Variegation!

Variegation is the appearance of differently colored zones and areas on leaves or stems of plants. But, did you know that this is caused by many different things? Not only is it caused by lack of pigment in certain parts of a leaf, it may appear because of reflections of light, the close proximity of cells with different genetic makeup in the same leaf or flower, the masking of lighter pigments because of the presence of darker pigments and because of viral infections! Read more about the various types of variegation here!

The stunning variegated plants are grown by Sharon! Thanks for the examples!

Leaves of all Shapes and Sizes!

African violet leaves come in many shapes and sizes. It's good to have a handy reference nearby so that when you're trying to order violets or are thinking of adding to your collection you can be more confident of what will actually show up at your doorstep.

These are some illustrations from the TAVS, which I believe is the Toranto African Violet Society. If I'm mistaken, please contact me for a correction.

Since the image is small, click ON the image for an ENLARGEMENT.

What's in a Name?

Here's a little something from a book published 35 years ago.... The Exotic House Plants book by Graf has a very nice set of sketches simply illustrating some basic botanical terms that relate to leaves and their shapes, flower parts etc. Sometimes it's just nice to get a refresher in the differences between ovate and obovate! These things can get confusing.

Some of the lables are small and difficult to read. Simply click ON the ILLUSTRATION and it will apear larger.

We'll examine what sorts of shapes violet leaves come in in the near future.