''Geogenanthus'' is a genus of plants with 3 species in the family Commelinaceae (the spiderwort and dayflower family). The genus is distributed from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

to Amazonian Peru and Brazil. Two of its species (''Geogenanthus ciliatus'' and ''

Geogenanthus poeppigii ''Geogenanthus poeppigii'', commonly called the seersucker plant, is a flowering plant species in the family '' Commelinaceae'' (the dayflower & spiderwort family). As currently circumscribed, the genus ''Geogenanthus'' includes two other speci ...

'') are occasionally found in the horticultural trade as house plants.

Systematics

''Geogenanthus'' is a member of the subtribe

Dichorisandrinae Dichorisandrinae is a subtribe within the tribe Tradescantieae of the flowering plant family Commelinaceae. It consists of 5 genera and around 51 species. The subtribe represents a diverse assemblage native to tropical South America and a conti ...

of the tribe Tradescantieae of the flowering plant family Commelinaceae.

Morphology

Aerial shoots unbranched and determinate in length, up to 0.75 m, with a terminal rosette of leaves. The leaves at lower nodes mere tubular leaf sheaths. All plant parts somewhat succulent. In the wild, plants grow on the floor of primary rainforests and possess a shallow underground, short, branching rhizome. Unlike its closest relatives in the family, ''

Cochliostema ''Cochliostema'' is a genus of plants with two species in the family Commelinaceae (the spiderwort and dayflower family). The genus occurs from southern Nicaragua to southern Ecuador. Systematics ''Cochliostema'' is a member of the subtribe ...

'' and ''

Plowmanianthus ''Plowmanianthus'' Faden & C.R.Hardy is a genus of plants with 5 species and 2 subspecies in the family Commelinaceae (the spiderwort and dayflower family). The genus is distributed from Panama to Amazonian Peru and Brazil. Systematics & Distrib ...

'',Hardy CR .2001. Systematics of ''Cochliostema'', ''Geogenanthus'', and an undescribed genus in the spiderwort family, Commelinaceae. PhD Dissertation, Cornell University, Itaca, NY, USA. its roots are both tuberous (although weakly so) and actually penetrate the soil. Flowers consist of 3 green-brown sepals, 3 blue, pink or purple petals fringed with moniliform hairs, 4-6 stamens - the posterior three of which may be bearded with monilifiorm hairs, and 3 connate carpels. Its flowers have no fragrance detectable by the human nose.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5535029 Commelinaceae Commelinales genera