''Codonanthe'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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), with ...

, endemic to the

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...

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 peri ...

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 ''Codonanthopsis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. Its native range is from southern Mexico through tropical America to Bolivia and most of Brazil. ''Codonanthopsis'' species are generally trailing epiphytes with pal ...

''. 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 ''Nematanthus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. All of its species are endemic to Brazil. Compared to other gesneriads, ''Nematanthus'' has leaves that are small, succulent, and hard-surfaced. The plant has a trailing ...

'' hybrids have produced the hybrid genus × ''Codonatanthus''.

Description

''Codonanthe'' species are subshrubs, generally growing as

epiphyte 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 ...

s, occasionally on rocks. Unlike ''

'' species, they never grow in

ant garden An ant garden is a mutualistic interaction between certain species of arboreal ants and various epiphytic plants. It is a structure made in the tree canopy by the ants that is filled with debris and other organic matter in which epiphytes grow. Th ...

s. 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

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s remain within the flowers, and have paired anthers joined by a wide connective. The fruit is a yellowish to dark orange

berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

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 f ...

in 1829 as a section of the genus ''Hypocyrta''. (''Hypocyrta'' is now regarded as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''

''.) It was raised to the full genus ''Codonanthe'' by

Johannes von Hanstein Johannes Ludwig Emil Robert von Hanstein (15 May 1822 – 27 August 1880) was a German botanist who was a native of Potsdam. He attended classes at the ''Gärtnerlehranstalt'' (Institute of Horticulture) in Potsdam, and later studied sciences in ...

in 1854. The genus grew to contain about 18 species, but a series of

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies showed that it was not

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

, some species being more closely related to species of ''

'' 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 ''

'', ''

'' and '' Lesia'':

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...

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 ''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 ...

'' 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 ''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 ...

'' 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

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 i ...

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