Gesneriads

COLUMNEA GLORIOSA is a Costa Rican vine with attractive velvety leaves and scarlet tubular flowers. It belongs to the same family as African violets, gloxinias, and achimenes, though it looks and should be grown quite differently. The leaves are about 1 1/4″ inches long and are brownish on the upper side and red underneath, a … Read more

All across our country Gesneriads are making big news. You know the best-known member of the gesneriad family – it’s the runaway best-seller African violet, properly termed the saintpaulia. The next most popular is a handsome, velvety-leaved plant which has satiny flowers in an endless array of colors and combinations the gloxinia. These two gesneriads … Read more