For many years the genus Pearcea consisted of a single species, P. hypocyrtiflora. In their 1996 revision of the genus, Lars Kvist and Larry Skog expanded Pearcea to 17 species by adding the species that had previously been classified in Parakohleria by Hans Wiehler and describing several additional new species.
Pearcea is closely related
to Kohleria, differing primarily in having poorly
defined scaly rhizomes, a
stigma that is not bilobed, and a different kind of
capsular fruit. Most of the species are similar to
Kohleria in both appearance and cultural requirements,
although they often require less light and higher
humidity.
The genus is found only in the Andean regions of South America. Pearcea hypocyrtiflora remains the most popular species thanks to its small size and attractive foliage, but can be challenging to bloom.
Note by
John Boggan
