noun
large family of tropical herbs or shrubs or lianas; in some classification systems placed in the order Scrophulariales
• Syn: ↑Gesneriaceae, ↑family Gesneriaceae
• Hypernyms: ↑asterid dicot family
• Member Holonyms: ↑Polemoniales, ↑order Polemoniales
• Member Meronyms:
↑gesneriad, ↑genus Gesneria, ↑genus Achimenes, ↑genus Aeschynanthus, ↑Alsobia, ↑genus Alsobia, ↑genus Columnea, ↑genus Episcia, ↑genus Gloxinia, ↑gloxinia, ↑genus Kohleria, ↑Saintpaulia, ↑genus Saintpaulia, ↑Sinningia, ↑genus Sinningia, ↑genus Streptocarpus
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noun* * *
/ges near"ee euh, jes-/
the plant family Gesneriaceae, characterized by herbaceous plants having a basal rosette of usually toothed leaves, tubular two-lipped flowers, and fruit in the form of a berry or capsule, and including the African violet, gloxinia, and streptocarpus.
[see GESNERIAD]
Useful english dictionary. 2012.