Saintpaulia, commonly known as African violet, 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. Typically the African violet is a common household indoor plant but can also be an outdoor plant. Several of the species and subspecies are endangered, and many more are threatened, due to their native cloud forest habitats being cleared for agriculture. The conservation status of Saintpaulia ionantha has been classed as near-threatened.
Saintpaulias, which grow from 6–15 cm tall, can be anywhere from 6–30 cm wide. The leaves are rounded to oval, 2.5–8.5 cm long with a 2–10 cm petiole, finely hairy, and have a fleshy texture. The flowers are 2–3 cm in diameter, with a five-lobed velvety corolla ("petals"), and grow in clusters of 3–10 or more on slender stalks called peduncles. Wild species can have violet, purple, pale blue, or white flowers.
Join me for Floral Friday Fotos by linking your flower photos below, and please leave a comment once you have done so.
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I love your African tulips. Thank you very much. This is a wonderful get together. I look forward to every week. Aloha!
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful! How lovely!
ReplyDeleteYour Saintpaulia is beautiful. What a beautiful idea every week and a flower!! Thanks. Makes my day!
ReplyDeleteHi, beautiful your Saintpaulia photo! Love your FFF project. Think I'll join it.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo! I think of African violets so often as a houseplant, - I haven't thought of it growing wild on a forest floor!
ReplyDelete