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Gesneria pedunculosa belongs to Gesneriaceae (the African violet family). It is an evergreen shrub that is endemic to Puerto Rico in the West Indies. This shrub grows on steep slopes and shallow, rocky soils, and can reach 3-5 m in height. There are usually multiple stems from the base of the trunk. Twigs are slender, greenish gray, and form a relatively dense crown. The leaves are elliptic to obovate, 4-11 cm long, with smooth to fine serrate margins. The inflorescences usually have 2-4 flowers borne at the end of glandular-resinous peduncles 8-16.5 cm long. The five-lobbed tubular corolla is yellow-green to pinkish-white and 1-2 cm long. The fruit is a four-valved, 6-9 mm long capsule. This shrub is called "árbol de navidad" (Christmas tree) in Puerto Rico.
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