Gesneria is a
genus of approximately 50 species in the
flowering plant family
Gesneriaceae. Except for two or three odd
South American species, all are native to islands of the
Caribbean. The genus is classified in the tribe Gesnerieae along with the genera
Bellonia,
Pheidonocarpa, and
Rhytidophyllum.
Gesneria species are usually woody
shrubs or
subshrubs, and (with the closely related
Rhytidophyllum) are unusual in the family in having alternately (rather than decussately) arranged leaves. A complete list of the accepted species and their synonyms can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.