The African Violet

The Saintpaulia as it is more commonly known, was first discovered in the hills of Tanzania in east Africa by Herr Von Saint Paulliare. Its botanical name comes from its finder, and its popular name from the place where it was found.

African violet, also known as Usambara violet, belongs to the genus Saintpaulia of the botanical family Gesneriaceae. Four species are known in tropical Africa, but only two of these, S. ionantha, the common African violet, and S. kewensis, the Kew African violet, appear to be in cultivation.

America was the first country to take this little flower to its heart although it is now popular throughout the world. Even though its natural environment is in the tropics, it has adapted itself well to many different growing conditions. It is an evergreen plant that can flower for most of the year, but there are, of course, short rest periods between each flowering. Reducing the water supply will induce the rest periods.

The leaves are hairy and succulent, with long, fragile stems, and grow in a rosette. The flowers come from the center of the rosette in groups of 4-8, in loose clusters. The flower itself is not unlike the violet. The petals are broad, flat and round which set off the two stamens with button-like yellow anthers.

Currently over 200 horticultural varieties exist. The species African violet, Saintpaulia ionantha, once had only small, deep-purple flowers, but as soon as the plant became well-known in America, fanciers started breeding new hybrids, and today there is a whole range of colors to choose from. Flower color varies from blue to violet, lavender, pink, red-violet, blue-violet, lavender-pink, green and white. Flowers may be single, double, semi-double, star-shaped, fringed or ruffled.