Difference between revisions of "African violet"

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{{Taxobox
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{{SPlantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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|familia=Gesneriaceae
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| name = ''Saintpaulia''
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|genus=Saintpaulia
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| image = Purple_African_Violet_Top.JPG
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|common_name=African Violet
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| image_width = 240px
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|name_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| image_caption = a ''Saintpaulia ionantha'' cultivar
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|habit=herbaceous
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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|Max ht box=15
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|Max ht metric=cm
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|origin=E tropical Africa
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| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
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|lifespan=perennial
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| familia = [[Gesneriaceae]]
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|life_ref=Flora - A Gardener's Encyclopedia
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| genus = '''''Saintpaulia''''' [[Johann Christoph Wendland|J.C.Wendl.]]
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|exposure=part-sun
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| subdivision_ranks = Species
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|features=flowers, houseplant
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| subdivision =  
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|Temp Metric=°F
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''[[Saintpaulia brevipilosa]]''<br/>
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|image=Purple_African_Violet_Top.JPG
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''[[Saintpaulia confusa]]''<br/>
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|image_width=240
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''[[Saintpaulia difficilis]]''<br/>
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|image_caption=a ''Saintpaulia ionantha'' cultivar
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''[[Saintpaulia diplotricha]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia goetzeana]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia grandifolia]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia grotei]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia inconspicua]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia intermedia]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia ionantha]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia magungensis]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia nitida]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia orbicularis]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia pendula]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia pusilla]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia rupicola]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia shumensis]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia teitensis]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia tongwensis]]''<br/>
 
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''[[Saintpaulia velutina]]''
 
 
}}
 
}}
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Saintpaulias are widely cultivated as [[house plant]]s. Hairy often stemless perennial herbs, used for greenhouse flowering, the blossoms providing an attractive blue, violet, purple, white, pink and even green.  Flowers can be single or double, solid or striped. "Wasp" type flowers have the upper two flower petals independently fused forming a tube. There are also compound leaves on some, that are called "bustled".  Over 2,000 cultivars have been selected, with a very wide variety of flower and leaf colors, shapes, sizes, patterns and textures. Cultivars are classified as Large, Standard, Trailing, Semi-mini, Mini, and Micro with Micro being the smallest.
  
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'''''Saintpaulia''''' is a genus of 20 species of [[herbaceous]] [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[flowering plant]]s in the family [[Gesneriaceae]], native to [[Tanzania]] and adjacent southeastern [[Kenya]] in eastern tropical [[Africa]], with a concentration of species in the [[Nguru mountains]] of Tanzania. The genus is most closely related to ''[[Streptocarpus]]'', with recent phylogenetic studies suggesting it has evolved directly from subgenus ''Streptocarpella''. Common names include '''Saintpaulia''', '''African-violet''' or '''African Violet''', the latter somewhat confusing name given due to its superficial resemblance to true [[Violet (plant)|violet]]s (''Viola'', family [[Violaceae]]).
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Leaves long-petioled, ovate: peduncles radical (or axillary in the caulescent species), 1-5 in. high, bearing several (or 1) fls. in a loose cyme: calyx small, deeply 5-lobed; corolla wide-campanulate, tube short, the lobes elliptic, blue; perfect stamens 2; ovary hairy: caps, oblong, locuhcidally 2-valved; seeds small, ellipsoid.
  
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The genus is named after [[Baron Walter von Saint Paul Illaire]], the district commissioner of [[Tanga Province|Tanga]] province who discovered the plant in [[Tanganyika]] (now [[Tanzania]]) in [[Africa]] in [[1892]] and sent seeds back to his father, an amateur botanist in [[Germany]].  Two British plant enthusiasts, Sir John Kirk and Reverend W.E. Taylor, had earlier collected and submitted specimens to [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] in [[1884]] and [[1887]] respectively, but the quality of specimens was insufficient to permit scientific description at that time.  The genus ''Saintpaulia'', and original species ''S. ionantha'', were officially described by [[Johann Christoph Wendland|J.C. Wendland]] in 1893.
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{{Inc|
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Saintpaulia (from the discoverer of the plant, Baron Walter von Saint Paul). Gesneriaceae. Hairy often stemless perennial herbs, used for greenhouse flowering, the blossoms providing an attractive blue.
  
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Saintpaulias grow from 6-15 cm tall and can be anywhere from 6-30 cm wide. The [[leaf|leaves]] are rounded to oval, 2.5-8.5 cm long with a 2-10 cm petiole, finely hairy, and with a fleshy texture. The [[flower]]s are 2-3 cm diameter, with a five-lobed velvety corolla ("petals"), and grow in clusters of 3-10 or more on slender stalks (peduncles). Flower colour in the wild species varies between [[Violet (color)|violet]], [[purple]], pale [[blue]] and [[white]].
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Leaves long-petioled, ovate: peduncles radical (or axillary in the caulescent species), 1-5 in. high, bearing several (or 1) fls. in a loose cyme: calyx small, deeply 5-lobed; corolla wide-campanulate, tube short, the lobes elliptic, blue; perfect stamens 2; ovary hairy: caps, oblong, loculicidally 2-valved; seeds small, ellipsoid.—Four species, Trop. Afr.
  
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Several of the species are [[endangered species|endangered]], and many more are threatened, due to clearance of their native [[cloud forest]] habitat for [[agriculture]].  
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The end of March is a good time to propagate saintpaulias, when the ripened leaves should be cut off with about an inch of the stalk attached, and inserted in the sand-bed, covering only a small part of the leaf-blade. The sand should not be kept too wet during the process of rooting. Their propagation from seed and general culture is similar to that of gloxinia. The plants may be flowered the entire year or given a period of rest by partly withholding water.
  
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===Cultivation===
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S. pusilla, and S. Goetzeana, of East Africa, appear not to be in cult.
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[[Image:Pink_African_Violet.jpg|thumb|left|A pink, double-flowered cultivar]]
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}}
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Saintpaulias are widely cultivated as [[house plant]]s. Until recently, only a few of these species have been used in breeding programs for the hybrids available in the market; most available as house plants are [[cultivar]]s derived from ''Saintpaulia ionantha'' (syn. ''S. kewensis''). A wider range of species is now being looked at as sources of genes to introduce into modern cultivars.  
 
  
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Over 2,000 cultivars have been selected for [[horticulture|horticultural]] use. There are many different leaf and flower types found; cultivars are classified as Large, Standard, Trailing, Semi-mini, Mini, and Micro with Micro being the smallest. They range in flower colour from white, pink, violet, yellow, and some even green, and the flowers may be either single (five petals) or double (more than five, with some or all of the [[stamen]]s converted into extra petals). Flowers are not always a solid colour, but can also be found in the "fantasy" variety where the petals have strips of colours going down them. One interesting flower form found in the African Violet are known as a "wasp"; these flowers have the upper two flower petals independently fused forming a tube. There are also compound leaves on some, that are called "bustled".
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==Cultivation==
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African violets prefer a constant temperature between 20-25 °C (68-77 °F) with high humidity, and thrive best planted in well-drained humus or coir compost. Most nurseries and garden shops sell African Violet potting soil in ready-to-go bags. The plants may be flowered the entire year or given a period of rest by partly withholding water. Saintpaulias should be watered from underneath, and misting should be avoided, as water coming in contact with the leaves can cause damage.
  
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Saintpaulias can be propagated by leaf [[Cutting (plant)|cutting]]s (essential for propagating named cultivars) or seed (from which new cultivars are selected). African violets prefer a constant temperature between 20-25°C with high humidity, and thrive best planted in well-drained [[humus]] or [[coir]] compost. Saintpaulias should be watered from underneath, and misting should be avoided, as water coming in contact with the leaves can cause damage.
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===Propagation===
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Saintpaulias can be propagated by leaf cuttings (essential for propagating named cultivars) or seed (from which new cultivars are selected).
  
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Some popular cultivars include 'Amazen Grace', 'Blue Border', 'Claret Queen', 'Dupont Blue', 'Ding Dong Trail', 'Glacier', 'Little Jewel', 'Mini Marina', 'Pink Miracle', and 'Porcelain'.
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The end of March is a good time to propagate saintpaulias, when the ripened leaves should be cut off with about an inch of the stalk attached, and inserted in the sand-bed, covering only a small part of the leaf-blade. The sand should not be kept too wet during the process of rooting. Their propagation from seed and general culture is similar to that of gloxinia.
  
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==Plant diseases==
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===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
  
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{{Main|List of African violet diseases}}
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==Species==
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On the basis of recent studies that showed most of the species to be very poorly differentiated, both genetically and morphologically, the number of species has been reduced to 6, with the majority of former species reduced to subspecies under S. ionantha, in a recent floristic treatment (Darbyshire 2006).{{wp}}
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*''[[Saintpaulia inconspicua]]''
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*''[[Saintpaulia goetzeana]]''
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*''Saintpaulia ionantha'' (syn. ''S. kewensis'')
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''grandifolia'' (syn. S. grandifolia)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''grotei'' (syn. S. amaniensis, S. confusa, S. difficilis, S. grotei, S. magungensis, S. magungensis var. minima)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''ionantha'' var ''diplotricha'' (syn. S. diplotricha)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''ionantha'' var ''ionantha'' (syn. S. tongwensis)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''nitida'' (syn. S. nitida)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''occidentalis'' (syn. S. magungensis var. occidentalis)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''orbicularis'' (syn. S. orbicularis)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''pendula'' (syn. S. intermedia, S. pendula, S. pendula var. kizarae)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''rupicola'' (syn. S. rupicola)
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**''Saintpaulia ionantha'' ssp. ''velutina'' (syn. S. brevipilosa, S. velutina)
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*''[[Saintpaulia pusilla]]''
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*''[[Saintpaulia shumensis]]''
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*''[[Saintpaulia teitensis]]''
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
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</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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===External links===
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==References==
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
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==External links==
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*{{wplink}}
 
*[http://www.avsa.org African Violet Society of America website]
 
*[http://www.avsa.org African Violet Society of America website]
 
*[http://avsc.ca African Violet Society of Canada website]
 
*[http://avsc.ca African Violet Society of Canada website]
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*[http://gesneriads.ca/saintart.htm Gesneriad Reference Web Saintpaulia article]
 
*[http://gesneriads.ca/saintart.htm Gesneriad Reference Web Saintpaulia article]
  
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[[Category:Gesneriaceae]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Garden plants]]
 
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[[Category:Flowers]]
 

Latest revision as of 01:37, 7 May 2010


a Saintpaulia ionantha cultivar


Plant Characteristics
Habit   herbaceous

Height: ⇕ 15 cm"cm" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 15.
Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Origin: ✈ E tropical Africa
Cultivation
Exposure: ☼ part-sun
Features: ✓ flowers, houseplant
Scientific Names

Gesneriaceae >

Saintpaulia >


Saintpaulias are widely cultivated as house plants. Hairy often stemless perennial herbs, used for greenhouse flowering, the blossoms providing an attractive blue, violet, purple, white, pink and even green. Flowers can be single or double, solid or striped. "Wasp" type flowers have the upper two flower petals independently fused forming a tube. There are also compound leaves on some, that are called "bustled". Over 2,000 cultivars have been selected, with a very wide variety of flower and leaf colors, shapes, sizes, patterns and textures. Cultivars are classified as Large, Standard, Trailing, Semi-mini, Mini, and Micro with Micro being the smallest.

Leaves long-petioled, ovate: peduncles radical (or axillary in the caulescent species), 1-5 in. high, bearing several (or 1) fls. in a loose cyme: calyx small, deeply 5-lobed; corolla wide-campanulate, tube short, the lobes elliptic, blue; perfect stamens 2; ovary hairy: caps, oblong, locuhcidally 2-valved; seeds small, ellipsoid.


Read about African violet in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Saintpaulia (from the discoverer of the plant, Baron Walter von Saint Paul). Gesneriaceae. Hairy often stemless perennial herbs, used for greenhouse flowering, the blossoms providing an attractive blue.

Leaves long-petioled, ovate: peduncles radical (or axillary in the caulescent species), 1-5 in. high, bearing several (or 1) fls. in a loose cyme: calyx small, deeply 5-lobed; corolla wide-campanulate, tube short, the lobes elliptic, blue; perfect stamens 2; ovary hairy: caps, oblong, loculicidally 2-valved; seeds small, ellipsoid.—Four species, Trop. Afr.

The end of March is a good time to propagate saintpaulias, when the ripened leaves should be cut off with about an inch of the stalk attached, and inserted in the sand-bed, covering only a small part of the leaf-blade. The sand should not be kept too wet during the process of rooting. Their propagation from seed and general culture is similar to that of gloxinia. The plants may be flowered the entire year or given a period of rest by partly withholding water.

S. pusilla, and S. Goetzeana, of East Africa, appear not to be in cult.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

African violets prefer a constant temperature between 20-25 °C (68-77 °F) with high humidity, and thrive best planted in well-drained humus or coir compost. Most nurseries and garden shops sell African Violet potting soil in ready-to-go bags. The plants may be flowered the entire year or given a period of rest by partly withholding water. Saintpaulias should be watered from underneath, and misting should be avoided, as water coming in contact with the leaves can cause damage.

Propagation

Saintpaulias can be propagated by leaf cuttings (essential for propagating named cultivars) or seed (from which new cultivars are selected).

The end of March is a good time to propagate saintpaulias, when the ripened leaves should be cut off with about an inch of the stalk attached, and inserted in the sand-bed, covering only a small part of the leaf-blade. The sand should not be kept too wet during the process of rooting. Their propagation from seed and general culture is similar to that of gloxinia.

Pests and diseases

Do you have pest and disease info on this plant? Edit this section!

Species

On the basis of recent studies that showed most of the species to be very poorly differentiated, both genetically and morphologically, the number of species has been reduced to 6, with the majority of former species reduced to subspecies under S. ionantha, in a recent floristic treatment (Darbyshire 2006).wp

  • Saintpaulia inconspicua
  • Saintpaulia goetzeana
  • Saintpaulia ionantha (syn. S. kewensis)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. grandifolia (syn. S. grandifolia)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. grotei (syn. S. amaniensis, S. confusa, S. difficilis, S. grotei, S. magungensis, S. magungensis var. minima)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. ionantha var diplotricha (syn. S. diplotricha)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. ionantha var ionantha (syn. S. tongwensis)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. nitida (syn. S. nitida)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. occidentalis (syn. S. magungensis var. occidentalis)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. orbicularis (syn. S. orbicularis)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. pendula (syn. S. intermedia, S. pendula, S. pendula var. kizarae)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. rupicola (syn. S. rupicola)
    • Saintpaulia ionantha ssp. velutina (syn. S. brevipilosa, S. velutina)
  • Saintpaulia pusilla
  • Saintpaulia shumensis
  • Saintpaulia teitensis

Gallery

  • Paola-2955.jpg
  • Loui says this is the best photo-5598.jpg
  • African violet-8046.jpg
  • Acariciar la luz-4667.jpg
  • African violet (23)-6615.jpg
  • African violet (9)-1731.jpg
  • African violet (8)-2572.jpg
  • African Violets Rooting-6113.jpg
  • P1000676.JPG-4186.jpg
  • IMG 0138.JPG-8821.jpg
  • IMG 0145.JPG-1520.jpg
  • IMG 0141.JPG-869.jpg

References

External links


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