You’ve heard it said before, and it’s worth repeating-our houseplants are someone else’s wildflowers! Even though African Violets are some of the most popular and well-known plants, in the wild they are extremely rare. Let's delve into the captivating world of African violets, exploring their history, unique varieties, and essential care tips.
What's in a Name?
First off, despite the name, these plants have no relationship to violets at all. In fact, African violets have their very own genus, Saintpaulia. They were named after Walter Von Saint-Paul who was the first to document them Eastern Africa in 1892. Saint-Paul knew he had found something special and send some of the seeds he had gathered back to his father in Germany. Saint-Paul Senior successfully grew them out, but never having seen anything like them, compared them to violets. The name stuck and here we are.
African Violets, were introduced to the US in 1927 and their popularity grew almost immediately. People began breeding them with great success and by 1949 there were over 100 varieties. Today there are over 32, 000 domestic varieties and the numbers keep growing every year thanks to enthusiasts!
The Natural Habitat of Saintpaulia
Saintpaulia are indigenous to the Eastern African region of Kenya and Tanzania, more specifically the Udzungwa mountains. Despite being able to find African Violets in any given plant nursery or grocery store here in the US, they are extremely rare in the wild. The Udaungwa region is exceptionally unique and is often refered to as the “Galapagos of Africa”. There are some species of flora and fauna that don’t exist any other place on earth!
The mountainous region is particularly humid and features many waterfalls, which is prime habitat for African Violets, who love the high humidity and can be found clinging to the sides of the waterfalls. Unfortunately, due to widespread poaching and development, Saintpaulia are now very rare. In fact, there are some species of Saintpaulia can only be found in a single forest or even on a single mountain. Unfortunately, there are some species, like S. pusilla that are considered extinct. (However, there are rumors that a few, very small, very secret populations of pusilla still do exist.) Fingers crossed on that one.
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(Note: scientists often keep information about very rare species a secret in order to protect them from poachers and tourists alike)
The good news is that conservation efforts are in place for Saintpaulia. The Udzungwa National Park area was established as a national park back in 1992, so the wild African violets growing in that region are protected.
Characteristics of African Violets
The African violet (Saintpaulia) is a genus of 6-20 species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa. The flowers of African violets (Saintpaulia) have a double set of petals, with the innermost row of petals shaped into a crown. They come in many colors, including blue, red, purple, pink, white and bi-color.
African violets are typically evergreen plants, meaning they keep their leaves year-round. However, some varieties may lose their leaves during winter dormancy. The lifespan of an African violet varies depending on the species and cultivar, but most will live for several years with proper care. The color of the foliage and blooms on an African violet can vary depending on the variety. There are also varieties with blue or yellow blooms.
Variegated African Violets
Variegated African violets are some of the most popular African violets because of the added beauty the leaf variegation offers. Each variegated African violet comes with its own unique pattern and colors. For the most part, variegated African violets are going to be between 6 inches in both height and spread up to 24 inches in height and spread.
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There are many different types of variegated African violets, each with its own unique pattern and coloration.
- Red Lion: This variety has deep green leaves with wide red margins.
- Royalty: This variety is characterized by its deep green leaves with wide white margins.
- Serendipity: This variety features light green leaves with narrow white margins.
- Dwarf Variegated African Violet: As the name suggests, this variety is much smaller than other varieties of African violets.
- Miniature Variegated African Violet: This variety is even smaller than the dwarf variety, and has very delicate leaves that are variegated with shades of green, white, and pink.
There are a few things you can do to encourage more variegation in your African violets. First, make sure you are providing enough light. Variegated leaves need bright, indirect light to maintain their coloration. Second, keep an eye on your watering schedule. Too much or too little water can cause the variegation to fade or disappear altogether. Lastly, don’t forget to fertilize! A well-fed plant is a happy plant, and a happy plant is more likely to produce variegated leaves.
No matter which type of variegated African violet you choose, they all require similar care in order to thrive. Be sure to provide them with bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist but not soggy.
First and foremost, these plants require bright, indirect light in order to maintain their vibrant colors. African violets are typically thought of as low-light plants, but they actually prefer bright, indirect light. They’ll do fine in a north- or east-facing window, but if you want them to bloom their best, give them some supplemental light from a grow light or fluorescent light fixture.
As far as the temperature and humidity for your African Violet, there are a few things to keep in mind. African Violets prefer temperatures between 65-75 degrees Fahrenheit. They also like high humidity, so you may need to invest in a humidifier if you live in a dry climate.
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Caring for Your African Violets
Watering African violets is a little different from other types of houseplants. The biggest difference is that you never want to let the leaves of your plant get wet. Water should only be applied to the soil, not the leaves. If you have a self-watering system, fill the reservoir and check it regularly to make sure it doesn’t run dry.
Fertilizing is an important part of caring for your variegated African violet. It is best to fertilize your variegated African violet once every two weeks during the growing season (spring and summer). The best way to fertilize your African violet is by using a plant food that you can feed to your plant every time you water it.
In order to get your African violet to flower all year, you’ll need to ensure that it gets 14 hours of light every day. Dead-heading is the process of removing spent flowers from a plant. In most cases, dead-heading will encourage the plant to produce more flowers. African violets are no exception. To deadhead an African violet, simply snap off the flower stem at the base of the plant. You can also cut back the stem to just above a leaf node (the point where a leaf joins the stem).
As your African Violet grows, you will need to repot it into a larger pot. But how do you know when it’s time to repot?
Propagating Variegated African Violets
There are a few different ways that you can propagate variegated African violets. One way is to take stem cuttings from a healthy plant. To do this, cut a 4-6-inch piece of stem from the mother plant, remove the bottom leaves, and dip the cut end into rooting hormone. Another way to propagate variegated African violets is by leaf cuttings. For this method, you will need a sharp knife or scissors. Cut a leaf from the mother plant, making sure to include a bit of the stem. Dip the cut end into rooting hormone and stick it into moist potting soil.
Common Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases are common problems with African violets. Some of the most common pests include aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies. These pests can be controlled with regular applications of insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Diseases that commonly affect African violets include gray mold, root rot, and virus diseases. These diseases can be controlled with the use of fungicides, but are easier to prevent than they are to treat.
Additional Tips for African Violet Care
Here's a collection of questions and answers to help you with specific care scenarios:
- Identifying Unknown Violets: It is almost impossible to accurately identify an African violet that doesn’t have a name tag or other type of identification (a NOID, or a plant with no ID). The African Violet Master List of Species and Cultivars (AVML) and the First Class computer program lists more than 16,000 different named African violets and their descriptions. Depending on your NOID, you could find a few dozen that match the characteristics. You might even be able to narrow it down to four or five. But then you would need to choose one of them, and it would be highly unlikely that you would choose the correct name. Besides that, the AVML has less than half of the named African violets. Even if you found a photo that matched your plant exactly, the odds are great that it is not your plant. So many African violets look the same, and they all grow differently under different growing conditions. It is definitely a mistake to try to identify a NOID in this manner. There are already far too many misidentified African violets out there now.
- Why Isn't My Violet Blooming?: African violets prefer to be within 12 inches of a bright window. If windows aren’t available, fluorescent light or LED lights may be used to supplement. Depending on the lighting product, violets should be positioned 10-30 inches away from the light unit, and the light should be turned on for 6-12 hours a day. Violets receiving adequate light grow with a flat horizontal wheel of leaves. It must be fertilized regularly with a balanced mix for African violets. There are many good brands. African violets bloom best when in small pots, ideally only one-third the diameter of their leaf span. African violets bloom best when the roots are well-developed. The best roots form in very porous potting mix which is kept evenly moist at all times-never saturated and never bone dry. If the air is very dry, the flower buds may be drying off before they are even visible. Humidity levels of 40% are ideal. Some African violets become vegetative, meaning they are so comfortable that they only grow leaves. To convert them to being reproductive, you must give them a little scare. Repotting is one method. It also works to tap the pot firmly on a hard surface or squeeze the pot to create a minor earthquake. Some varieties are shy bloomers.
- Dealing with Spent Flowers: Trim off the individual flowers as they fade, and when the entire cluster is gone, remove the flower stem by rocking it from side to side until it comes loose from the main stem.
- Buds Wilting Before Blooming: Low humidity can be a factor. African violets thrive on 40-60% humidity, and when the air around the African violet is dryer than that, the buds can fail. Similarly buds may collapse if the African violet potting mix gets too dry. If you have been allowing the self-watering pots to go dry, this could be the problem. Once potting mix goes dry, it can be difficult to get it moist again because peat moss tends to shed water. In self-watering pots, especially the kind that have no drainage, it can be especially hard to restore the balance in the soil moisture. Powdery mildew is a fungal disease and looks like white powder. It can appear on many parts of the plant. If it should happen to grow on bud stems, it could cause the buds to fail. Cyclamen mites are a pest that feeds on the newest growth of the plant, which includes bud stems.
- Fertilizer Choices: Almost all fertilizers offer the basic three “macro-nutrients” of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium which are needed in ample supply for healthy plant growth. A few also include the “macros” of calcium and magnesium. Since these two latter “macros” are found in many city water supplies, most growers will get enough calcium and magnesium from their water. If you use rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water, be aware that you need a fertilizer that contains both, or you will need a supplement (commonly called Cal/Mag) to supply them. In the past, many growers chose fertilizers with a high “middle number” (phosphorus) because it promoted blooming. There may be some value in boosting phosphorus briefly if you are a show grower, but be careful because too much can damage foliage and hurt the plant.Many fertilizer brands also have and list “micro-nutrients” which are needed for healthy growth, but in very small amounts. Not all brands list the “micros,” but they can be very important. Sulfur, for example, tends to lower pH in the root zone. If you have problems with high pH (over 7), a fertilizer with sulfur will help you control your problems and bring your pH into a more desirable range of 6-7. But, if your pH tends to become too acid (below 6), then sulfur will make the problem worse. If you use well water or live in mining regions where your water supply may carry high amounts of specific minerals, it is possible for your violets to show symptoms of toxic levels of a micro-nutrient. This may cause irreversible stunting of center growth which looks very much like the violet has mutated to a miniaturized version of the original.Fertilizers listing their source as urea nitrogen are often the cheapest and also the least desirable. If your growing area is frequently colder than 70 degrees Fahrenheit, a fertilizer made from urea is more likely to result in ammonium toxicity. It is often wise to ask others in your area which fertilizer works best for them.Fertilizers currently (2020) being mentioned by many growers in social media (especially to use with rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water) include either DynaGro Grow 7-9-5 or Feed Me MSU fertilizer for African violets (from repotme.com). Also recommended is Better Gro Orchid Plus 20-14-13 without urea, which is also preferred by many growers of other Gesneriads. Jack’s Classic formulations generally lack sulphur and may be useful for growers with acid growing conditions.
Rare and Exotic Varieties
Explore some of the exotic, original, unusual, or antique violets, including bell flowers, green blooms, rare varieties, and the "original" African Violet, Saintpaulia ionantha (discovered in 1893)!
- Optimara EverRejoice - One of the Space Violets in full size plant!
- Southern Belle series: Petite bell-shaped blooms with luxurious medium-dark green foliage. Rare find!
- Southern Belle series: Petite bell-shaped blooms with medium-dark green foliage.
- A special addition to the myViolet Series, myDarling has a dennim-blue eye and light frills on white tipped petals.
With proper care and attention, your African violets will thrive and bring beauty to your home for years to come.
| Variety | Leaf Characteristics | Bloom Characteristics | Care Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Lion | Deep green with wide red margins | Typically vibrant colored blooms | Ensure bright, indirect light |
| Royalty | Deep green with wide white margins | Classic African violet blooms | Maintain consistent watering schedule |
| Serendipity | Light green with narrow white margins | Delicate blooms | Regular fertilization is key |
