United States Edition

African Violet

Saintpaulia

Belonging to the Saintpaulia genus, African Violet has a botanical name of Saintpaulia.

A fuzzy leafed plant native to Africa bearing flowers purple, pink, white or a combination of those.


African Violets are Day Neutral, meaning that the start of flowering is not dependent on the onset of either longer or shorter days. African Violets will flower at any time of year provided the right combination of light, nutrients and water. Some varieties seem to be in continuous bloom, while other varieties will often take a small rest period between flowerings. Nonetheless, African Violets are durable plants and can often withstand some amount of neglect or lack of care as a routine.


Current Classifications of Species of Genus Saintpaulia7

1. S. inconspicua


2. S. pusilla


3. S. shumensis
shumensis
shumensis Mather EE
shumensis Uppsala 3048


4. S. teitensis


5. S. ionantha
5a. subspecies grandifolia
grandifolia No 237
grandifolia No 299
grandifolia Uppsala 3486
5b. subspecies grotei
amaniensis
confusa
confusa Mather Brother Paddy
confusa Mather E
confusa Uppsala 3395
difficilis
difficilis Mather No 2
difficilis Uppsala 3396
grotei
grotei Amazon
grotei Cornell G149
grotei Mather No 7
grotei Mather No 21
grotei Mather V
grotei Protzen or Uppsala 3091
grotei Silvert
grotei sport
magungensis
magungensis Uppsala 3082
magungensis Uppsala 3086
magungensis var. minima
5c. subspecies ionantha
1. variety ionantha
ionantha
ionantha Amazon
ionantha 930919
kewensis
Pangani Falls
Sigi Falls
tongwensis
tongwensis Uppsala 3097
white ionantha ou Mather No 20
2. variety diplotricha
diplotricha Parker
diplotricha Punter No 0
diplotricha Punter No 6
diplotricha Punter No 7
diplotricha Uppsala 3084
diplotricha Uppsala 3085
Kolehmainen
5d. subspecies mafiensis
5e. subspecies occidentalis
magungensis var. occidentalis
magungensis var. occidentalis Mather No 12
5f. subspecies orbicularis
orbicularis
orbicularis var. purpurea
5g. subspecies pendula
intermedia
pendula
pendula Cornell G304
pendula Uppsala 3087
pendula Uppsala 3089
pendula Uppsala 3090
pendula var. kizarae
5h. subspecies velutina
velutina
velutina Amazon
velutina lite
velutina Uppsala 3166


6. S. brevipilosa
brevipilosa Mather No 10
brevipilosa Uppsala 3044
brevipilosa Grussel or Nguru Mountain


7. S. nitida


8. S. rupicola
rupicola
rupicola Mather No 5
rupicola Uppsala 3167
Cha Simba
Kacharoni or Robertson
Macharia
Mwachi


9. S. goetzeana


-——————————————————-
Old name vs. current name8

Saintpaulia amaniensis = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia brevipilosa = S. ionantha ssp. velutina
Saintpaulia confusa = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia difficilis = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia diplotricha = S. ionantha ssp. ionantha var. diplotricha
Saintpaulia grandifolia = S. ionantha ssp. grandifolia
Saintpaulia grotei = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia intermedia = S. ionantha ssp. pendula
Saintpaulia magungensis = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia magungensis var. minima = S. ionantha ssp. grotei
Saintpaulia magungensis var. occidentalis = S. ionantha ssp. occidentalis
Saintpaulia nitida = S. ionantha ssp. nitida
Saintpaulia orbicularis = S. ionantha ssp. orbicularis
Saintpaulia pendula = S. ionantha ssp. pendula
Saintpaulia pendula var. kizarae = S. ionantha ssp. pendula
Saintpaulia rupicola = S. ionantha ssp. rupicola
Saintpaulia tongwensis = S. ionantha ssp. ionantha var. ionantha
Saintpaulia velutina = S. ionantha ssp. velutina

It is a houseplant / ornamental and is treated mainly as a perennial, so it grows best over a period of time (3 years and greater). Normally growing to a mature height of 30.0 cm (11.7 inches), African Violet grows with a clump-forming habit.

Tanzania is believed to be where African Violet originates from.

African Violet needs a moderate amount of maintenance, so some level of previous experience comes in handy when growing this plant. Ensure that you are aware of the soil, sun, ph and water requirements for this plant and keep an eye out for pests.

This plant info is provided by the myfolia gardener's wiki. All details about African Violet have been kindly provided by our members.

How to grow African Violet

  • Dappled Sun

    +
  • Medium

For best blooming, African Violets need from 10 to 12 hours of indirect sunlight or florescent light. Strong direct sunlight for any length of time may cause the leaves to burn. In their native surroundings (South Africa), these plants live in the shade of larger trees and plants.1


Many growers fertilize their African Violets at every watering and will usually compensate by using a weaker formula, frequently half to quarter strength of what is recommended by the manufacturer.


African Violets prefer consistently damp, moist potting medium. Watering methods vary by preference, but may include: wick watering, mat watering, use of a two part pot where the plant is in the top part which fits inside a bottom well that holds the water. These methods depend on capillary action where the water is drawn into the potting medium by contact. Plants can also be top or bottom watered.


Although African Violets prefer damp potting medium, many commercial potting mixes can be too heavy, and not allow adequate drainage of water. This can cause crown rot and the plant will die. The most frequently recommended basic potting medium is a combination of peat, perlite and vermiculite in equal measures. Growers usually will adjust the ratio these ingredients to fit their own conditions and preference.

Position in a dappled sun location and remember to water moderately. Planting African Violet in potting mix soil with a ph of between 6.1 and 6.5 is ideal for as it does best in weakly acidic soil. Keep in mind when planting that African Violet is thought of as tender, so remember to ensure that temperatures are mild before moving outdoors.

Growing African Violet from seed

It takes about 4 months after pollination for seeds to be ready to harvest. Most African Violets are propagated from cuttings. 6 Leaf cuttings are the most popular, but bloom stalk cuttings will also provide relatively easy propagation. Many African Violet plants will grow suckers, or additional crowns. These should be removed from the main plant, and can be easily rooted as well.

Soil temperature should be kept higher than 22°C / 72°F to ensure good germination.

Transplanting African Violet

The African Violet Society of America, Inc. reccomends repotting african violets regularly.2 In most cases this means every 3 to 6 months.

Harvesting African Violet

N/A

Seed Saving African Violet

African Violets can be grown from seed. Seed pods will develop from pollinated flowers, and should be left on the plant to dry completely before attempting to sow. The structure of African Violets is such that the stamen and pistol are separated to prevent random self-pollination. However, the flowers are easily hand-pollinated.

Companion plants for African Violet

These plants have been known to grow well alongside African Violet so consider planting:

N/A

Repellent plants for African Violet

These plants will not grow well with African Violet so avoid planting these within close proximity:

N/A

Common African Violet problems

These problems, diseases and pests are known to affect African Violet plants:

Over or under watering are common problems with African violets. Water droplets left on leaves can also cause damage to leaves.3 Some varieties are also prone to Powdery Mildew.

Soil mealy bugs. Spider Mites. Cyclamen Mites. Mealy bugs. Thrips.3 4

  • INSV

    African violets are susceptible to impatiens necrotic spot virus. Thrips are...

African Violet Etymology

The plant was discovered by Europeans in 1892 by Baron Walter von Saint Paul, for whom the genus was named.1

The common name African Violet was given to the plant because of where it was discovered along with the fact that the bloom looked very much like a violet. However, it has no botanical relationship to the real violet

African Violet Folklore & Trivia

Original studies identified 20-30 species in the genus Saintpaulia. More modern DNA studies have found that not all of these were unique species and many have been combined. At present, there are 9 recognized species under the genus Saintpaulia, with some species having numerous subspecies.5

Other names for African Violet

Saintpaulia

Saintpaulia Wendl, Saintpaulia ionantha

Misspellings: st paulia

Latest African Violet Reviews

  • 31 May 2013
    Reviewed

    Andrea_B Andrea_B's BG001 African violets was Reviewed day 24

    0 stars

  • 05 Mar 2013
    Reviewed

    Kevalsha Kevalsha's African Violet was Reviewed day 58

    My African Violet is doing very good. I fertilize it with African Violet fertilizer and it is by a south facing window in my dinning room. It is a pearly white color w/light pink ruffled edges.

    4 stars

  • 26 May 2011
    Reviewed

    CoulsonSquared CoulsonSquared's Purple African Violet was Reviewed day 62

    This little guy is doing very well! He hasn’t gotten any new blooms recently, but there are many new leaves popping up. He ‘s a bit crowded in the pot he came in, so it’s time to repot…

    4 stars

See all African Violet reviews and experiences »

African Violet care instructions

How long does African Violet take to grow?

These estimates for how long African Violet takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world. Start logging and journaling your observations to participate!

Footnotes

African Violet Forums

Buzz

Canadian Gardening magazine logo

After browsing MyFolia.com, you could be tossing out your paper-based gardening journal...MyFolia.com is the facebook for gardeners.

More buzz about us...

Listen in on the Grapevine

Folia Badges and Widgets

Folia Blog Widgets

Want some super cool badges to stick on your blog? What about a funky widget that shows everyone what you are growing? Sounds like you need to get over to our Goodies page pronto!

Tour | About | Help & Support | Contact | Terms | Privacy | Community Guidelines | Goodies

Homegrown by Nic & Nath All photos and content © their respective owners.

Free Gardening database | Free garden organizer | Vegetable garden software | Mobile gardening app

Popular Plants: Tomato | Sweet pepper | Chili pepper | Basil | Bean | Carrot | Rose | Cucumber | Lettuce | Onion | Strawberry | Daylily | Potato | Spinach | Radish