Phinaea

Full name and orig. publication: Phinaea Benth. in Benth & Hook.f., Gen. pl. 2: 997 (May 1876).

Etymology: The name is an anagram of Niphaea.

Synonyms: -

Infrafamilial position: Gesnerioideae-Gesnerieae-Gloxiniinae (Weber et al. 2013).

Description: Terrestrial, perennial herbs with scaly rhizomes. Stem short, erect. Leaves opposite, (sub)equal, often congested at the stem apex, membranous, soft. Axillary cymes 1- to many-flowered, congested. Calyx campanulate, with spreading equal or subequal lobes. Corolla subrotate or cup-shaped, tube short, limb of spreading or erect, broad, subequal lobes. Stamens 4, adnate to base of corolla tube, staminode short; filaments slender, longer than the anthers, those of the anterior stamen pair longer and curved, anthers obovate to subglobose, with distinct (not confluent) cells, dehiscing by a short slit. Nectary absent. Ovary semi-inferior, style curved; stigma stomatomorphic. Fruit a somewhat fleshy or dry 2-valved capsule, opening loculicidally.

Chromosome number: 2n = 26 (P. multiflora).

Species number: 2-3.

Species names: Phinaea albolineata (Hook.) Benth. ex Hemsl., P. multiflora C.V. Morton, P. pulchella (Griseb.) C.V.Morton (with two varieties) – generic position uncertain.

Type species: Phinaea albolineata (Hook.f.) Benth. ex Hemsl.

Distribution: Mexico (P. multiflora), northern South America (P. albolineata), ? West Indies: Cuba and Haiti (P. pulchella) – see 'Notes'.

Ecology: Terrestrial herb growing in forests, seasonally dormant.

Notes: Essentially based on molecular evidence (Smith et al. 2004, Roalson et al. 2005a,b), Phinaea was recently taxonomically redefined and reduced to 3 species, while the remaining species were included in the re-established genus Amalophyllon (Boggan et al. 2008). Recently, P. pulchella was recollected in Cuba and found to be misplaced in Phinaea. It probably represents a new genus (Clark et al. 2011), but formal action has not been taken so far (by end of 2022). Thus the two core species of Phinaea are P. albolinetata (Hook.f.) Benth. ex Hemsl. and P. multiflora C.V.Morton. In habit and flower characters Phinaea and Amalophyllon are very similar. For the differences see under the latter genus. For the differences to Niphaea, a third genus very similar in habit and floral form, see under that genus.

Selected references: Skog, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65: 973-976 (1979), reg. rev. (Panama); Skog, Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 85: 1114-1128 (2001), reg. rev. (Nicaragua), Wiehler, Gloxinian 52/3: 33-37 (2002), gen. inf.; Smith et al., Syst. Bot. 29: 947-958 (2004); Roalson et al., Taxon 54(2): 389-410 (2005a), molec. syst.; Roalson et al., Selbyana 25(2): 225-238 (2005b), tax.; Boggan et al., Selbyana 29(2): 157–176 (2008); Clark et al., Syst. Bot. 36(3): 757-767 (2011), mol. phyl., evol. rotate fls.

Tax. details, cytology, and bibliography: Gesneriaceae Resource Centre (GRC). Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Page content and update responsibility/contact: John L. Clark.
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