''Codonanthe'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of mainly

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

plants in the family

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Gesnerioideae), wi ...

, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The botanical name comes from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

for 'bellflower'. They have white or pale pink flowers and somewhat fleshy leaves. In 2013, the genus was reduced in size when more than half of the species were transferred to '' Codonanthopsis''. They can be grown as

houseplant A houseplant, sometimes known as a pot plant, potted plant, or an indoor plant, is an ornamental plant that is grown indoors. As such, they are found in places like residences and offices, mainly for decorative purposes. Common houseplants are us ...

s, particularly in hanging baskets. Artificial crosses with '' Nematanthus'' hybrids have produced the hybrid genus × ''Codonatanthus''.

Description

''Codonanthe'' species are subshrubs, generally growing as epiphytes, occasionally on rocks. Unlike '' Codonanthopsis'' species, they never grow in ant gardens. They have stems with few branches, which may be upright, creeping or hanging, and often produce roots along their length (adventitious roots). The leaves have a short or very short petiole (stalk), and are fleshy, with either smooth or hairy surfaces. The flowers, produced in the upper leaf axils, on

pedicels In botany, a pedicel is a stem that attaches a single flower to the inflorescence. Such inflorescences are described as ''pedicellate''. Description Pedicel refers to a structure connecting a single flower to its inflorescence. In the absenc ...

up to long, are either solitary or in groups of a few together, rarely in the form of a cyme. The five petals are fused at the base with spreading, rounded tips, overall either funnel-shaped or expanded towards the base (ventricose). The flowers are white or pale pink, sometimes with yellow or maroon markings, particularly inside the throat. The four stamens remain within the flowers, and have paired anthers joined by a wide connective. The fruit is a yellowish to dark orange berry with seeds that are long.

Taxonomy

The taxon was first described by

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer. Life Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary. He graduated PhD ...

in 1829 as a section of the genus ''Hypocyrta''. (''Hypocyrta'' is now regarded as a synonym of '' Nematanthus''.) It was raised to the full genus ''Codonanthe'' by Johannes von Hanstein in 1854. The genus grew to contain about 18 species, but a series of molecular phylogenetic studies showed that it was not monophyletic, some species being more closely related to species of '' Codonanthopsis'' than to other ''Codonanthe'' species, and in 2013, ten species were transferred to that genus. In one classification scheme for the family

, ''Codonanthe'' is placed in the subfamily

Gesnerioideae The Gesnerioideae are a subfamily of plants in the family Gesneriaceae: based on the type genus ''Gesneria''. Although genera typically originate in the New World, some species have become widely distributed as ornamental plants. Description Ges ...

, tribe Gesnerieae, subtribe Columneinae. Within the subtribe, it forms a clade with '' Nematanthus'', '' Codonanthopsis'' and '' Lesia'':

Species

, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species: * ''

Codonanthe carnosa ''Codonanthe'' is a genus of mainly epiphytic plants in the family Gesneriaceae, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The botanical name comes from the Ancient Greek for 'bellflower'. They have white or pale pink flowers and somewhat flesh ...

'' (Gardner) Hanst. * '' Codonanthe cordifolia'' Chautems * ''

Codonanthe devosiana ''Codonanthe'' is a genus of mainly epiphytic plants in the family Gesneriaceae, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The botanical name comes from the Ancient Greek for 'bellflower'. They have white or pale pink flowers and somewhat flesh ...

'' Lem. * ''

Codonanthe formicarum ''Codonanthe'' is a genus of mainly epiphytic plants in the family Gesneriaceae, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The botanical name comes from the Ancient Greek for 'bellflower'. They have white or pale pink flowers and somewhat flesh ...

'' Fritsch. * '' Codonanthe gibbosa'' Rossini & Chautems * ''

Codonanthe gracilis ''Codonanthe'' is a genus of mainly epiphytic plants in the family Gesneriaceae, endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. The botanical name comes from the Ancient Greek for 'bellflower'. They have white or pale pink flowers and somewhat flesh ...

'' (Mart.) Hanst. * '' Codonanthe mattos-silvae'' Chautems * '' Codonanthe venosa'' Chautems ;Former species * ''Codonanthe elegans'' Wiehler = '' Codonanthopsis elegans'' (Wiehler) Chautems & Mat.Perret File:6401-Codonanthe devosiana-Teplice skl-10.06.jpg, ''C. devosiana'' File:玉唇花 Codonanthe gracilis -香港花展 Hong Kong Flower Show- (9227115305).jpg, ''C. gracilis''

Distribution and habitat

''Codonanthe'' species are endemic to

, where they are found in the Atlantic Forest.

Cultivation

''Codonanthe'' species are cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

s. They can be grown in hanging baskets. Their relatively small size and free-flowering habit make them easier to grow than other epiphytic members of the family Gesneriaceae, although their flowers are smaller and less colourful than those of some other genera. A well-drained soilless mix is recommended, and humidity levels over 50% improve flowering and fruiting. ''Codonanthe gracilis'' was crossed with ''Nematanthus'' hybrids in the United States by W. R. Saylor. Two of the resulting cultivars are × ''Codonatanthus'' 'Fiesta' and × ''Codonatanthus'' 'Aurora'.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2352471 Gesnerioideae Gesneriaceae genera Epiphytes