Tydaea

plants of the genus Kohleria of the family Gesneriaceae. (The Tydaea are sometimes assigned to the genus Isoloma.) The plants are hairy perennial herbs or subshrubs. The beautiful velvety leaves are opposite or whorled; the flowers are white, pink, or various shades of red. The corolla has a cylindrical or ventricose tube and a five-segmented limb with red, yellow, or white spots. There are about 50 species, distributed in tropical America. Tydaea amabilis (or Kohlaria amabilis), K. lindeniana, K. bogotensis, and many other species are popular houseplants and greenhouse plants. Also popular are various hybrid forms.