Columnea is a genus of around 200 species of epiphytic herbs and shrubs in the family Gesneriaceae, native to the tropics of the Americas and the Caribbean. The tubular or oddly shaped flowers are usually large and brightly colored – usually red, yellow, or orange – sometimes resembling a fish in shape. A common name is flying goldfish plants (see also the related Nematanthus) due to the unusual flower shape.
The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus after the Latinized spelling of the name of the 16th-century Italian botanist Fabio Colonna (Latin: Fabius Columnus).
The segregate genus Bucinellina is considered by many botanists a synonym of Columnea. A full list of the species now accepted in the genus, along with their synonyms, can be found at the World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.
Cultivation Columnea species grow as epiphytic plants in the wild and require bright light, good air circulation, and a well-drained growing medium that is allowed to dry out slightly between waterings. They are very tolerant of underpotting and seem to bloom best when potbound. Most are tropical plants and are easy to grow under indoor or greenhouse conditions but some species come from high altitudes and require cooler temperatures to grow well or bloom. Many of the species are seasonal bloomers, but hybrids and cultivars can be more or less continuously blooming.
The hybrid Columnea × banksii has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Species
216 species are accepted.
Columnea albiflora L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea albovinosa Columnea aliena (C.V. Morton) C.V. Morton Columnea allenii C.V. Morton Columnea ambigua (Urb.) B.D. Morley Columnea ampliata (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea angulata Columnea angustata (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea anisophylla DC. Columnea antennifera Columnea antiocana (Wiehler) J.F. Sm. Columnea argentea Griseb. Columnea arguta C.V. Morton Columnea asteroloma (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea atahualpae J.F. Sm. & L.E. Skog Columnea aurantia Wiehler Columnea aurea Warsz., nom. nud. Columnea bilabiata Seem. Columnea billbergiana Beurl. Columnea bivalvis J.L. Clark & M. Amaya Columnea blancoi Columnea brenneri (Wiehler) B.D. Morley Columnea brevipila Urb. Columnea byrsina (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea calotricha Donn. Sm. Columnea canarina Columnea capillosa L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea carinata Columnea caudata Columnea cerropirrana (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea ceticeps Columnea chiricana Wiehler Columnea chocoensis Columnea chrysotricha L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea ciliata (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea citriflora L.E. Skog Columnea cobana Donn. Sm. Columnea colombiana (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea consanguinea Hanst. Columnea coronata M. Amaya, L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea coronocrypta M. Amaya, L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea corralesii Columnea crassa C.V. Morton Columnea crassicaulis (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea crassifolia Brongn. ex Lem. Columnea cruenta B.D. Morley Columnea cuspidata L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea dictyophylla Donn. Sm. Columnea dielsii Mansf. Columnea dimidiata (Benth.) Kuntze Columnea dissimilis C.V. Morton Columnea domingensis (Urb.) B.D. Morley Columnea dressleri Wiehler Columnea eburnea (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea elongatifolia L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea ericae Mansf. Columnea erythrophaea Decne. ex Houll. Columnea erythrophylla Hanst. Columnea eubracteata Mansf. Columnea fawcettii (Urb.) C.V. Morton Columnea fernandezii M. Amaya Columnea ferruginea Columnea figueroae Columnea filamentosa L.E. Skog Columnea filifera (Wiehler) L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea filipes Oliver Columnea fimbricalyx L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea flaccida Seem. Columnea flexiflora L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea floribunda Columnea florida C.V. Morton Columnea fluidifolia Columnea foreroi Columnea formosa (C.V. Morton) C.V. Morton Columnea fractiflexa Columnea fritschii (Rusby) J.F. Sm. Columnea fuscihirta L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea gallicauda Wiehler Columnea gigantifolia L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea glabra Oerst. Columnea grata Columnea grisebachiana Kuntze Columnea guatemalensis Sprague Columnea guianensis C.V. Morton Columnea guttata Poepp. in Poepp. & Endl. Columnea harrisii (Urb.) Britton ex C.V. Morton Columnea herthae Mansf. Columnea hiantiflora Wiehler Columnea hirsuta Swartz, non Auct. Columnea hirsutissima C.V. Morton Columnea hirta Klotzsch & Hanst. Columnea hispida Swartz Columnea hypocyrtantha (Wiehler) J.F. Sm. & L.E. Skog Columnea illepida H.E. Moore Columnea inaequilatera Poepp. in Poepp. & Endl. Columnea incarnata C.V. Morton Columnea incredibilis L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea isernii Cuatrec. Columnea kalbreyeriana Masters Columnea karstenianum Columnea katzensteiniae (Wiehler) L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea kienastiana Regel Columnea kucyniakii Raymond Columnea labellosa H. Karst. Columnea laciniata Columnea laevis L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea lanata (Seem.) Kuntze Columnea lariensis Kriebel Columnea lehmannii Mansf. Columnea lepidocaula Hanst. Columnea linearis Oerst. Columnea longinervosa L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea longipedicellata Columnea lophophora Mansf. Columnea lucifer J.L. Clark Columnea maculata C.V. Morton Columnea magnifica Klotzsch ex Oerst. Columnea manabiana (Wiehler) J.F. Sm. & L.E. Skog Columnea mastersonii (Wiehler) L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea medicinalis (Wiehler) L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea megafolia L.E.Skog & M.Amaya Columnea microcalyx Hanst. (synonym Columnea gloriosa Sprague) Columnea microphylla Klotzsch & Hanst. ex Oerst. Columnea minor (Hook.) Hanst. Columnea minutiflora L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea mira B.D. Morley Columnea moesta Poepp. in Poepp. & Endl. Columnea moorei C.V. Morton Columnea nariniana (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea nematoloba L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea nervosa (Klotzsch ex Oerst.) Hanst. Columnea nicaraguensis Oerst. Columnea oblongifolia Rusby Columnea ochroleuca (Klotzsch ex Oerst.) Hanst. Columnea oerstediana Klotzsch ex Oerst. Columnea orientandina (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea ornata (Wiehler) L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea ovatifolia L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea oxyphylla Hanst. Columnea panamensis C.V. Morton Columnea paraguensis M.Amaya & J.F.Sm. Columnea paramicola Columnea parviflora C.V. Morton Columnea pectinata C.V. Morton Columnea pedunculata M. Amaya, L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea pendens Columnea pendula (Klotzsch ex Oerst.) Hanst. Columnea perpulchra C.V. Morton Columnea peruviana Zahlbr. Columnea polyantha (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea poortmannii (Wiehler) L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea praetexta Hanst. Columnea proctorii Stearn Columnea pubescens (Griseb.) Kuntze Columnea pulcherrima C.V. Morton Columnea pulchra (Wiehler) L.E. Skog Columnea purpurata Hanst. Columnea purpureovittata (Wiehler) B.D. Morley Columnea purpurimarginata L.P. Kvist & L.E. Skog Columnea purpusii Standl. Columnea pygmaea J.L. Clark & J.F. Sm. Columnea querceti Oerst. Columnea queremalensis M. Amaya, L.E. Skog & L.P. Kvist Columnea rangelii Columnea raymondii C.V. Morton Columnea repens (Hook.) Hanst. Columnea reticulata M. Amaya, L.E.Skog, C.E.González, & J.F.Sm. Columnea rileyi (Wiehler) J.F.Sm. Columnea ringens Regel Columnea robusta (Wiehler) L.E.Skog Columnea rosea (C.V. Morton) C.V.Morton Columnea rubra C.V. Morton Columnea rubriacuta (Wiehler) L.P.Kvist & L.E.Skog Columnea rubribracteata L.P.Kvist & L.E.Skog Columnea rubricalyx L.P.Kvist & L.E.Skog Columnea rubricaulis Standl. Columnea rubrocincta C.V.Morton Columnea rutilans Swartz Columnea sanguinea (Pers.) Hanst. Columnea sanguinolenta (Klotzsch ex Oerst.) Hanst. Columnea scandens L. Columnea schiedeana Schlechtend. Columnea schimpffii Mansf. Columnea segregata B.D.Morley Columnea sericeo-villosa Suess. Columnea serrata (Klotzsch ex Oerst.) Hanst. Columnea silvarum C.V.Morton Columnea skogii Amaya M. Columnea spathulata Mansf. Columnea stilesiana Columnea stricta Columnea strigosa Benth. Columnea subcordata C.V.Morton Columnea suffruticosa J.F.Sm. & L.E.Skog Columnea sulcata L.E.Skog & L.P.Kvist Columnea sulfurea Donn. Sm. Columnea tandapiana (Wiehler) L.E.Skog & L.P.Kvist Columnea tecta J.L.Clark & Clavijo Columnea tenella Columnea tenensis (Wiehler) B.D. Morley Columnea tenuis Klotzsch ex Oerst. Columnea tessmannii Mansf. Columnea tincta Griseb. Columnea tomentulosa C.V. Morton Columnea trollii Mansf. Columnea tutunendana (Wiehler) L.E.Skog Columnea ulei Mansf. Columnea ultraviolacea J.F.Sm. & L.E.Skog Columnea urbanii Stearn Columnea verecunda C.V.Morton Columnea villosissima Mansf. Columnea vinacea C.V.Morton Columnea vittata (Wiehler) L.E.Skog Columnea weberbaueri Columnea xiphoidea J.F.Sm. & L.E.Skog Columnea zebranella Columnea zebrina Raymond
References
External links
Columnea from The Genera of Gesneriaceae Columnea from The Gesneriad Reference Web World Checklist of Gesneriaceae