Heidi Froelich
BIOB 110CS Paper Number 1
13 February 2018
Gesneriaceae
The Gesneriaceae Family, also known as the African violet family, is a larger plant family,
found in tropical and subtropical areas around the world (Weber 2004). Over 2,000 species in
this family belongs to over 120 genera, though varying sources say there are between 140 – 150
genera that belongs to this family (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica 2018; Woodson et al.
1978; Weber 2004). The family includes African violets (Saintpaulia) and florist’s gloxinias
(Sinningia speciose) (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica 2018).
Flowers from these plants are bisexual, with 5 petals and an epigynous ovary (Weber
2004, 63). Plants in this family range from shrubs, to small trees, to vines and are perennial in
