Gesneria and Rhytidophyllum diversified in the Caribbean, and their presence in South or Central America is rare. They are almost entirely endemic to the Caribbean except for the following two species: 1) Rhytidophyllum onacaense is endemic to northern Colombia, where it is known from fewer than ten collections (only three from the last century) at the base of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, a mountain range that is isolated from the Andes. 2) Rhytidophyllum cumanense is mostly known from Venezuela.
