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Gesneriaceae (African violet family) Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Euasterid I > Order: Lamiales
About 147 genera and 3200 species, found patchily
worldwide but mainly in the Old World (especially China). The only genus native
to southern Africa is Streptocarpus (Smithies 2000).
Distinguishing characteristics
- Herbs or soft-stemmed shrubs with opposite, serrate leaves that usually
have soft hairs.
- The leaves have arching, ascending secondary veins that do not join at
the margin.
- Flower are symmetric in only one axis (monosymmetric) and the ovary has
parietal placentation.
Information from
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.
Genera indigenous to southern Africa
Streptocarpus
About 125 species, native to Madagascar, tropical and southern Africa,
with about 52 species in southern Africa.
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Other genera, cultivated in
southern Africa
List from Glen (2002). The species name is provided in
genera that have only one species cultivated in southern Africa.
Achimenes longiflora
Indigenous to Central America. |
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Aeschynanthus
Two species cultivated. |
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Chirita lavandulacea
Indigenous to Vietnam. |
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Codonanthe gracilis
Indigenous to Brazil. |
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Columnea Three
species cultivated. |
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Corytoplectus capitatus
Indigenous to Venezuela. |
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Episcia
Three species cultivated. |
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Kohleria One
species cultivated. |
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Lysionotus serratus
Indigenous to India. |
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Nematanthus gregarius (Goldfish
plant) Indigenous to Brazil. |
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Sinningia Three
species cultivated. |
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Smithiantha zebrina
Indigenous to Mexico. |
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Publications
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Glen, H.F. 2002. Cultivated Plants of
Southern Africa. Jacana, Johannesburg.
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Smithies, S.J. 2000. Gesneriaceae. In: Seed Plants of
Southern Africa (ed. O.A. Leistner). Strelitzia 10: 314.
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
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