Streptocarpus

rdf:langString Streptocarpus

rdf:langString A Streptocarpus hybrid

rdf:langString About 155 species of Streptocarpus are currently recognised. A complete list of the species and their synonyms can be found at the Smithsonian's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.

rdf:langString Species

rdf:langString Streptocarpus

rdf:langString Streptocarpus ("twisted fruit" from Greek στρεπτός (streptos) "twisted" and καρπός (carpos) "fruit") is an Afrotropical genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The genus is native to Afromontane biotopes from central, eastern and southern Africa, including Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. The flowers are five-petalled, salverform tubes, almost orchid-like in appearance, and hover or arch over the plant, while the pointed, elongate fruit is of a helical form similar to that of the "tusk" of a narwhal. In the wild, species can be found growing on shaded rocky hillsides or cliffs, on the ground, in rock crevices, and almost anywhere the seed can germinate and grow. For the home, there are now many hybrids of various colours and forms available. Although generally referred to simply as "Streptocarpus" or "Streps", the common name for subgenus Streptocarpus is Cape primrose, referring to the nativity of several species to South Africa and their superficial resemblance to the unrelated genus Primula. The common name for subgenus Streptocarpella is nodding violet. Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia ("African violet") is a separate section within Streptocarpus subgenus Streptocarpella. DNA studies have shown that, despite not having a twisted fruit, African violets evolved from within the Tanzanian Streptocarpus subgenus Streptocarpella. There are a few Asian species that have recently been removed from the genus, most notably Streptocarpus orientalis, now reclassified as . Molecular systematics has shown conclusively that they are not true Streptocarpus.