Episcia is a genus of flowering plants in the African violet family, Gesneriaceae. The ten species it contains are native to the tropical regions of Central and South America. The species are perennial herbaceous plants characterized by a stoloniferous habit, red (rarely orange, pink, blue or yellow) flowers, and frequently have marked or patterned leaves. Episcias are sometimes called flame violets.
Taxonomy
Episcia cupreataEpiscia lilacina
The genus name is derived from the Greek επισκισς (episkios), meaning "shaded". This refers to the understory habitat of these plants.[1]
For much of the twentieth century Episcia had a broad circumscription but since 1978 has been restricted to a much narrower one, with the genera Paradrymonia, Chrysothemis, Nautilocalyx, and Alsobia separated from it. The segregation of these genera from Episcia has been supported in recent molecular phylogenies.
They are frequently cultivated elsewhere and sometimes naturalize in tropical regions. They are grown in the tropics, and in temperate regions as houseplants, primarily for their attractive foliage. Numerous cultivars have been produced, primarily by selection and hybridization of the species E. cupreata and E. reptans.
References
^Quattrocchi, Umberto (1999). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Vol. 2: D-L. CRC Press. p. 919. ISBN0849326761.
Feuillet, C. 2008. Folia taxonomica 7. Two new species and a new section in Episcia (Gesneriaceae) from the Venezuelan Guayana. J. Bot. Res. Int. Texas 2(1): 275-280.
Wiehler, H. 1978. The genera Episcia, Alsobia, Nautilocalyx, and Paradrymonia (Gesneriaceae). Selbyana 5: 11-60.
