''Streptocarpus'' sect. ''Saintpaulia'' is a section within ''

Streptocarpus ''Streptocarpus'' ("twisted fruit" from Greek στρεπτός (''streptos'') "twisted" and καρπός (''karpos'') "fruit") is an Afrotropics, Afrotropical genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The genus is native to Afromont ...

'' subgenus ''Streptocarpella'' consisting of about ten species of

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Gesneriaceae Gesneriaceae, the gesneriad family, is a family (biology), family of flowering plants consisting of about 152 genera and ca. 3,540 species in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World (almost all Didymocarpoideae) and the New World (most Ges ...

, native to

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

and adjacent southeastern

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

in eastern tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The section was previously treated as a separate genus, ''Saintpaulia'', but

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

studies showed that it was nested within the genus ''Streptocarpus''. Species and

cultivar A cultivar is a kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

s are commonly called African violets (although they are not closely related to true violets) or saintpaulias. They are commonly sold as house plants. Several of the species and subspecies of the section are

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, and many more are threatened, as their native

cloud forest A cloud forest, also called a water forest, primas forest, or tropical montane cloud forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical, evergreen, Montane forest, montane, Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist forest characteri ...

habitats are cleared for

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

. The conservation status of ''

Streptocarpus ionanthus ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' (Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Saintpaulia ionantha'') is a species of ''Streptocarpus'' in the section ''Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia, Saintpaulia'', commonly known as an African violet. It is native to eastern and ...

'' has been classed as

near-threatened A near-threatened species is a species which has been categorized as "Near Threatened" (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as that may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future, but it does not currently qu ...

Description

Saintpaulias, which grow from 6-15 cm tall, can be anywhere from 6-30 cm wide. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are rounded to oval, 2.5-8.5 cm long with a 2-10 cm

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

, finely hairy, and have a fleshy texture. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s 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 Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

. The plants get their common name "African violet" from their superficial resemblance to true

violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Vi ...

s (''Viola'', family

Violaceae Violaceae is a family of flowering plants established in 1802, consisting of about 1000 species in about 25 genera. It takes its name from the genus '' Viola'', the violets and pansies. Older classifications such as the Cronquist system plac ...

Taxonomy

This group of plants has lived in the biodiverse Eastern Arc

Usambara Mountains The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges are approximately long and about half that wide, and they are situated in the Lushoto District ...

Tanga Province Tanga Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipality of Tanga city. Loc ...

for millions of years. The name in the local Kisambaa language is Dughulushi. The Germans officially colonialized this area from about 1885, and shortly before this, Baron

Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire or Adalbert Emil Walter Le Tanneux von Saint Paul-Illaire (born 1860; died 1940) was a German colonial official in East Africa. He hailed from the noble family of Le Tanneux von Saint Paul, which had moved to Prussia ...

(1860–1940) was made district commissioner of

Tanga province Tanga Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipality of Tanga city. Loc ...

, Tanganyika (now

) in Africa. He used to enjoy walking in the rainforest and they reminded him of the violets back home. He called them Usambaraveilchen (Usambara violets). In 1892 he sent seeds back to his father, who gave them to an amateur botanist,

Hermann Wendland Hermann Wendland (October 11, 1825 in Herrenhausen – January 12, 1903 in Hanover) was a German botanist and gardener. He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae The Arecaceae () is a family (biology), family of perennial plant, peren ...

, in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. Wendland scientifically described the genus ''Saintpaulia'', and original species ''S. ionantha'' in 1893, naming the genus for Saint Paul-Illaire and his father. Two British plant enthusiasts, Sir John Kirk and the Reverend W.E. Taylor, had earlier collected and submitted specimens to the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...

, in 1884 and 1887 respectively, but the quality of specimens was insufficient to permit scientific description at that time. Revisions of the genus by

B.L. Burtt BL (or similar) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Boys' love, a Japanese term for fiction featuring romantic relationships between male characters * BL Publishing, a division of the wargames manufacturing company, Games Workshop * ''Boston ...

expanded the genus to approximately 20 species. Following studies which showed most of the species to be very poorly differentiated, both

genetically Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar workin ...

and morphologically, the number of species was reduced to six in a 2006 treatment, with the majority of former species reduced to subspecies under ''S. ionantha''. In 2009, 9

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, 8

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

, and 2 varieties were recognized. A

study in 2015 confirmed previous studies showing that species placed in ''Saintpaulia'' were deeply embedded within the genus ''Streptocarpus'', supporting the transfer of all ''Saintpaulia'' species to ''Streptocarpus'' in 2012. Former ''Saintpaulia'' species did form a

monophyletic group In biology, a clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach to taxonomy ...

, and were placed in section ''Saintpaulia'' of ''Streptocarpus'' subgenus ''Streptocarpella''.

Species

All the species previously placed in the genus ''Saintpaulia'' are now placed in ''Streptocarpus'' section ''Saintpaulia''. Ten species were recognized, . * '' Streptocarpus afroviola'' Christenh. * '' Streptocarpus albus'' (E.A.Bruce) I.Darbysh. * '' Streptocarpus brevipilosus'' (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston * '' Streptocarpus goetzeanus'' (Engl.) Christenh. * '' Streptocarpus inconspicuus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. * ''

'' (H.Wendl.) Christenh. * '' Streptocarpus nitidus'' (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston * '' Streptocarpus shumensis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. * '' Streptocarpus teitensis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. * '' Streptocarpus ulugurensis'' (Haston) Haston Formerly recognized ''Saintpaulia'' species and infraspecies are listed below with their accepted name in ''Streptocarpus''. *''Saintpaulia alba'' E.A.Bruce = '' Streptocarpus albus'' (E.A.Bruce) I.Darbysh. *''Saintpaulia amaniensis'' E.P.Roberts = ''

'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia brevipilosa'' B.L.Burtt = '' Streptocarpus brevipilosus'' (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston *''Saintpaulia confusa'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia difficilis'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia diplotricha'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' var. ''diplotrichus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia goetzeana'' Engl. = '' Streptocarpus goetzeanus'' (Engl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia grandifolia'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''grandifolius'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia grotei'' Engl. = ''

ionanthus'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia inconspicua'' B.L.Burtt = '' Streptocarpus inconspicuus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia intermedia'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''pendulus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia ionantha'' H.Wendl. = ''

'' (H.Wendl.) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''grandifolia'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''grandifolius'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''mafiensis'' I.Darbysh. & Pócs = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''mafiensis'' (I.Darbysh. & Pócs) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''nitida'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = '' Streptocarpus nitidus'' (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''occidentalis'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''occidentalis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''orbicularis'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''orbicularis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''pendula'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''pendulus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''rupicola'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh.. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''rupicola'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' subsp. ''velutina'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''velutinus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia ionantha'' var. ''diplotricha'' (B.L.Burtt) I.Darbysh. = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' var. ''diplotrichus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia kewensis'' C.B.Clarke = ''

'' (H.Wendl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia magungensis'' E.P.Roberts = ''

'' subsp. ''grotei'' (Engl.) Christenh. **''Saintpaulia magungensis'' var. ''occidentalis'' B.L.Burtt = ''Streptocarpus ionanthus'' subsp. ''occidentalis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia nitida'' B.L.Burtt = '' Streptocarpus nitidus'' (B.L.Burtt) Mich.Möller & Haston *''Saintpaulia orbicularis'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''orbicularis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia pendula'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''pendulus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia pusilla'' Engl. = '' Streptocarpus afroviola'' Christenh. *''Saintpaulia rupicola'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''rupicola'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia shumensis'' B.L.Burtt = '' Streptocarpus shumensis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia teitensis'' B.L.Burtt = '' Streptocarpus teitensis'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia tongwensis'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' (H.Wendl.) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia ulugurensis'' Haston = '' Streptocarpus ulugurensis'' (Haston) Haston *''Saintpaulia velutina'' B.L.Burtt = ''

'' subsp. ''velutinus'' (B.L.Burtt) Christenh. *''Saintpaulia watkinsii'' Haston = '' Streptocarpus afroviola'' var. ''watkinsii'' (Haston) Christenh.

Distribution

Saintpaulias are native to eastern tropical

. There is a concentration of species in the

Nguru mountains The Nguru Mountains are a mountain range in Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Africa. They are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The mountains are predominantly covered with rainforest, home to 83 species of birds and African violets. Several forest res ...

Cultivation

Saintpaulias are widely cultivated as

house plant A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in homes, offices, and various indoor spaces, where they contr ...

s. Until recently, only a few of the ten or so species that exist have been used in breeding programs for the hybrids available in the market; most of the

s available as house plants are derived from ''

'' (syn. ''S. kewensis''). A wider range of species is now being looked at as sources of genes to introduce into modern cultivars. The African Violet Society of America is the

International Cultivar Registration Authority An International Cultivation Registration Authority (ICRA) is an organization responsible for ensuring that the names of plant cultivars and cultivar groups are defined and not duplicated. The ICRA system was established more 50 years ago, and op ...

for the section and its cultivars.

Sizes

Plants can be classified as one of several sizes based on their above-ground diameter. The size per category is not rigid, but a general guideline. * Micro: less than 3 inches * Super-mini: 3 to 4 inches * Mini: between 4 and 6 inches * Semi-mini: between 6 and 8–10 inches * Standard: between 8–10 and 12–16 inches * Large/Giant: over 12–16 inches

Temperature

Saintpaulias are highly sensitive to temperature changes, especially rapid leaf cooling. Spilling cold water on African violet leaves causes discoloration. This is thought to be because rapid leaf cooling causes cell vacuole collapse in the palisade mesophyll cells.

Propagation

African violets are commonly propagated asexually. Plants can be divided into smaller daughter plants or even grown from leaf cuttings. Growing African violets from

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

is rare, and most commercially available plants are produced from cuttings and

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissue (biology), tissues or cell (biology), cells in an artificial medium separate from the parent organism. This technique is also called micropropagation. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-s ...

Flowering

The African violet is a day-neutral plant regarding flower development.

In culture

African violets have become a traditional gift in the

developed world A developed country, or advanced country, is a sovereign state that has a high quality of life, developed economy, and advanced technological infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. Most commonly, the criteria for eval ...

. They are often offered for sale at holidays. They are a popular house plant in many countries, as they can flower during most of the year and are fairly durable to neglect. In the 1997 film '' Amistad'', ex-president

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...

shows the lead slave

Joseph Cinqué Sengbe Pieh (), also known as Joseph Cinqué or Cinquez and sometimes referred to mononymously as Cinqué, was a West African man of the Mende people who led a revolt of many Africans on the Spanish slave ship '' La Amistad'' in July 1839. After ...

his flower collection which contains an African violet which Cinque then recognises from his home land.

References

External links

* *
African Violet Society of America websiteAfrican Violet Society of Canada websiteBaby Violets - African Violet Houseplants
{{Authority control Afromontane flora Endemic flora of Tanzania Flora of East Tropical Africa Garden plants of Africa House plants Plant sections Flora of the Eastern Arc forests