Achimenes

Achimenes
Achimenes erecta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Gesneriaceae
Genus:	Achimenes Pers.
Species
See text.

See text.

Achimenes /æˈkɪmᵻniːz/ is a genus of about 25 species of tropical and subtropical rhizomatous perennial herbs in the flowering plant family Gesneriaceae. They have a multitude of common names such as magic flowers, widow's tears, Cupid's bower, or hot water plant.

According to some authorities, the plant's name may come from the Greek word cheimanos meaning "tender" or "sensitive to cold." Other suggested derivations include "after King Hakhamash of Turkey (Gk. Achaemenes)" ([sic.] presumably Achaemenes/Hakhamanish of Persia?), or it may have been named after the (probably mythical) achaemenis, a plant with alleged magical properties, only named in Pliny's Natural History.

In 1756, the name Achimenes was coined by Patrick Browne (P.Browne), in his The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. In Three Parts, then used by Martin Vahl in 1791. The first publication of the name for the genus that currently bears the name was by South African mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon (Pers.), in November 1806, in the second part of his Synopsis Plantarum.

The genus is native to North America (Mexico) and Central America, with one species (A. erecta) occurring naturally in the West Indies. The largest number of species is found in Mexico. Several species and hybrids are widely cultivated and naturalized outside their native range. A complete list of the species, with their synonyms and geographic distributions, can be found in the Smithsonian Institution's World Checklist of Gesneriaceae.

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