Pearcea | |
---|---|
Pearcea intermedia | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Lamiales |
Family: | Gesneriaceae |
Genus: | Pearcea Regel (1867) |
Species[1] | |
19; see text | |
Synonyms[1] | |
Parakohleria Wiehler (1978) |
Pearcea is a genus of tropical herbaceous plants in the family Gesneriaceae native to western South America. It is classified in tribe Gloxinieae and is closely related to the genus Kohleria, in which some of its species were previously included. The genus Parakohleria has recently been synonymized under Pearcea, a conclusion later supported by molecular analyses that showed that Pearcea hypocyrtiflora was nested within the former Parakohlerias.
The best-known and most widely cultivated species is Pearcea hypocyrtiflora, a low-growing herb with attractively marked leaves and unusual bubble-like red or orange flowers.