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African violet, (genus Saintpaulia), genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae native to higher elevations in tropical eastern Africa. African violets are common houseplants, especially Saintpaulia ionantha, and can thrive in low light conditions and bloom throughout the year.
How do African violets grow in the wild?
African violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are native to rainforests in the mountains of eastern African countries like Tanzania. They are low-growing plants, thriving in the shade of other vegetation. In their native environments, direct light never touches their leaves. Provide bright light, but never direct sun.
Where do African violets naturally grow?
There they were, finally: wild African violets, lovely examples of the ancestors of one of the world’s most popular houseplants. They grow naturally only in the coastal mountains and forests of East Africa, and I’d come a long way to see them.
What is the origin of the African violet?
The African Violet, of the genus Saintpaulia, originates in eastern tropical Africa, in Tanzania and Kenya. While the genus Saintpaulia once boasted 60 species, later work determined this was a result of poor differentiation and the number was reduced to six, with many different sub-species.
Where do African violets grow best?
African violets are strictly indoor plants in North America, largely because their leaves need to stay dry. Grow plants in bright, indirect light for the best color and blooms. A plant stand three feet away from a west- or south-facing window is an ideal location.
What is special about African violets?
African violets are perhaps the most popular flowering houseplants grown in the world today. There are many reasons for this: The plants generally flower the year round, giving an almost continuous display of blooms. They require the same temperatures humans find comfortable, making them easy to raise in our homes.
How many years do African violets live?
When to Repot Your African Violets Repotting these blooms is so important due to their long lifespan. “Remember that African violets have a very long lifespan and have been said to last up to 50 years,” says Ryan McEnaney, public relations and communications specialist for Bailey Nurseries.
Are African violet from Africa?
African violet, (genus Saintpaulia), genus of six species of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae native to higher elevations in tropical eastern Africa. African violets are common houseplants, especially Saintpaulia ionantha, and can thrive in low light conditions and bloom throughout the year.
Do African violets need a lot of sun?
African violets need indirect sunlight, direct can burn the leaves. Choose a north- or east- facing window for best results. Keep plants away from cold glass and rotate the pot once a week so all leaves receive light. Extend daylight by placing African violets under a grow light during winter months.
How big will an African violet get?
Standard: 8–16 inches across. Large: more than 16 inches across.
Is the African violet rare?
With all due respect to your international society and its unified cause of common houseplants, the African Violet you admire so much, is in fact, a very rare thing—it is one of the rarest flowers in the world.
Are African violet a succulent?
African violets are native to high-elevation tropical rainforests in Tanzania. Other than the blooms, the most distinguishing characteristic of African violets is their fuzzy, succulent foliage. The fine hairs on the leaves are an adaptation to help the plant absorb water from the air.
Are there male and female African violets?
African Violets, or Saintpaulia inanth as they’re known in Latin, are one of the easiest house plants to grow and if kept correctly can flower for most of the year. They also have completely separate male and female plants.
How often should African violets be watered?
An important point to remember when bottom watering African Violet plants is to top water at least once a month. This way you are flushing out any extra fertilizer salt build up and refreshing the soil/roots from the top too.
How do you bring an African Violet back to life?
If a majority of the roots are still white or light-colored, prune off the rotted roots, and re-pot the plant in soil for African violets in a container with several drainage holes. You can water from top or bottom with water at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Are African violets in season?
A: African violets are capable of blooming year-round in the home, but they won’t bloom reliably if one or more of their basic needs are not being met. The most likely reason African violets stop blooming is because they’re in too little light.
What is the rarest African violet?
The rarest African Violet species is the Streptocarpus afroviola (Saintpaulia pusilla) that is native to Tanzania. This African Violet was first described in 1900 by Adolf Engler.
Do African violets smell good?
One thing violets are known most for is the fact that they have a lovely scent that seems to go away after just one sniff. That’s because the flowers contain a chemical called ionine which desensitizes the nose and sense of smell temporarily.
Do African violets smell?
It’s true their flowers resemble, but only at a first glance, because even the flowers are different. Also, from their scent one can tell which is an African violet and which is a Parma violet because African violets are totally scentless.
