Saintpaulia occurs as genus of Xx metal money of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa, with the concentration of metal money in the Nguru mountains of Tanzania.

A genus is known as fallowing Baron Walter von Saint Paul Illaire, the zone commissioner of Tanga province who found a plant within Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in Africa in 1892 and sent seeds back to his father, an amateur botanist around Germany. Most common list include Saintpaulia, African-violet or even African Violet, the latter confusing when these are non a violet (Viola, family Violaceae).

2 British plant enthusiasts, Sir John Kirk & Sublime W.E. Taylor, experienced earliest collected & submitted specimens to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 1884 and 1887 respectively, but a quality of specimens was deficient to permit scientific description at that instance.

Saintpaulias develop from either either 6-15 cm tall & may be anywhere from 6-30 cm wide. A leaves are rounded to oval, Two.Five-8.Cinque cm yearn using the Two-10 cm leafstalk, finely hirsute, & using the overweight texture. A flowers are Two-Three cm across, using the 5-lobed velvety corolla ("petals"), & develop within clusters of Three-10 or even sir thomas more in slender stalks (peduncles). Flower colourise the uncivilized metal money varies between violet, purple, pale blue and white.

Many of the mintage come endangered, and several other come threatened, due to clearance of their native cloud forest habitat for agriculture.

Cultivation
Saintpauliwhen come widely cultivated as house plants. Until recently, lone two or three one mintage stand been utilized around breeding softwcome online for the hybrids available in the market; virtually all available when home plants are cultivars derived from Saintpaulia ionantha. The wider range of metal money is currently existence surfed at when sources of cistron to introduce into modern cultivars.

All over 2,000 cultivars use at times been selected for horticultural use. There come several different leaf & flower types incurred; cultivars are classified when Big, Standard, Trailing, Semi-mini, Mini, & Micro using Micro existence a smallest. It zero in flower colour from either white, pink, violet, yellowness, & a few potentially green, & a flowers can be either only (5 flower petal) or even even double (other than 5, by using occasionally or tons of the stamens converted into extra flower petal). 1 interesting flower form witnessed in the African Violet come referred to as the "wasp"; these flowers own the upper deuce petal independently fused forming a tube. There come besides compound leaves in a select few, that are known as "bustled".

Saintpaulias may be propagated by leaf cuttings (essential for even propagating known as cultivars) or seed (from either which fresh cultivars come selected). African violets like the constant temperature between 20-25°C by owning high humidness, & thrive better implanted around easily-drained humus or coir compost.

Occasionally popular cultivars include: Saintpaulia 'Kacharoroni' Saintpaulia 'Mwachi' Saintpaulia 'Mafiensis' Saintpaulia 'Sigi Lessens'