The Tennessee Gesneriad Society held its annual show at Cheekwood recently. Two local members, Brad Walker and Johnathan Chisam, attended and won several ribbons, including two Best in Show and the Sweepstakes ribbon.Gesneriads are a large herbaceous group of plants from all over the world, including florist gloxinias (sinningia speciose), flame violets (episcia species and cultivars) and the most famous African violets (saintpaulia). They grow in a wide variety of environments, ranging from the tropical cloud forest to temperate climates, including several that can take cooler temperatures.