What are Gesneriads?

Gesneriads (pronounced either “guess-NARE-ee-ads” or “jez-NARE-ee-ads”), are flowering plants in the Gesneriaceae family.

Scientific Classification
   Kingdom: Plantae
      Clade: Angiosperms
         Clade: Eudicots
            Clade: Asterids
             Order: Lamiales   [An order in the asterid group of dicotyledonous flowering plants. Made up of about 23,810           
                                                 species, 1,059 genera, divided into about 24 families] 
                 Family: Gesneriaceae  [Made up of about 150 genera (genus) that in turn are made up of about 3,500 species] 

Some Popular Gesneriads- their Scientific Genus Name
(with their common/houseplant name in parenthesis)

Reference sources for more information on the Gesneriaceae Family of plants:

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - Search the Department of Botany Collections online at:  
https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/botany/

The Genera of Gesneriaceae, online website by Anton Weber and Laurence E. Skog at:
http://www.genera-gesneriaceae.at/

The Gesneriad Society at:  http://www.gesneriadsociety.org/

The Gesneriad Reference Web at: http://www.gesneriads.info/