African violet varieties: color and form

African violet varieties: color and form

1. 01

   Plant names and labels

   Saintpaulia ionantha is the name most shops use. Botanists now place African violets under Streptocarpus, but Saintpaulia is still widely used.

   African violets form a compact indoor group with many colors and forms, including single or double flowers, larger or smaller blooms, and smooth or ruffled petals.

2. 02

   How the varieties differ

   Choose among color, single versus double flowers, petal texture and relative bloom size. Colors include violet, mauve, blue, pink, red and white. A color or flower form alone does not name a cultivar.

3. 03

   Care differences

   All forms share bright but indirect light, warm and humid conditions, and careful watering. Flower color or petal form does not call for a different watering or feeding schedule.

4. 04

   Limits of plant labels

   This page compares common African-violet forms, not every specialist cultivar or retail synonym. Keep Saintpaulia and Streptocarpus names together, and label an unnamed plant as unidentified rather than guessing a cultivar.