Gesneriad Society

The Gesneriad Society is an international horticultural organization focused on the plant family Gesneriaceae, commonly known through ornamental genera such as African violets, gloxinias, streptocarpuses, gesnerias, and related tropical plants. Its activities combine specialist gardening, botanical study, cultivar documentation, plant propagation, education, and community building among amateur growers, collectors, hybridizers, and researchers. The organization began in the United States in 1951 as the American Gloxinia Society. It was founded by Elvin McDonald at a time when gloxinias and other gesneriads were becoming increasingly popular among indoor and greenhouse gardeners. The society initially reflected the strong interest in gloxinia cultivation, but its scope broadened as members pursued a wider range of genera within Gesneriaceae. The organization was incorporated in Missouri in 1954, giving it a formal legal structure and supporting its development as a continuing membership society. In 1978, the group adopted the name American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society. The change recognized that its interests extended beyond gloxinias to the full diversity of the gesneriad family. In 2005, it became The Gesneriad Society, a shorter name that more directly expressed its international and family-wide remit. The society subsequently developed a worldwide membership base and chapters in the United States, Canada, and Sweden, while also connecting growers and specialists in other countries. The society serves its community through publications, local and regional chapters, meetings, educational programs, plant exchanges, exhibitions, and information about cultivation and propagation. Its principal periodical is the quarterly magazine Gesneriads, which was formerly published under the title The Gloxinian. The publication provides a channel for horticultural articles, cultivation guidance, society news, and discussion of plants within the family. A particularly important institutional role is the society’s position as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for gesneriads. In that capacity, it helps document and register cultivated varieties, supporting consistent naming and record-keeping for breeders, collectors, nurseries, and horticultural institutions. This function gives the society significance beyond its membership activities, linking amateur horticulture with the formal nomenclature and documentation of cultivated plants. The Gesneriad Society is best understood as a specialist nonprofit horticultural community rather than a conventional consumer brand. Its identity rests on expertise, preservation of plant knowledge, shared cultivation practices, and international collaboration. Although its roots are American, its subject matter and membership network are global. The organization remains active, but publicly available reference material does not establish a current headquarters, executive roster, budget, or commercial ownership structure.

The Gesneriad Society traces its origins to 1951, when Elvin McDonald established the American Gloxinia Society in the United States. The founding name reflected the prominence of gloxinias in specialist indoor and greenhouse horticulture, while also providing a framework for growers to exchange information, plants, and cultivation experience. The organization was incorporated in Missouri in 1954. Incorporation formalized the society’s structure and helped establish it as a continuing horticultural association rather than an informal gardening club. Its interests expanded over time as members became increasingly engaged with the broader Gesneriaceae family, including many genera beyond gloxinia. This widening scope was reflected in the organization’s 1978 renaming as the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society. The 1978 name acknowledged both the society’s historical foundation and its broader scientific and horticultural purpose. The organization supported the study and cultivation of a diverse group of plants, many of which are valued for their flowers, foliage, compact growth, and suitability for protected cultivation. Its activities brought together collectors, hybridizers, growers, and enthusiasts interested in propagation, identification, cultivation techniques, and the preservation of unusual plant material. In 2005, the organization adopted the name The Gesneriad Society. This change removed the narrower emphasis on gloxinias and presented the group as a society devoted to the entire plant family. The simplified name also suited its increasingly international character. The society developed a worldwide membership network and chapters in the United States, Canada, and Sweden, with activities extending through correspondence, publications, and relationships among growers in multiple countries. Publishing has been a central part of the society’s identity. Its quarterly magazine, now titled Gesneriads, was formerly known as The Gloxinian. The publication provides a durable record of cultivation knowledge and society activity, helping members share techniques and information about plants that may be uncommon in ordinary garden retail channels. The society also holds an important nomenclatural role as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for gesneriads. This responsibility involves maintaining and supporting the registration of cultivated varieties within the group. Accurate cultivar names are valuable to hybridizers, collectors, nurseries, botanical collections, and societies because they allow plants to be distinguished and discussed consistently across regions. The organization’s history therefore combines three strands: a membership society rooted in specialist gardening, an educational and publishing organization, and a formal authority for cultivar documentation. Available reference material does not identify a current president, director, chief executive, headquarters, or financial structure. The society is nevertheless described as active, international, and organized through chapters in several countries.

• 2005

  Name changed to The Gesneriad Society

  [1]Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society adopted its current shorter name as its activities and membership became more broadly international.

• 1978

  Broader family-wide name adopted

  [1]Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society, recognizing its expanded focus beyond gloxinias.

• 1958

  Harold E. Moore named an honorary life member

  [1]Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Harold E. Moore was made an Honorary Life Member of the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society.

• 1954

  Missouri incorporation

  [1]Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The society was incorporated in the state of Missouri, formalizing its organizational status.

• 1951

  American Gloxinia Society founded

  [1]Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Elvin McDonald founded the organization in the United States as the American Gloxinia Society.

A specialist international society for the cultivation, study, documentation, and appreciation of gesneriads, combining member education and community activities with a formal cultivar-registration role.

• Horticultural publication

  Gesneriads

  Gesneriads is the society’s quarterly magazine and its principal publication. Formerly titled The Gloxinian, it reflects the organization’s evolution from a gloxinia-focused group into a society covering the wider Gesneriaceae family. The magazine supports member education and communication through horticultural material, society information, and discussion relevant to growers, collectors, and specialists.

• Horticultural nomenclature service

  Gesneriad cultivar registration

  The Gesneriad Society acts as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for gesneriads. This role supports the documentation and registration of cultivated varieties, helping breeders, collectors, growers, and institutions use stable and distinguishable names for plants within the family.

• 2005

  Adopt the Gesneriad Society nameStrategy

  Background

  The organization had developed an international membership base and represented interests across the gesneriad family rather than only gloxinias.

  Action taken

  It adopted the shorter name The Gesneriad Society.

  Aftermath

  The current name presents the organization as a family-wide and internationally oriented horticultural society.

  Source

• 1978

  Expand the organization’s name and remitStrategy

  Background

  The society’s activities had broadened from a primary interest in gloxinias to the wider Gesneriaceae family.

  Action taken

  It changed its name from the American Gloxinia Society to the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society.

  Aftermath

  The new name formally recognized the society’s broader horticultural and botanical scope.

  Source

1. 1Gesneriad Societyen.wikipedia.org