Eucodonia

Full name and orig. publication: Eucodonia Hanst., Linnaea 26: 201 (April 1854, "1853").

Etymology: From the Greek εΰ, eu = beautiful, good, true, and κωδων, kōdōn = bell, referring to the widely open, (obliquely) campanulate flowers. 

Synonyms: Achimenes Pers. subg. Eucodonia (Hanst.) Hanst. (1865), Achimenes Pers. sect. Eucodonia (Hanst.) Fritsch (1894).

Infrafamilial position: Gesnerioid Gesneriaceae (Gesnerioideae) - Gloxinieae.

Description: Small, perennial, terrestrial or saxicolous herbs, with scaly rhizomes. Stem succulent. Leaves opposite, pseudo-verticillate. Indumentum on stem and underside of leaves densely lanate-villous. Flowers axillary, solitary. Flowers obliquely campanulate, with long pedicel. Fruit a bivalved capsule.

Chromosome number: 2n = 24.

Species number: 2 [E. verticillata (Martens & Galeotti) Wiehler, E. andrieuxii (DC.) Wiehler].

Species names (incl. publication and synonyms): See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005: World checklist of Gesneriaceae: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Checklist.

Type species: Eucodonia ehrenbergii Hanst. = E. verticillata (Martens & Galeotti) Wiehler

Distribution: C & S Mexico.

Ecology: Terrestrial herb growing in wet and shaded places in forests. 

Notes: The genus was re-established by Wiehler (1976). It is closely related to (and was formerly included in) Achimenes; the main difference is the higher chromosome number. Hybrids with species of Achimenes, Smithiantha and Gloxinia proved to be sterile. Molecular results support Wiehler's  separation from Achimenes (Zimmer et al. 2002; Roalson et al. 2003, 2005a,b; Smith et al. 2004). 

Selected references: Wiehler, Selbyana 1: 374-404 (1976), re-establ., emend. & rev.;  Roalson, Skog, Zimmer. 2003: Syst. Bot. 28: 593-608;  Roalson, Boggan, Skog, Zimmer, Taxon 54(2): 389-410 (2005a), molec. syst.; Roalson, Boggan, Skog, Selbyana 25(2): 225-238 (2005), tax.

Bibliography: See Skog, L.E. & J.K. Boggan. 2005. Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae. 2nd edition: http://persoon.si.edu/Gesneriaceae/Bibliography.

Illustrations:

 

Eucodonia andrieuxii (DC.) Wiehler 

Plant of the week, Smithsonian Institution, 
phot. L. Brothers, http://persoon.si.edu/plofweek.index.cfm

 



last modified: 2007-07-13