What Are Gesneriads and Why Does the Gesneriad Society Focus on Them?

Gesneriads are the plants in the family Gesneriaceae — a large group of flowering plants that includes familiar houseplants such as African violets and gloxinias. The Gesneriad Society (gesneriadsociety.org) exists to promote their cultivation and study, which is why its site, journal, shows, and shop all center on this one plant family rather than on gardening in general.

What counts as a gesneriad

A gesneriad is any plant classified in the family Gesneriaceae. The family is best known for species and hybrids grown indoors for their flowers and foliage, and it is the shared botanical identity — not a region, growing style, or commercial category — that ties the group together.

Common examples include:

• African violets (Saintpaulia, now placed in Streptocarpus) — the most widely grown gesneriad.
• Gloxinias (Sinningia speciosa) — florist plants with large, bell-shaped flowers.
• Other Sinningia species — including the popular Sinningia hybrids grown for their tubular flowers.
• Streptocarpus — often called cape primroses, grown for their long blooming season.
• Episcias, Kohleria, Achimenes, and Columnea — trailing or rhizomatous gesneriads favored by collectors.

If a plant is in Gesneriaceae, it is a gesneriad; if it is not, it is not, regardless of how similar it looks on a shelf.

Why the Society focuses on them

The Society's purpose is to promote the cultivation and study of gesneriads specifically. That focus shows up in what the organization actually does:

• A dedicated journal — the Society publishes our journal, giving members a place for cultivation articles and study of the family.
• Shows and sales — events such as the Heart of America Gesneriad Society judged show & sale (listed as 9:00 am – 2:00 pm) let growers exhibit plants, have them judged, and buy material.
• A shop — the site's Shop section supports the same mission by offering gesneriad-related items.
• Anniversary support — a "75th Diamond Anniversary Donation" heading indicates the Society has been operating for decades and accepts donations to sustain its work.
• Updates by subscription — a "Subscribe to Gleanings!" section and a notification signup let people follow news and events.

In short, the Society is not a general houseplant club. It concentrates on one family so that growers can find information, events, and plants specific to gesneriads.

Who this is for

This focus is useful if you already grow African violets, gloxinias, or other gesneriads and want deeper, family-specific information, or if you are deciding whether a plant you own belongs to the group. If you are looking for broad indoor-gardening content across many plant types, a single-family society will feel narrow by design.

Practical next steps

• Identify your plant first. If it is an African violet, gloxinia, Sinningia, Streptocarpus, or another Gesneriaceae member, the Society's material applies directly.
• Check the journal for cultivation and study content tied to the family.
• Look at Upcoming Events for judged shows and sales near you, which are a way to see plants in person and buy them.
• Use the Shop for gesneriad-related items.
• Subscribe to Gleanings! or the notification list to hear about new content and events.

Note that the site shows PayPal as a payment platform and a subscription/notification signup; whether any specific item or membership is free, paid, or requires login is not stated in the available material, so check the relevant page before assuming.