Flower shapes, types, and colours
Originally, the species had very simple, small, blue flowers.
But today, thanks to mutations and breeding there is a big variety of African violet flower shapes, types, and colours.
African violets come in a variety of flower shapes, such as pansy, star, bell, and wasp.
The basic and most common shape is a “pansy”, with upper petals smaller than the bottom ones. This is also the shape of the species flowers and the first hybrids.
The second most common flower shape is a “star” which has all the petals of the same size and regularly arranged around the center.
The “bell” and “wasp” flower shapes are quite rare and originated thanks to mutations.
“Pansy”
“Star”
“Bell”
“Wasp”
We can further divide flowers according to the number of petals.
“Simple flower”
The basic type are simple flowers, which typically have 5 petals growing in one row.
“Semi-double flower”
Semidouble flowers usually have 6 to 9 petals growing in two rows.
“Double flower”
There are also double flowers with multiple rows of petals, like the flowers of peonies or roses.
Colours
The original species were usually blue or violet but many other colors, like pink, white, yellow, red, green, and other have been introduced over years.
Two-coloured or two-toned flowers became also very common.
“Fantasy flower”
If the flower has puffs, dots, or swirls of another color, we call them “Fantasy”.
“Edge “
Some flowers have colored edges. Usually the color of the edge vary from blue, green, pink or white.
What is a "sport"
If the violets do not blow true, we call them “sports”. Sports blow differently than indicated by the breeder. It is common that a multicoloured violet becomes of a solid colour. This is normally caused by a genetic mutation; in which case the nature will try to “heal” itself by going back to a simpler form (to a solid colour).
A sport of a hybrid “Rob’s Dust Storm”