Taxonomy of Sinningia Nees (Gesneriaceae) in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil

The genus Sinningia belongs to the Neotropical tribe Gesnerieae, subtribe Ligeriinae, presently consisting of only three genera, Paliavana, Sinnigia and Vanhouttea. These genera were separated from a larger concept of tribe Gloxinieae based on phylogenetic studies with molecular data. In Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil, 12 species and one natural hybrid of Sinningia have been recorded. Species of Sinningia in this area are erect or ascending herbs or subshrubs arising from underground or partially exposed tubers. They grow in very distinct ecological conditions, from water-saturated marshes to dry grasslands or shrublands, but most often in rupicolous or epiphytic habitats commonly associated with forest environments. In this review we provide an identification key to the species level and morphological descriptions and illustrations, comments on taxonomic aspects, distributional maps and IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria for all twelve species. Additionally, we designate lectotypes for S. allagophylla and S. sellovii and consider the recently described S. lutea as a synonym of the highly variable S. allagophylla.