Leaf colour patterns, vegetative and sexual reproduction of Episcia ...

2. The subfamily of Epithematoideae (6 genera/75 species) is distributed in India, from
Southeast Asia to Malaysia. In West Africa and from Central America to Peru only one
representative can be found. The most varied genus is Monophyllea with roughly 30 species.
3. The subfamily of Gesnerioideae (53 genera/ 1500 species) is spread in the Neotropics.
Some genera are: Besleria, Episcia, Drymonia, Allopectus, Nautiocalyx, Paradrymonia, Gesneria,
Sininngia and Columnea.
4. The subfamily of Coronatheroideae (9 genera/ 20 species) has representatives on the
Solomon Islands, the Antilles, in New Caledonia and the south of South America. The most
varied genus is Coronanthera.
In 1829 the genus Episcia was described for the first time by Karl Friedrich Philip Martius in
his work “Nova genera et species plantarum”. The name stems from the Greek word "episkios"
which means shaded. The plants can be found predominantly at shady and damp places, slopes,
banks or rocks.
The genus Episcia was modified drastically by Wiehler (1978) and reduced from 46 to nine
species: E. andina, E. cupreata, E. elongata, E. fimbriata, E. lilacina, E. prancei, E. reptans, E. sphalera, E.
xantha. Before the new division of Wiehler the definition of the genus was only based on floral
and fruit characters. The genus Episcia united several species, which today belong to the genera of
Nautilocalyx, Paradrymonia and Alsobia. Episcia and Alsobia differ from Nauticalyx and Paradrymonia
in their stoloniferous habit and their sympodial shoot pattern. Whereas Episcia is a terrestrial or
saxicolous genus and owns two stolons per node, Alsobia lives strictly as an epiphytic and has
only one stolon per node (Wiehler 1983). Also the newest investigation of Clark (2006) confirms
the monophyly of Episcia within the Episcieae.
Episcia consists of stoloniferous low terrestrial or epiphytic herbs, which are rarely lignified at
the base. The stems creep or sprawl on the ground but with erect or rising tips. The plants can
reach one meter or more in length. At the nodes there can be adventive roots.
The leaves are often crowded or opposite with short petioles. The leaf form varies from
ovately or elliptically to lanceolately. Usually the leaf pairs are nearly equal. The upper surface is
dark green or has various patterns of variegation. The lower surface is often coloured.
The inflorescences often consist of single or 2-6 axillary flowers on slender pilose peduncles.
They are also furnished with two bracts. The showy flowers are zygomorphic. The floral tube is
short. The calyx is often irregular and owns five oblong sepals, which are free or shortly connate
at the base. The sepals are pilose and green or coloured. The posterior lobe is forced back around
a corolla spur. The corolla inserts horizontally in the calyx, has the form of a more or less
developed tubus and is conspicuously spurred. Above the spur and at the throat the corolla can
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