups. As with other members of the Lamiales
Lamiales
Lamiales is an order in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. It includes approximately 11,000 species divided into about 20 families...
the flowers have a (usually) zygomorphic corolla whose petals are fused into a tube and there is no one character that separates a gesneriad from any other member of Lamiales. Gesneriads differ from related families of the Lamiales in having an unusual inflorescence structure, the "pair-flowered cyme", but some gesneriads lack this characteristic, and some other Lamiales (Calceolariaceae
Calceolariaceae
Calceolariaceae is a family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that has been recently segregated from Scrophulariaceae. The family includes three genera, Calceolaria, Porodittia, and Jovellana...
and some Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
) share it. The ovary can be superior, half-inferior or fully inferior, and the fruit a dry or fleshy capsule or a berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. The seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s are always small and numerous. Gesneriaceae have traditionally been separated from Scrophulariaceae by having a unilocular rather than bilocular ovary, with parietal rather than axile placentation.
On the basis of both morphological and biogeographical differences the family is divided into two major subfamilies: subfamily Cyrtandroideae in the Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....
and subfamily Gesnerioideae in the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. The biggest and most widespread genus is Cyrtandra
Cyrtandra (plant)
Cyrtandra is a genus of flowering plants containing about 600 species, with more being discovered often, and is thus the largest genus in the family Gesneriaceae. These plants are native to Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, with the centre of diversity in Southeast Asia and the...
, with about 600 species widely distributed in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, Malaysia, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and the islands of the Pacific as far away as the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
Several molecular systematic studies have shown that Gesneriaceae are not closely related to any other family of the Lamiales, but more recently a sister-group relationship with Calceolariaceae has been suggested. Other studies have suggested that two genera generally placed in other families, Sanango and Peltanthera, are more closely related to Gesneriaceae than to any other members of the Lamiales but there is as yet no consensus on whether those genera should be included in the family.
The genus Rehmannia
Rehmannia
Rehmannia is a genus of six species of flowering plants in the order Lamiales, endemic to China.The genus was included in the family Scrophulariaceae or Gesneriaceae in some older classifications. The current placement of the genus is in neither Scrophulariaceae s.s. nor Plantaginaceae s.l....
has sometimes been included in Gesneriaceae but is now referred to the family Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
.
Several genera in the family have become popular as houseplants. The most familiar members of the family to gardeners are the African Violets in the genus Saintpaulia
Saintpaulia
Saintpaulia, commonly known as African violet, is a genus of six species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa, with a concentration of species in the Nguru mountains of Tanzania...
. Gesneriads are divided culturally into three groups on the basis of whether, and how, their stems are modified into storage organs: rhizomatous
Rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
, tuber
Tuber
Tubers are various types of modified plant structures that are enlarged to store nutrients. They are used by plants to survive the winter or dry months and provide energy and nutrients for regrowth during the next growing season and they are a means of asexual reproduction...
ous, and "fibrous-rooted", meaning those that lack such storage structures (although all gesneriads have fibrous roots).
Botanists who have made significant contributions to the systematics of the family are George Bentham
George Bentham
George Bentham CMG FRS was an English botanist, characterized by Duane Isely as "the premier systematic botanist of the nineteenth century".- Formative years :...
, Robert Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
, B.L. Burtt, C.B. Clarke, Olive Mary Hilliard
Olive Mary Hilliard
Olive Mary Hilliard is a noted South African botanist and taxonomist.Hilliard attended Natal University in the years 1943-47 where she obtained an MSc and later a PhD. She worked at the National Herbarium in Pretoria in 1947-48 and was a lecturer in botany at Natal University from 1954 to 1962...
, Joseph Dalton Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
, William Jackson Hooker
William Jackson Hooker
Sir William Jackson Hooker, FRS was an English systematic botanist and organiser. He held the post of Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow University, and was the first Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. He enjoyed the friendship and support of Sir Joseph Banks for his exploring,...
, Karl Fritsch
Karl Fritsch
Karl Fritsch was an Austrian botanist. He was born in Vienna and educated mainly at the University of Vienna, obtaining his PhD degree in 1886 and his Habilitation in 1890. In 1900 he moved to the University of Graz as professor of Systematic Botany, where he built up the botanical institute...
, Elmer Drew Merrill
Elmer Drew Merrill
Elmer Drew Merrill was an American botanist, specializing in the flora of the Asia-Pacific region.He was born in East Auburn, Maine, and attended the University of Maine where he received a B.S. in 1898...
, Harold E. Moore, Jr., John L. Clark, Conrad Vernon Morton
Conrad Vernon Morton
Conrad Vernon Morton was an American botanist who did notable writings on Ferns. He was also a specialist in Gesneriaceae and Solanaceae for the Smithsonian Institution from 1928.- Publications :...
, Henry Nicholas Ridley
Henry Nicholas Ridley
Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG , MA , FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. was an English botanist and geologist.Born at West Harling Hall, Norfolk, England...
, Laurence Skog
Laurence Skog
Laurence Edgar Skog is an American botanist who specializes on the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae.Laurence Edgar Skog was born in Duluth, Minnesota, the oldest of four children. Skog was a graduate of the University of Minnesota at Duluth from where he received a Bachelor of Arts in botany...
, W.T. Wang, Anton Weber, and Hans Wiehler
Hans Wiehler
Hans Joachim Wiehler was a German botanist who specialized in the plant family Gesneriaceae. In 1954 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Goshen Biblical Seminary in 1956. He married in 1958 and remained in the United...
. Several researchers are currently working on this group and the generic classification has been changing rapidly.
The family name is based on the genus Gesneria, which honors Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
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 genera
|
Kohleria Kohleria is a New World genus of the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The plants are generally tropical herbs or subshrubs with velvety stems and foliage and brightly colored flowers with spots or markings in contrasting colors. They are rhizomatous and commonly include a period of dormancy in... Mitraria Mitraria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, comprising the sole species M. coccinea .... Monopyle Monopyle is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae. It contains the following species :* Monopyle ecuadorensis, C.V.Morton* Monopyle paniculata, Benth.* Monopyle sodiroana, Fritsch... Nautilocalyx Nautilocalyx is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae. It contains the following species :* Nautilocalyx biserrulatus* Nautilocalyx bracteatus* Nautilocalyx bullatus Sprague... Nematanthus Nematanthus is a genus of flowering plants of the family Gesneriaceae. Compared to other gesneriads, Nematanthus has leaves that are small, succulent, and hard-surfaced... (Goldfish Plant) Pearcea Pearcea is a South American genus of 17 species of tropical herbs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. It is classified in tribe Gloxinieae and is closely related to the genus Kohleria, in which some of its species were previously included... Petrocosmea Petrocosmea is a genus of the family Gesneriaceae, the African violet family. Most of the species within this genus are endemic to high-altitude areas in Western China, although some are native to other parts of Asia... Phinaea Phinaea is a genus of plant in family Gesneriaceae. It contains the following species :* Phinaea albolineata* Phinaea divaricata * Phinaea multiflora-External links:*... Ramonda (plant) Ramonda is a plant genus in the family Gesneriaceae with nearly actinomorphic flowers.... 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... Saintpaulia Saintpaulia, commonly known as African violet, is a genus of six species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa, with a concentration of species in the Nguru mountains of Tanzania... (African Violet) Seemannia Seemannia is a New World genus in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. There are four species in the genus, primarily found in the Andean regions of South America. The name honors the German botanist Berthold Carl Seemann.-Taxonomic history:... Sinningia Sinningia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning , a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn... Streptocarpus Streptocarpus is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, closely related to the genus Saintpaulia. One common name is Cape Primrose, referring to the nativity of several species to South Africa and their superficial resemblance to the genus Primula... (Cape Primrose) |
External links
- World Checklist of Gesneriaceae
- Genera of Gesneriaceae
- Gesneriad Reference Web
- Gesneriaceae: A Scientific Overview, by Prof. Anton Weber (on the Gesneriad Reference Web)
- Gesneriaceae in Flora of China
- The Gesneriad Society (formerly the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society)
- Annotated Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae
- Phylogenetic relationships in the Gesnerioideae (Gesneriaceae) based on nrDNA ITS and cpDNA trnL-F and trnE-T spacer region sequences (link to abstract)
- Evolution of Cyrtandra (Gesneriaceae) in the Pacific Ocean: the origin of a supertramp clade
- Weber, A. 2004. Gesneriaceae and Scrophulariaceae: Robert Brown and now. Telopea 10(2): 543-571.