Gesneriaceae are a large and interesting family of predominantly tropical and subtropical plants. Some genera and species are well known to the public. Examples include the "African Violets" (“Saintpaulia” spp. and cultivars, the genus is now included in Streptocarpus) or the Florists "Gloxinias" (Sinningia speciosa and cultivars) which have become extremely popular indoor ornamentals because of their showy flowers and easy cultivation and propagation. Other representatives of the family are of particular scientific interest, e.g., the morphologically unusual genera Streptocarpus and Monophyllaea, in which some or all species produce only a single leaf which corresponds to an enormously enlarged cotyledon. These plants represent striking botanical examples of neoteny (organisms reaching maturity in a juvenile stage), paralleling the Mexican axolotl in the animal kingdom.

There are several websites devoted to Gesneriaceae (see Links to other Gesneriaceae websites). However, their focus is often on plants used as ornamentals or at least on species that are in cultivation. In contrast, many genera of Gesneriaceae have received little attention and are largely unknown to a broader public. The present website attempts to fill the gap by providing a survey of all genera of the family recognised at present and in the recent past. The number of genera presently accepted is around 150, the precise number depending on the generic concepts used by taxonomists.The website includes all genera that have been recognised in the last overall treatment of Gesneriaceae (by A. Weber in Kubitzki's "Families and Genera of Vascular plants", 2004), including those that have been synonymised since then. It demonstrates impressively what progress has been made in the last 20 years.

We also present a brief overview of the family, and we include historical and current classifications so that readers can follow up the gradual development of ideas on the generic relationships and of the approach towards natural classification of the family.

For the development of the website and the most important persons involved in the work see the "History" chapter. For the present edition, the assistance and close cooperation of Mrs. Ursula Schachner ist most gratefully acknowledged. Without her impetus, her endurance, and patience the new edition of the website would have been doomed to fail.

Please note that the website is not and cannot be a collection of generic monographs. The treatments of the genera are neither scientifically exhaustive nor do they contain comprehensive illustrative material. The website is intended to provide a quick survey and an initial scientific contact with the genera that constitute a most fascinating plant family: the Gesneriaceae.