Cineraria is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae (the daisy or sunflower family), placed in the tribe Senecioneae. The genus comprises roughly 50 species of herbaceous perennials and small subshrubs, the great majority of which are native to southern Africa; the range extends to Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Madagascar, with a small number of species found further north on the African continent.
Plants in this genus typically bear the composite flower heads characteristic of Asteraceae, with ray and disc florets. The genus name derives from the Latin cinis (ash, ashes), traditionally said to refer to the ash-grey coloration of the foliage in some species.
Cineraria was historically circumscribed more broadly and included species from the Canary Islands and Madeira that are now recognised as the distinct genus Pericallis. This reclassification is taxonomically significant because it separates the wild, predominantly southern African Cineraria from the well-known florist's cineraria (Pericallis × hybrida), a popular ornamental hybrid that was long sold under the Cineraria name. Within southern Africa, 31 species have been recorded, making the region the clear centre of diversity for the genus.
Etymology
The genus name Cineraria is derived from the Latin word cinis, meaning ash or ashes, an allusion to the ash-grey, often mealy or downy appearance of the leaves in several species. The florist’s cineraria (Pericallis × hybrida), long traded under this name, is now placed in the segregate genus Pericallis.
Distribution
Cineraria is centred in southern Africa, where 31 species have been recorded across South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. A small number of species extend to Madagascar and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa, making the genus almost entirely an African endemic lineage.
Taxonomy Notes
Cineraria belongs to the tribe Senecioneae within Asteraceae. The genus was formerly treated in a broader sense that encompassed the Canary Islands and Madeiran species now assigned to Pericallis, including the widely cultivated florist’s cineraria (Pericallis × hybrida). Since the segregation of Pericallis, Cineraria in the strict sense contains approximately 50 species, all native to Africa and Madagascar.
