| | Family guide for fruits and seeds |
Synonyms: Cyrtandraceae Jack; Didymocarpaceae D. Don; Ramondaceae Godr.
Common name: Gerneriad Family.
Number of genera 142. Number of species 2400.
Angiosperm. Magnoliopsida.
Disseminule a dehisced fruit, or an intact or entire fruit, or a seed.
Fruits
Pistil(s) compound; 1; 1-pistillate; with carpels united. Fruit pericarpium; simple; berry, or capsule; ceratium capsule (Boea hygroscopia F. Muell., Spjut Fig.19D), or loculicidal capsule, or septicidal capsule (Ramonda); capsule not inflated; capsule without operculum; berry indehiscent; berry without central placental mass; without persistent central column; not within accessory organ(s); many-seeded; many; 2-carpellate; with carpels united; with carpels remaining united at maturity; without sterile carpels; not sulcate; in transection terete; apex not beaked; dehiscent, or indehiscent. Dehiscent and shedding seeds; without replum. Epicarp brown (all shades); durable; without armature; without wing(s); without apical respiratory hole. Mesocarp absent, or present. Endocarp present, or absent; not separating from exocarp; thin; not splitting into 1-seeded pyrenes; smooth; without wing; without operculum; without secretory cavities; without mechanism for seedling escape; without grooves; without longitudinal ridges. Funiculus short; short without seed bearing hooks (retinacula); not persisting in fruit after seed shed.
Seeds
Aril absent. Seed minute, or larger than minute; less than 1 mm long to 1 to less than 5 mm long; 0.2 mm long (to several mms - but if hairlike appendages are included then up to 40 mm in Aeschynanthus (Trichosporum)); oblong and straight, or C-shaped; in transection terete (at least); not bowl shaped; not nutlike; without winglike beak; with caudate appendage(s), or without caudate appendage(s); at maturity with food reserves, or without food reserves (Crytendroideae), or without apparent food reserves; with endosperm; without canavanine. Sarcotesta absent. Testa present; without fleshy or leathery layer over hard layer; loose; surface smooth, or unsmooth; surface with depressed features, or discreet raised features, or merged raised features; surface pitted; surface papillate, or tuberculate, or verrucose; surface colliculate, or reticulate, or roughened, or sculptured, or twisted pattern; without crease or line separating cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle; without notch along margin where cotyledons from hypocotyl-radicle tip approach each other; without glands; without bristles; glabrous, or pubescent (at least hairlike appendages in tribe Trichosporeae); with hairs over surface; with short hairs, or long hairs; without glandular pubescence; without wings, or with wing(s); 1-winged; with wing encompassing seed; with wing(s) solid; with solid wing(s) similar to testa; without collar; without operculum; colored; monochrome; brown (all shades) (at least); thin; not becoming mucilaginous when wetted; surrounding food reserve, or surrounding embryo. Hilum punctate (assumed). Endosperm development cellular; copious, or moderate, or scant; smooth; with oils (Gesnerioideae); without fatty acid containing cyclopropene; without apical lobes; without chlorophyll; without isodiametric faceted surface; without odor.
Embryo differentiated from food reserve; well developed; 1 per seed; partially filling testa (with food reserve), or nearly filling testa (trace or scanty food reserve), or completely filling testa (no food reserve); chamber central to wings; 0.8–0.9 times the length of food reserve; at one end of seed not extending into a depression or cup; axile and centric; linear; straight; parallel to seed length; with cotyledons gradually connected to hypocotyl-radicle; without coleorhiza; without simmondsin; without stomata; not green; with 2 or more cotyledons. Cotyledons 2; well developed, or moderately developed; 0.3–0.5 times length of embryo; as wide as hypocotyl-radicle; 1 times wider than hypocotyl-radicle; not concealing hypocotyl-radicle; not foliaceous; thin; circinate; smooth; with apices entire; with margins separate; basally entire; equal in size; not punctate dotted. Hypocotyl-radicle moderately developed, or well developed; straight; not thickened.
Distribution
Pantropical, pansubtropical, and pantemperate (few in latter). New World, Old World. North America, Middle America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia Major, Asia Minor, southeastern Asia, Australia, Oceania.
Weed information
No USA noxious weeds.
Listed seeds
ASOA listed seeds, ISTA listed seeds.
ASOA listed seeds: -- Episcia Mart. spp. -- Saintpaulia H. Wendl. spp. -- Sinningia speciosa (Lodd. et al.) Hiern -- Last updated September 2008.
ISTA listed seeds: -- Saintpaulia ionantha H. Wendl.f -- Sinningia × hybrida hort. = Sinningia speciosa (G. Lodd.) Hiern -- Sinningia speciosa (G. Lodd.) Hiern f -- Streptocarpus × hybridus Voss -- Symbols: aagricultural and vegetable seeds (Table 2A Part 1); ttree and shrub species (Table 2A Part 2); fflower, spice, herb, and medicinal seeds (Table 2A Part 3); wweed seeds. -- Last updated September 2008.
Accepted genera
Acanthonema Hook. f., nom. cons. -- Achimenes Pers., nom. cons. -- Aeschynanthus Jack, nom. cons. -- Agalmyla Blume -- Allocheilos W. T. Wang -- Alloplectus Mart., nom. cons. -- Allostigma W. T. Wang -- Ancylostemon Craib -- Anetanthus Hiern ex Benth. & Hook. f. -- Anna Pellegr. -- Anodiscus Benth. -- Asteranthera Hanst. -- Beccarinda Kuntze -- Bellonia L. -- Besleria L. -- Boea Comm. ex Lam. -- Boeica T. Anderson ex C. B. Clarke -- Bournea Oliv. -- Briggsia Craib -- Briggsiopsis K. Y. Pan -- Bucinellina Wiehler -- Calcareoboea H. W. Li -- Capanea Decne. -- Cathayanthe Chun -- Championia Gardner -- Chirita Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don -- Chiritopsis W. T. Wang -- Chrysothemis Decne. -- Cobananthus Wiehler -- Codonanthe (Mart.) Hanst., nom. cons. -- Codonanthopsis Mansf. -- Colpogyne B. L. Burtt -- Columnea L. -- Conandron Siebold & Zucc. -- Corallodiscus Batalin -- Coronanthera Vieill. ex C. B. Clarke -- Corytoplectus Oerst. -- Cremosperma Benth. -- Cremospermopsis L. E. Skog & L. P. Kvist -- Cubitanthus Barringer -- Cyrtandra J. R. Forst. & G. Forst. -- Cyrtandromoea Zoll. -- Dayaoshania W. T. Wang -- Deinocheilos W. T. Wang -- Deinostigma W. T. Wang & Z. Yu Li -- Depanthus S. Moore -- Diastema Benth. -- Didissandra C. B. Clarke, nom. cons. -- Didymocarpus Wall., nom. cons. -- Didymostigma W. T. Wang -- Dolicholoma D. Fang & W. T. Wang -- Drymonia Mart. -- Episcia Mart. -- Epithema Blume -- Eucodonia Hanst. -- Fieldia A. Cunn. -- Gasteranthus Benth. -- Gesneria L. -- Gloxinia L'Hér. -- Goyazia Taub. -- Gyrocheilos W. T. Wang -- Gyrogyne W. T. Wang -- Haberlea Friv. -- Hemiboea C. B. Clarke -- Hemiboeopsis W. T. Wang -- Heppiella Regel -- Hexatheca C. B. Clarke -- Isometrum Craib -- Jancaea Boiss. -- Koellikeria Regel -- Kohleria Regel -- Lagarosolen W. T. Wang -- Lembocarpus Leeuwenb. -- Lenbrassia G. W. Gillett -- Leptobaea Benth. -- Lietzia Regel -- Linnaeopsis Engl. -- Loxocarpus R. Br. -- Loxonia Jack -- Loxostigma C. B. Clarke -- Lysionotus D. Don -- Metabriggsia W. T. Wang -- Metapetrocosmea W. T. Wang -- Micraeschynanthus Ridl. -- Mitraria Cav., nom. cons. -- Monophyllaea R. Br. -- Monopyle O. Moritz ex Benth. & Hook. f. -- Moussonia Regel -- Napeanthus Gardner -- Nautilocalyx Linden ex Hanst., nom. cons. -- Negria F. Muell. -- Nematanthus Schrad., nom. cons. -- Neomortonia Wiehler -- Niphaea Lindl. -- Nodonema B. L. Burtt -- Oerstedina Wiehler -- Opithandra B. L. Burtt -- Orchadocarpa Ridl. -- Oreocharis Benth., nom. cons. -- Ornithoboea Parish ex C. B. Clarke -- Oxychlamys Schltr. -- Paliavana Vand. -- Paraboea (C. B. Clarke) Ridl. -- Paradrymonia Hanst. -- Pearcea Regel -- Peltanthera Benth., nom. cons. -- Petrocodon Hance -- Petrocosmea Oliv. -- Pheidonocarpa L. E. Skog -- Phinaea Benth. -- Phyllobaea Benth. -- Platyadenia B. L. Burtt -- Platystemma Wall. -- Primulina Hance -- Pseudochirita W. T. Wang -- Ramonda Rich., nom. cons. -- Reldia Wiehler -- Resia H. E. Moore -- Rhabdothamnopsis Hemsl. -- Rhabdothamnus A. Cunn. -- Rhoogeton Leeuwenb. -- Rhynchoglossum Blume, nom. cons. -- Rhynchotechum Blume -- Rhytidophyllum Mart., nom. cons. -- Rufodorsia Wiehler -- Saintpaulia H. Wendl. -- Sanango G. S. Bunting & J. A. Duke -- Sarmienta Ruiz & Pav., nom. cons. -- Schistolobos W. T. Wang -- Schizoboea (Fritsch) B. L. Burtt -- Sepikea Schltr. -- Sinningia Nees -- Smithiantha Kuntze -- Solenophora Benth. -- Stauranthera Benth. -- Streptocarpus Lindl. -- Tengia Chun -- Tetraphyllum Griff. ex C. B. Clarke -- Thamnocharis W. T. Wang -- Titanotrichum Soler. -- Trachystigma C. B. Clarke -- Tremacron Craib -- Trisepalum C. B. Clarke -- Tylopsacas Leeuwenb. -- Vanhouttea Lem. -- Whytockia W. W. Sm.
References specific to this family
Cronquist page 960. Beaufort-Murphy, H.T. 1983. The seed surface morphology of the Gesneriaceae utilizing the SEM and a new system for diagnosing seed morphology. Selbyana 6:220–422.
General references
Cronquist, A. 1981. An integrated system of classification of flowering plants, 1,262 p. Columbia University Press, New York, Engler, A. and K. Prantl. 1924 and onward. Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilimien. W. Engelman, Leipzig, Goldberg, A. 1986 (dicots) and 1989 (monocots). Classification, evolution, and phylogeny of the familes of Dicotyledons. Smithsonian Contr. Bot. 58 for dicots (314 pp.) and 71 for monocots (74 pp.). [Goldberg's illustrations are reproduced from older publications and these should be consulted], Gunn, C.R., J.H. Wiersema, C.A. Ritchie, and J.H. Kirkbride, Jr. 1992 and amendments. Families and genera of Spermatophytes recognized by the Agricultural Research Service. Techn. Bull. U.S.D.A. 1796:1–500, Spjut, R.W. 1994. A systematic treatment of fruit types. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 70:1–182.
Illustrations
Poor fruit and acceptable seed illustrations. Disseminule illustration(s): fruit, or seed. Fruit illustration(s): Engler & Prantl, LeMaout & Decasine. Seed illustration(s): Engler & Prantl, LeMaout & Decaisne, Beaufort-Murphy (1983).
• Fruit. 1 of 10. Achimenes longiflora DC.: fruit with calyx. • Seed. 2 of 10. Achimenes longiflora DC.: seeds. • Fruit. 3 of 10. Columnea anisophylla DC.: fruit with calyx. • Seed. 4 of 10. Columnea anisophylla DC.: seeds. • Seed. 5 of 10. Gesneria hybrid: seeds. • Fruit. 6 of 10. Kohleria spicata (Kunth) Oerst.: fruit with calyx. • Seed. 7 of 10. Kohleria spicata (Kunth) Oerst.: seeds. • Seed. 8 of 10. Saintpaulia ionantha H. Wendl.: seeds. • Seed. 9 of 10. Sinningia warmingii (Hiern) Chautems: seeds. • Embryo. 10 of 10. Sinningia aggregata (Ker Gawl.) Wiehler: embryo.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘J.H. Kirkbride, Jr., C.R. Gunn, and M.J. Dallwitz. 2000 onwards. Family guide for fruits and seeds: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. Version: 12th April 2021. delta-intkey.com’.
