How African Violets Got Their Name

African violets are a very popular plant in the US. There are probably more of these plants here than in their native Africa. It is easy to figure out where it got it's common name, but how did it get here from Africa?

This pretty little plant was sent to Europe in 1892. Baron Adalbert Emil Walter Redcliffe le Tanneux von Saint Paul-Illaire sent some seeds back to his father in Germany. Baron Ulrich von Saint Paul was an avid horticulturalist. When he received received the seeds from his son, who was the governer of the German colony of Tanganyika, he took them to Hermann Wendlend.

Wendlend was the director of the Royal Botanic Garden of Herrenhausen (Hanover). He described the dainty plant as being "of enhancing beauty". It was given the scientific name of Saintpaulia, after the father and son barons. This variety had purple flowers, that were similar to violets, hence the common name of African Violet.

After World War I, the colony was taken over by the British. It was later to be known as Tanzania. While there, they discovered more varieties of this delicate, hot house plant and sent them back to Europe. Now there were varieties available with pink, nearly-red, white, bicolor flowers, in addition to the originally discovered purple. And, the flowers also came in single or double varieties of each color. They became so very popular because they can be easily propagated by rooting a single leaf.

All varieties of the African violet will grow best in humid environments. This is why many of them can be seen in bathrooms. Steamy bathrooms are the closest to the environment of the tropical rain forest where the plants grow in crevices in the Usambara mountains. But, be sure not to over water them. They prefer to get the moisture out of the air using the fine hairs on the surface of their leaves and to keep their roots dry. Eighty percent humidity is optimal for the African violet to thrive.

Unfortunately, even though they are still tremendously popular in the US and Europe, there is a shortage of African Violets in Tanzania. They can only grow in the wild in the shady, humid rain forest. And, many of these forests are being cut down to make room for progress, which includes agricultural fields and modern housing.

So, next time you enjoy the site of the small plant with the colorful flowers, you will know that they really did originate in Africa, just as their names indicate. And, allowing them to flourish in your home will save a bit of the African rain forest for you to enjoy.

SOURCE

Wells, Diana. "100 Flowers and How They Got Their Names". Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. North Carolina, USA. 1997.