African plants – African Violet

Name – the African Violet, one of our most common houseplants, actually grows only in a tiny area of South Africa and Tanzania. It was first discovered in 1892 by Baron Walter von Saint Paul who sent seeds father in Germany, who in turn shared the resulting plants with a friend who happened to be the director of the Royal Botanical Gardens. The plant was then assigned the genus Saintpaulia, in honour of the Saint Paul family and the species is called ionantha, which means 'violet-like'

Description – The plant has hairy heart-shaped leaves with light green or red-violet undersides and often showing ruffled, smooth or serrated edges. The somewhat fleshy violet-shaped flowers come in shades of pink, purple, white, and a rare yellow.

Origin – Because of their origins in the mountainous regions of Africa these plants need good light, but not direct sunlight. Windows facing east or north will provide a suitable temperature – it’s wise to remember that the plants can only accept direct sunlight in winter and should never be exposed to midday or afternoon sunshine in the summer. If they do not get enough light, or are too cold, they will not grow and flower, too much sun will scorch them. Night time temperatures should not drop below 16 degrees Celsius. Despite being one of our most popular house plants, African Violets are easily killed by too much water – needing to be watered frequently enough to keep the soil moist, but infrequently enough allow the top of the soil to dry a little between waterings – in addition, you should water the soil around the plant, keeping the foliage dry, because water can mark the leaves and cause crown rot. Water is best applied at room temperature, not too cold.

For Decoration - Because of their size, African Violets make great centrepieces for dining tables or give a note of cheer when perched on an office desk.

African violet photograph by kyknoord, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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