Create Your Own African Violet Hybrid

African violets are extremely popular houseplants and are actually quite easy to grow. (Just keep them evenly moist at all times, and you usually will not have many if any problems.) You can also find African violets with blooms in a wide variety of colors. In addition, you can have some fun trying to develop your own hybrids, because -- believe it or not -- African violets are really very easy to hybridize.

An African violet has both male and female parts. [For some good illustrations of plant parts, see Caribbeanedu.com.] The male parts consist of the stamens, which are made of anthers and filaments. You will recognize these by their flaky yellow pollen. The female parts -- consisting of the stigma, style, and ovary -- are mature when they become sticky, making them ready to accept the pollen. (Just look in the center of a bloom of one of your African violets to familiarize yourself with the male and female parts. It is easier than you might think.)

Step 1: Designate one African violet as the female and another as the male. You might choose one for its foliage and another for its blooms, or you can pick two plants with flowers in drastically different colors. Just use your imagination.

Step 2: Cut out the stamens (or male parts) from all of the blooms on your female plant. (This will prevent any self-pollination, which can ruin your hybridizing efforts.) Use a small sharp knife or small scissors to accomplish this task.

Step 3: Use a small finely-bristled paintbrush or even a cotton swap to collect the pollen from your male plant and paint it onto the sticky stigma of your female plant. (The pollen will pass through the style into the ovary, fertilizing it.)

Step 4: Label your new variety-to-be. On a tag, first list the name of the male followed by an "x" below the name of the male. Then, underneath that, write the name of the female.

Step 5: Within a couple of weeks, if your hybridizing efforts are successful, the ovary will swell and form a seedpod. It will take 6-9 months for the pod to turn brown and shrivel. Once it is completely dry, cut off the flower stalk with the seedpod. Split open the pod and plant the seeds.

Do not be discouraged if you are not always successful at hybridizing. (This is one reason that I do several at one time.) Also, there is no way to guarantee exactly what your hybrid will look like. The element of surprise is actually part of the fun of hybridizing.

Reference:

Horan, Anne, and Robert G. Mason. Flowering Houseplants. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1990.