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GESNERIACEAE A Scientific Perspective |
Prof. Dr. Anton Weber |
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The
Gesneriaceae are a middle-sized family of angiosperms, comprising over 150
genera and more than 3200 species of mainly tropical and subtropical
distribution. The majority of species are represented by perennial herbs, but the family
also includes terrestrial shrubs, small trees, a few annuals as well as
epiphytes and climbers. The flowers are usually conspicuous, variable in
shape and often very colorful. For that reason many species of Gesneriaceae
are cultivated as ornamentals, such as the Florist Gloxinias (hybrids of the
genus Sinningia) and the African violets (Saintpaulia). The
family also has plants of significant scientific relevance,
such as the single-leaved or "phyllomorphic" species of Streptocarpus
and Monophyllaea. Some representatives are also of ethnobotanical
interest.
This very interesting plant family is reviewed in some detail in this article. The article is organized systematically for ease of reference, including sections specific to particular topics. The topics covered are specified in the topic index to the left. At the end of each topic there are links that will take you to the next (or previous) topic. Alternatively, you may click on a link in the index at the left to go directly to a topic. Most topics include images that may be embedded within the text, or that take the form of links that will open a large image in a new window. In many cases, the images themselves contain links that when clicked will take you to a larger version of that image. Please note that this article is optimized for computer displays set to 1280 x 1024 or 1024 x 768 pixels, and for the Internet Explorer browser displayed full-screen. While all text will be viewable in other resolutions or browsers, images may not be properly displayed. |
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