Gesneriaceae - large family of tropical herbs or shrubs or lianas; in some classification systems placed in the order Scrophularialesasterid dicot family - family of more or less advanced dicotyledonous herbs and some trees and shrubs order Polemoniales, Polemoniales - Polemoniaceae; Solanaceae; Boraginaceae; Labiatae; Lentibulariaceae; Pedaliaceae; in some classifications includes the order Scrophulariales gesneriad - any of numerous tropical or subtropical small shrubs or treelets or epiphytic vines of the family Gesneriaceae: African violet; Cape primroses; gloxinia genus Gesneria - large genus of tropical American herbs having showy tubular flowers genus Episcia - genus of tropical American herbs having soft hairy foliage genus Gloxinia - small genus of tropical American herbs with leafy stems and axillary flowers gloxinia - any of several plants of the genera Gloxinia or Sinningia (greenhouse gloxinias) having showy bell-shaped flowers |