Gesneriaceae

1 9.9

A family of plants from warm regions that includes African violets with bright flowers

noun
/ˌɡɛz.nəˈriː.ə.siː/

Specialized

: Gesneriaceae

Many popular houseplants, like African violets, belong to the Gesneriaceae family.

Examples

Researchers discovered a new species within the Gesneriaceae in the rainforests of Borneo.
The Gesneriaceae family includes many beautiful flowering plants.
The Gesneriaceae are known for their diverse and vibrant flowers.
Did you know that Gesneriaceae are often grown indoors?
The African violet is one of the most popular plants in the Gesneriaceae family, known for its beautiful purple flowers.
Many gardeners enjoy growing plants from the Gesneriaceae family due to their striking foliage and colorful blooms.
Members of the Gesneriaceae family thrive in warm, humid environments, making them ideal for tropical gardens.

Synonyms

gesneria family

vsGesneriaceae

Specialized

9.9

A group of tropical flowering plants like African violet

focuses on describing the plants with an example and warm regions

Surface Forms

Gesneriaceae singular

Gesneriaceas plural

Morphology

Gesneriaceae = Gesner (opaque) = Gesneri + aceae

The '-aceae' ending is a specialized Latin taxonomic suffix indicating a plant family and the form is eponymic, so an average learner cannot infer 'family of plants' from the parts.

Etymology

Gesneriaceae comes from the name Gesner (a Swiss naturalist) and the plant name ending -aceae, which means 'family' in plant names. So Gesneriaceae is the plant 'family' named after Gesner, like Rosaceae is the rose 'family', and that is why it groups African violets and their relatives.