''Codonanthopsis'' is a genus of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s 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 ...
. Its native range is from southern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
through tropical America to
Bolivia and most 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 ...
. ''Codonanthopsis'' species are generally trailing
epiphytes with pale flowers. Most have a
mutualistic relationship with tree-living
ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...
s: the plants provide the ants with food, including nectar, and give their nests structure and support, while the ants disperse the plants' seeds. The genus was considerably expanded in 2013 when species were transferred from ''
Codonanthe
''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 ...
''. Some ''Codonanthopsis'' species are cultivated 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, when they may be grown in hanging baskets.
Description
''Codonanthopsis'' species are subshrubs, generally growing as
epiphytes, often in
ant gardens (unlike ''Codonanthe'' species which never grow in ant gardens). They have stems usually long, occasionally long, with few branches. The stems are usually hanging or creeping, and sometimes produce roots along their length (adventitious roots). The fleshy leaves are variable in form, all the same in some species, or of two sizes in others. Reddish
nectaries
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...
are often present on the underside of the leaves. The flowers, produced in the upper leaf axils on short
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 ...
, are either solitary or in groups of a few together, rarely in groups of up to 12. The flowers are funnel-shaped overall with five petals fused at the base, a short spur and spreading, rounded tips. They are white, yellowish or pinkish, often with yellow or red markings on the spur and in the throat. A nectary is present. The four
stamens remain within the flowers, and have paired anthers joined by a narrow connective. The fruit is a variously coloured
berrylike capsule with seeds that are long.
[
]
Taxonomy
The genus was created in 1934 by Rudolf Mansfeld Rudolf Mansfeld (17 January 1901, Berlin – 1960) was a German botanist and agricultural scientist.
For more than twenty years, he worked as a curator at the Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum in Berlin-Dahlem. Here he specialized in stud ...
.[ He included two species, ''Codonanthopsis huebneri'' and '' Codonanthopsis ulei''.][ The first is now considered only to be a synonym of the second.][ Another species, '' Codonanthopsis dissimulata'', was transferred from the genus '']Codonanthe
''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 ...
'' in 1978.[
For over 30 years, the genus contained only these two species, but then a series of molecular phylogenetic studies showed that the related genus ''Codonanthe'' was not monophyletic, with a group of its species more closely related to ''Codonanthopsis'' (as then ]circumscribed
In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius.
Not every polyg ...
) than to the remaining ''Codonanthe'' species. In 2013, ten species were transferred from ''Codonanthe'' to ''Codonanthopsis''.[
In one classification scheme for 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 ...
, ''Codonanthopsis'' 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'', ''Codonanthe'' and '' Lesia'':][
]
Species
, Plants of the World Online accepted the following species:[
*'' Codonanthopsis anisophylla''
*'' Codonanthopsis calcarata''
*'' Codonanthopsis caribaea''
*'' Codonanthopsis chiricana''
*'' Codonanthopsis corniculata''
*'' Codonanthopsis crassifolia''
*'' Codonanthopsis dissimulata''
*'' Codonanthopsis elegans''
*'' Codonanthopsis erubescens''
*'' Codonanthopsis luteola''
*'' Codonanthopsis macradenia''
*'' Codonanthopsis uleana''
*'' Codonanthopsis ulei''
File:Codonanthe crassifolia.jpg, ''C. crassifolia''
File:Codonanthe macradenia kz03.jpg, ''C. macradenia''
File:Codonanthopsis uleana (Fritsch) Chautems & Mat. Perret (17165909561).jpg, ''C. uleana''
]
Distribution and ecology
''Codonanthopsis'' species are native from southern Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
south through Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
and Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
to Bolivia and all but the very southern part 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 ...
.[ They have a mutually beneficial relationship with arboreal tropical ants. The fibrous roots of the plant support the ants' nests, and the plant provides food for the ants in the form of nectar produced by the flowers and the leaves, as well as the pulp of the fruit and the arils surrounding the seeds. The ants in turn disperse the seeds, which germinate inside their nests.][ One study in the Brazilian Amazonia found a strong relationship between ants of the genus '' Azteca'' and ''Codonanthopsis'' species (then placed in the genus ''Codonanthe''). The " ant gardens" produced by this relationship were relatively small, and often interconnected by tunnels. ''Azteca'' workers were strongly attracted to ''Codonanthopsis'' seeds, which were shown to germinate better when ants had removed the arils.][
]
Cultivation
''Codonanthopsis'' species are cultivated as ornamental 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, although less popular than ''Codonanthe''. They can be grown in hanging baskets. A well-drained soilless mix is recommended, and humidity levels over 50% improve flowering and fruiting. They are usually more tolerant of higher temperatures than ''Codonanthe'' species.[ '' Codonanthopsis elegans'' has been exhibited at a convention of the Gesneriad Society, and is described as having pale yellow flowers that "contrast beautifully with the dark and shiny foliage".][
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q8347419
Gesnerioideae
Gesneriaceae genera