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Gesneriad family
Gesneriaceae
イワタバコ科
A family including Conandron, African violets (Saintpaulia), and Sinningia. About 160 genera and over 3,500 species are known, adapted to diverse tropical to subtropical ecosystems. In Japan, Conandron ramondioides grows on rock walls and in gorges.
Key Characteristics
- ●Corolla sympetalous, mostly zygomorphic (bilabiate)
- ●2–4 stamens attached to the corolla
- ●Leaves opposite or whorled, often fleshy
- ●Prefers shaded habitats such as moist rock walls and forest floors
- ●Seeds very small and numerous
Morphological Traits
A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.
Leaf arrangement
Alternate / Opposite / Whorled
Leaf type
Simple
Venation
Pinnate
Leaf margin
Serrate / Dentate / Entire
Growth form
Shrub / Herb / Vine
Evergreen/Deciduous
Deciduous
Leaf dissection
Dissected / Undivided
Stipules
Absent
Flower symmetry
Actinomorphic / Zygomorphic
Petal count
Many
Petal fusion
Fused
Ovary position
Superior / Inferior / Half-inferior
Stamen count
5
Plant sex
Hermaphrodite / Monoecious
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Lamiales > Gesneriaceae
Divergence Era
Paleogene (ca. 65–50 Ma)
Representative Genera
Related Evolution Events
- ・Independent diversification in the Old World and New World
- ・Adaptation to specialized environments such as rock walls and epiphytic habitats
Plants in Gesneriad family on this site
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