''Besleria'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of ca. 200 species of large
herb
In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...
s and soft-stemmed
subshrub
A subshrub ( Latin ''suffrutex'') or dwarf shrub is a short shrub, and is a woody plant. Prostrate shrub is a related term. "Subshrub" is often used interchangeably with "bush".Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their ...
s or
shrubs in the
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
family
Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Gesnerioideae), wit ...
. They occur in
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
,
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...
, and the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...
.
The closely related genus ''
Gasteranthus'' was previously included in ''Besleria''. The two genera have been separated on the basis of
stoma
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bo ...
tal (aggregated in ''Gasteranthus'', scattered in ''Besleria'') and fruit (fleshy
capsule in ''Gasteranthus'',
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
in ''Besleria'') characters.
[Wiehler (1975)]
Selected species
* ''
Besleria aggregata
''Besleria'' is a genus of ca. 200 species of large herbs and soft-stemmed subshrubs or shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They occur in Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
The closely related genus '' Gasteranth ...
''
* ''
Besleria comosa''
* ''
Besleria elegans
''Besleria elegans'' is a species of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is found in Bolivia.
References
External links
''Besleria elegans''at The Plant List
''Besleria elegans''at Tropicos
Tropicos is an online botanical da ...
''
* ''
Besleria fasciculata
''Besleria'' is a genus of ca. 200 species of large herbs and soft-stemmed subshrubs or shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They occur in Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
The closely related genus '' Gasteranth ...
''
* ''
Besleria formosa''
* ''
Besleria leucostoma''
* ''
Besleria lutea
''Besleria'' is a genus of ca. 200 species of large herbs and soft-stemmed subshrubs or shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They occur in Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
The closely related genus '' Gasteranth ...
''
L.
* ''
Besleria macahensis''
* ''
Besleria melancholica''
* ''
Besleria miniata''
* ''
Besleria modica''
* ''
Besleria notabilis''
* ''
Besleria princeps
''Besleria'' is a genus of ca. 200 species of large herbs and soft-stemmed subshrubs or shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They occur in Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
The closely related genus '' Gasterant ...
''
* ''
Besleria quadrangulata''
* ''
Besleria triflora
''Besleria'' is a genus of ca. 200 species of large herbs and soft-stemmed subshrubs or shrubs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They occur in Central America, South America, and the West Indies.
The closely related genus '' Gasterant ...
''
Footnotes
References
* Wiehler, Hans.
BESLERIA L. AND THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF GASTERANTHUS BENTH. (GESNERIACEAE). Selbyana 1, no. 2 (1975): 150–56.
External links
fro
The Genera of Gesneriaceae
Gesneriaceae genera
{{Gesneriaceae-stub