''Sinningia'' 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 ...

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 ...

s in the 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 ...

. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the

Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn The Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (6.5 hectares open to public, 3 hectares private), also known as the Botanischer Garten Bonn, is a botanical garden and arboretum maintained by the University of Bonn. It is locat ...

. There are about 65 species of tuberous

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

perennials, all occurring in Central and

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 ...

, with the greatest concentration of species occurring in southern

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The best-known species, '' Sinningia speciosa'', was originally introduced in cultivation as ''Gloxinia speciosa'' and is still commonly known to gardeners and in the horticultural trade as "gloxinia", although this is now considered incorrect. The true genus '' Gloxinia'' is distinguished by having scaly rhizomes rather than tubers. ''Sinningia'' species often grow on rocks or cliffs and most are pollinated by

hummingbirds Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With about 361 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but the vast majority of the species are ...

or bees but ''Sinningia brasiliensis'' is bat-pollinated, and ''Sinningia tubiflora'', with large, powerfully fragrant tubular white flowers, is apparently pollinated by sphinx moths. Most of the species have large, brightly colored flowers. Because of this, numerous species and numerous hybrids and

cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...

are grown as houseplants. A cultivar worth knowing is ''Sinningia x 'Lovely.' ''This beautifully gentle plant is a cross between ''Sinningia sellovii'' and ''Sinningia tubiflora.'' Its tall spikes and tubular flowers attract butterflies, and delight gardeners. Some species with particularly large tubers are cultivated by

cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gre ...

and succulent enthusiasts as caudiciforms. One such example is ''

Sinningia leucotricha ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herb ...

'', often listed under the older name ''Rechsteineria leucotricha'' and dubbed "Brazilian edelweiss" for its covering of silvery, silky hairs. Other species with large tubers are ''

Sinningia iarae ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herb ...

'', '' Sinningia lineata'', and ''

Sinningia macropoda ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herb ...

.'' The Brazilian genera '' Paliavana'' and '' Vanhouttea'', consisting of shrubby plants without tubers, are closely related to ''Sinningia'' and recent morphological and molecular analyses (Boggan 1991, Perret et al. 2003) suggest that these genera are, in fact, nontuberous ''Sinningia'' species. All three genera were included in tribe Gloxinieae in the classification system of

Hans Wiehler Hans Joachim Wiehler (8 July 1930 in Klettendorf – 2003) was a German botanist who specialized in the plant family Gesneriaceae. In 1954 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and a Bachelor of Divinity de ...

but are now recognized in their own tribe, Sinningieae. Numerous genera, including ''Corytholoma'', ''Rechsteineria'' and ''Lietzia'', have been synonymized under ''Sinningia''.

Garden uses and cultivation

Sinningias are attractive greenhouse plants and houseplants that appeal strongly to gardeners who like to specialize in particular plant groups. The chief environmental needs are warmth, high humidity, suitable soil and good light with shade from strong sun. The soil should be well drained. It should contain a liberal proportion of organic matter, such as leaf mold or peat moss, and enough coarse sand or perlite to ensure good porosity. The hybrid cultivars 'Empress Purple Spotted' and 'Empress Red' have gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

Species

Species include: *''

Sinningia aggregata ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Ker Gawl.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia aghensis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

Chautems Alain Chautems is research associate at the Geneva "Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève, Switzerland. He specialized in some of the most diverse Gesneriaceae of Brazil (the Nematanthus/Codonanthe and Sinningia ''Sinningia' ...

*''

Sinningia amambayensis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*'' Sinningia araneosa''

, 1997 *''

Sinningia barbata ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Nees & Mart.) G. Nicholson *''

Sinningia brasiliensis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Regel & E. Schmidt) Wiehler *''

Sinningia bulbosa ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Ker Gawl.) Wiehler *'' Sinningia bullata''

et al., 2010 *''

Sinningia canastrensis ''Sinningia canastrensis'' is a tuberous member of the flowering plant 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 subtropic ...

et al., 2010 *''

Sinningia canescens ''Sinningia canescens'', called the Brazilian edelweiss, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Sinningia'', native to southeastern and southern Brazil. A tuberous perennial reaching , it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award ...

'' (Mart.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia cardinalis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Lehm.) H.E.Moore *'' Sinningia carolinae'' (Wawra) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Siebert & Voss *''

Sinningia cochlearis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hook.)

*''

Sinningia concinna ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hook. f.) G. Nicholson *''

Sinningia cooperi ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (J. Paxton) Wiehler *''

Sinningia discolor ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Decne. ex Hanst.) Sprague *'' Sinningia douglasii'' (Lindl.)

*''

Sinningia elatior ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Kunth)

*'' Sinningia eumorpha'' H.E. Moore *'' Sinningia gerdtiana''

et al., 2010 *''

Sinningia gesneriifolia ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hanst.) Clayberg *''

Sinningia gigantifolia ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*'' Sinningia glazioviana'' (Fritsch)

*'' Sinningia globulosa''

et al., 2010 *'' Sinningia guttata'' Lindl. *''

Sinningia harleyi ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*''

Sinningia hatschbachii ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*'' Sinningia helioana''

et al., 2010 *''

Sinningia helleri ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' Nees *'' Sinningia hirsuta'' (Lindl.) G.Nicholson *''

*''

Sinningia incarnata ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herb ...

'' (Aubl.) D.L.Denham *''

Sinningia insularis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hoehne)

*''

Sinningia kautskyi ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*''

Sinningia leopoldii ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Scheidw. ex Planch.)

*''

'' (Hoehne) H.E.Moore *''

Sinningia lindleyi ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' Schauer *'' Sinningia lineata'' (Hjelmq.)

*'' Sinningia macrophylla'' (Nees & Mart.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Fritsch *''

Sinningia macrostachya ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Lindl.)

*'' Sinningia magnifica'' (Otto & A. Dietr.) Wiehler *'' Sinningia maximiliana'' (Hanst.) Benth. & Hook. ex Fritsch *''

Sinningia micans ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Fritsch)

*''

Sinningia muscicola ''Sinningia muscicola'', formerly referred to as ''Sinningia'' sp. "Rio das Pedras", is a small tuberous species within the genus ''Sinningia'' and part of the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. The plants produce small, bright lavender fl ...

et al., 2010 *''

Sinningia nivalis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*'' Sinningia nordestina''

, Baracho & J.A.Siqueira *'' Sinningia ×'' ornata (Van Houtte) H.E. Moore *''

Sinningia piresiana ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hoehne)

*'' Sinningia polyantha'' (DC.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia pusilla ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Mart.) Baill. *''

Sinningia reitzii ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hoehne) L.E. Skog *'' Sinningia richii'' Clayberg *''

Sinningia rupicola ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Mart.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia sceptrum ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Mart.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia schiffneri ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' Fritsch *''

Sinningia sellovii ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Mart.) Wiehler *'' Sinningia speciosa'' (Lodd.) Hiern *'' Sinningia striata'' (Fritsch)

*'' Sinningia tribracteata'' (Otto & A. Dietr.) Wiehler *''

Sinningia tuberosa ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Mart.) H.E. Moore *''

Sinningia valsuganensis ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

*''

Sinningia verticillata ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Vell.) H.E. Moore *''

Sinningia villosa ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' Lindl. *''

Sinningia warmingii ''Sinningia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. It is named after Wilhelm Sinning (1792–1874), a gardener of the Botanische Gärten der Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. There are about 65 species of tuberous herba ...

'' (Hiern)

References

* Boggan, J.K. 1991. 1991. A morphological study and cladistic analysis of ''Sinningia'' and associated genera with particular reference to ''Lembocarpus'', ''Lietzia'', ''Paliavana'', and ''Vanhouttea'' (Gesneriaceae: Gloxinieae). Thesis, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A. ix + 179 pages, 21 figures. opies available at Cornell University and Smithsonian Institution libraries.* Perret, M., A. Chautems, R. Spichiger, G. Kite, & V. Savolainen. 2003
Systematics and evolution of tribe Sinningieae (Gesneriaceae): evidence from phylogenetic analyses of six plastid DNA regions and nuclear ncpGS
''American Journal of Botany'' 90(3): 445-460. * Wiehler, H. 1983
A synopsis of the neotropical Gesneriaceae
''Selbyana'' 6: 1-219. * Wiehler, H. and A. Chautems. 1995. A reduction of ''Lietzia'' to ''Sinningia''. Gesneriana 1(1): 5-7.

External links

The Genera of Gesneriaceae

from th
Gesneriad Reference Web

Gesneriaceae in: Brazilian Flora Checklist
{{Taxonbar, from=Q159407 Gesneriaceae genera