''Gesneria'' is a
genus of approximately 50 species in the
flowering plant family
Gesneriaceae. Except for two or three odd
South American species, all are native to islands of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae along with the genera ''
Bellonia
''Bellonia'' is a genus of flowering 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 ( ...
'', ''
Pheidonocarpa'', and ''
Rhytidophyllum''. ''Gesneria'' species are usually woody
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s or
subshrub
A subshrub (Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Der ...
s, and (with the closely related ''
Rhytidophyllum'') are unusual in the family in having alternately (rather than decussately) arranged leaves. A complete list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.
The genus name honors
Conrad Gessner.
Selected species
*''
Gesneria acaulis
''Gesneria'' is a genus of approximately 50 species in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. Except for two or three odd South American species, all are native to islands of the Caribbean. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae alon ...
''
*''
Gesneria calycina''
*''
Gesneria calycosa
''Gesneria calycosa'' is a species of plant in the family Gesneriaceae. It is endemic to Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles a ...
''
*''
Gesneria christii''
*''
Gesneria citrina''
*''
Gesneria cuneifolia''
*''
Gesneria depressa''
*''
Gesneria exserta''
*''
Gesneria humilis''
*''
Gesneria pauciflora''
*''
Gesneria pedicellaris''
*''
Gesneria pedunculosa''
*''
Gesneria reticulata''
*''
Gesneria ventricosa''
External links
Skog, L.E. 1976. A Study of the Tribe Gesnerieae, with a Revision of ''Gesneria'' (Gesneriaceae: Gesnerioideae). ''Smithsonian Contributions to Botany''. 29: 1-182 (pdf file).
fro
The Genera of Gesneriaceae
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The Gesneriad Reference WebWorld Checklist of Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae genera
{{Gesneriaceae-stub