Nematanthus

Nematanthus
Nematanthus nervosus, showing the foliage and distinctive "goldfish" flower.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Gesneriaceae
Genus: Nematanthus
Schrad.

Nematanthus is a genus of flowering plants of the family Gesneriaceae. All of its species are endemic to Brazil.[1] Compared to other gesneriads, Nematanthus has leaves that are small, succulent, and hard-surfaced. The plant has a trailing, branching, and spreading habit; it is generally an epiphyte in nature and a hanging-basket plant in cultivation.

The flower has petals fused into a pouch-like shape, with a small opening. The fancied resemblance of the flower to a goldfish gives the plant its common name, "goldfish plant."

Hummingbirds often will feed from the nectar-filled "goldfish" flowers.

Species

Species include:[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nematanthus.

External links


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, October 03, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.