Species · genus Streptocarpus · Gesneriaceae

African-violet

Saintpaulia ionantha H.Wendl.

Also known as: Usambara-violet

Growth habit

lithophyte

Native range

Kenya, Tanzania

Reference · S. ionantha

Cultivars of S. ionantha

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under S. ionantha yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A low-growing East African lithophyte from shaded, rocky outcrops in Kenya and Tanzania, with soft, fuzzy leaves that hold moisture poorly and dislike sitting wet. Give it bright indirect light, never direct sun, and water when the top inch of mix is dry, ideally from below to keep water off the foliage. Warmth and steady but light moisture suit it; let it approach dry between waterings rather than staying soggy.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

18–27 °C

Soil mix

Light, well-draining African violet mix

Propagation

Leaf cuttings rooted in mix or water

Fertilizing

Dilute high-phosphorus feed every two weeks

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Blooms year-round with bright indirect light

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

African violet — ASPCA non-toxic (Saintpaulia spp.). This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow African-violet yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.