Variegated African Violets

Bob Green calls variegated African violets "peacocks of the violet world" because of their "plumage" or leaves they possess, making them stand out from others with green foliage.

Variegated foliage was discovered by Mrs. Tommie Louise Oden when she ordered leaves of White Pride from Clyde Rollof. It was a white double plant, but when she planted the leaves, she discovered different colored leaves. She grew them through nine generations, and they came "true". Up until that time variegated plants were unstable.

TYPES OF VARIEGATION:

Tommie Lou: A simple feathered edge on individual leaves to a much heavier crown variegation fading down gradually to the feathered edge on the outer leaves. The original Tommy Lou only vaguely resembles most of the modern hybrids with outside-perimeter variegation.

Crown: The center leaves are often totally variegated, then as the leaves mature and grow out and away from the crown, they gradually gain green coloration in a sprinkling effect. The heart of the leaf remains initially variegated, and the green gradually radiates into this variegation until, as a large mature leaf, only a stippling edge of variegation remains, along, with a small heart sometimes.

Mosaic: The variegation appears as uniform stippling or marbling covering the entire leaf surface, and the leaf is never without variegation even though it may be faint at times. There are very few of this type since it were introduced many years ago. They are very stable and not affected by temperature change or high nitrogen fertilizer. This "mosaic pattern covers the whole leaf and is a serious defection or mutation and very few of them reach maturity. These plantlets are puny or hard to grow. There are very few good show plants, both Emperor and Lillian Jarrett have proved to be real winners.

Other Variegation: The AVSA registration form for new hybrids lists the following items to check under leaf description: "If variegated-type of variegation ___Crown___Mosaic___Other. The "other" apparently includes all forms of the Tommy Lou. There is also a line to denote the color of the variegation. I think many hybridizers now would tend just to call a plant variegated unless it was a crown or mosaic.

Tommie Loue type variegation is more stable under a wider range of conditions than crown variegation. Those varieties with crown variegation can loose almost all variegation in the summer heat. However, the new leaves will start variegating again when cool weather returns. Both crown variegtes and the Tommie Loue types will do better if you place them closer to the floor (for example, the lowest shelves of your light stands) where the temperture is cooler, since heat naturally rises. The mosaic variegates are not affected by temperture and heat, and their variegation will remain constant.

If a plant shows no sign of variegation in African violet shows, the judges must reduce the plant to a red ribbon, and then continue judging it using the AVSA scale of points.

Thanks to Sharon Johnson for the article and pictures!!!

Note: Excerpts taken from: Variegted African violets by Denis Croteau, AVM, July-Aug 1988, Peacocks of the Violet World by Bob Green, AVM, Nov. 1985 , Pauline Barthlomew's Growing to Show and Picture of Bunny Wabbit from www.freewebs.com

Hybridizing from Start to Finish! part 2

Hybridizing - Session II: Keeping Things Straight. Usually, I do not make so many crosses with the same type blossoms. But, as mentioned before, this is a custom order from Lynne. So hopefully one of these crosses will produce the plant she wants. I also decided to include another plant because it has good foliage and blossoms.

Now I have five plants that will hopefully be forming seed pods. If all goes as planned, Rebel’s Scotty will have at least eight pods. There should be at least two each on Heinz Sentimental, Private Dancer, Sora School Time­ and The Night Life. So, this all needs to be kept straight and it is best to keep the information on the plant itself. Keeping notes is great, but keeping track of the note is not always easy.

Since the mother plant will have four different crosses going, each cross will be represented by a different color yarn. After the cross is made, I write down the information and then loosely tie the yarn on that bloom stem.

A stake can also be inserted in the pot right next to the stem with the information written on it. That is the procedure I use when the cross is simply one paternal plant In this case, each of the paternal plants has a stake with information, plus the color of yarn is noted on the stake. Be sure to put the stake right next to the bloom stem. That way, when you’re disbudding, you will know to be careful and not remove your seed pods. One time, after a two week vacation, I asked my hubby to help me remove blossom stems. However, I forgot to tell him the stakes had a significance other than just plant names. So much for those seed pods, but I learned.

Okay, so now we are organized. The next step will be the actual pollination process.

Thanks to Barb Werness for the continuing articles about hybridizing!

How to Make a Terrarium

Hybridizing From Start to Finish! part 1

We have something very interesting for you that's going to start TODAY! Barb Werness is going to lead us through the hybridizing process one step at a time. From the selection of our parent plants to the pollination of the flowers, then to the ripening of the seed pod and the sowing and growing of the baby hybrids. We are going to have it all - in text and pictures! Be sure to keep checking back as the weeks go by to see how the "seeds" are coming along. Also, please comment and post questions for Barb or other readers. We all learn from from each other!

Hybridizing - Session 1: Let’s do a hybridizing project. At each step of the process, I will submit some pictures, explanations and rational for what is happening. Now my approach to hybridizing has never been scientific. There are dominant and recessive genes which affect color, shape, marking, etc. I pay no attention to any of that. Basically, my approach to hybridizing is the “gee, what if” method. Some crosses have resulted in absolutely nothing and some have been very fruitful. I was going gung-ho with hybridizing several years ago and then between working full time, bad knees and most importantly the two grandbabies, plants were put on a back burner. Well, now I’ve started again and have several seed pods to be sown, plus a few more crosses in mind.

My daughter, Lynne has been after me for a few years to name a new African violet after her. But I have been waiting for the “perfect” plant and blossom. Finally, one day she advised me of what she wanted the plant to look like. It was to be large with great variegation and a big, bold, dark blossom. Sure, okay, no problem, just a snap of the fingers. So I looked over what was in my plant room and decided which ones to cross.

Here are the plants chosen:

Rebel’s Scotty - symmetrical, large, great variegation, fairly large dark pink blossoms

Heinz Sentimental - symmetrical, nice variegation, dark red blossoms

Private Dancer - symmetrical, large, great variegation, dark blue blossoms

Sora School Time­ - okay symmetry, okay variegation, large deep blue white edged blossoms

The problem with a double blossom is that often it is hard to get a good pistil for pollination. On some doubles the pistil is nonexistent or deformed. But this is part of the challenge. There would be three father plants, Heinz Sentimental, Private Dancer and Sora School Time. I will probably also reverse the process and use Rebel’s Scotty as the father plant and the other three as mothers. Usually, I try to have the mother plant be the one with the symmetry and variegation desired; but if there is not a good pistil, then reverse order will be necessary. Although Sora School Time is not the most impressive plant, the blossoms are gorgeous.

So that’s the end of Session 1. The parent plants are chosen. Next will be the pollination process.

The Usambaras Mountains

Our elephant friend is thinking fondly of something that reminds him of his original home. Many of the "species violets" are currently found growing in the east part of Africa in the Usambaras Mountains of Tanzania. Is this their original, ancestral home?

Because so many of the species violets are found and collected in the Usambaras' this led many to conclude that this must be where violets originated.

A majority of the current hybrid violets that we grow get their genetics from one of these species called Saintpaulia ionantha. It has long been thought that ionantha was the "ancestral" violet that the rest of the species have evolved from. Ionantha is found primarily in the Usambaras Mountains too. But, recent studies using ribosomal DNA evidence have come up with some surprising results.

It's likely that Saintpaulia goetzeana is the plant that is the true ancestor of the African violet. Its genetics are the most closely related to the subgenus Streptocarpella, and many of it's morphological characteristics, including the elongated internodes between small opposite leaves and the blue or blue/white flowers lead to that conclusion.

The S. goetzeana is found in the Uluguru Mountains which are further south in Africa. This is likely where violets actually originated, moving north into new niches where we find many of the species today. Eleven of the species that are found in the Usambaras', including ionantha, velutina, difficilis and grandifolia are exactly the same in ribosomal DNA according to a study by Moller and Cronk. Because the genetics are so similar it can be concluded that they are more "recent" species that are still in the process of differentiating themselves. They are perhaps only 10,000 years old.

The meeting....

The "Boys in Pink" attended the January meeting on Saturday the 20th. There was plenty of discussion, including information about the upcoming show in March. Everyone, get some entries ready so that Northtown will be filled with lots of "violet" color and charm.

Eight weeks to go and counting!!! Contact the blog if you have questions or need some help or encouragement with your entries!

Talk About Trailers!

Our last couple of posts have been about entering your plants in a show! Well, what about trailers? They're a little different from a "standard" violet. What do you have to consider with a plant that has so many crowns and does not lay in a nice rosette of leaves?

Here are some pointers from someone that knows how to "take home the blue" in the 'trailers' class!

One of the greatest things about growing/showing a African violet trailer is that if you have a bad leaf for two, it usually won't affect the symmetry of the plant. If you have a bad leaf on a standard, you either take a chance on loosing points for symmetry or you have to take off a whole row of leaves. You do need to watch to see that the leaves on a trailer are somewhat the same size, for it gives a more consistent appearance. If you remove yellow and damaged leaves as you see them, you have a better chance that it will fill in the gaps with fresh new leaves before the show.

You need to remember when growing trailers that you must have at least 3 crowns. To get a good number of trailer stems you need more light to encourage more compact growth! This will also help to get more flowers. It is best to have an even distribution of flowers on all the main crowns for the show. Before you show a trailer, make sure you remove all the old or yellow leaves and/or bare stems.

I try to disbud my trailers just as I do other African violet plants. It can sometimes be more challenging to keep it disbudded, but well worth it at show time if you have a well grown trailer with lots and lots of beautiful flowers!

Special thanks to C. S. for today's article and to S. O. for the lovely picture of "Spunky Trail"

Entering Your Plant in a Show, part 2

The show is getting closer, the plants are getting more lovely, NOW WHAT? Well, let's first review what we've done so far before we proceed. First, we checked out all our plants! We looked for good symmetry where the leaves are overlapping nicely, leaving no gaps for the soil and pot to show through. We made sure the plants were reasonably clean and in good overall condition. The plants are potted in an appropriately sized pot. And, with the schedule in mind, we've made a list of all the plants that we intend to keep working with and getting ready for the show.

Our photo shows a great potential show plant! It's got great symmetry, it's clean and in the right size pot.... there may only be a few older leaves in the outer row that we should think about removing.


Good so far! What's next?

I always am checking plants for suckers, which are little plants usually at the base, and I remove them immediately. If a plant has a sucker in a show, judges can eliminate the plant from judging it. It would be a shame to have a beautiful plant and not receive a ribbon simply because of a sucker.

Our picture shows a "sucker" or a new baby plant growing out of the center. Note the two smaller leaves under the larger ones at the base of the stem.

I will also consider whether to enter a plant that has a real thick flower stalk. After a plant with a thick stalk blooms it will distort the center leaves so the plant will need a year or two for the middle leaves to grow out to the outer edge of the plant because they will be marred. Speaking of marred leaves, do not hesitate in entering a plant with a marred leaf or a couple of marred leaves. Only one point is deducted for each marred leaf!

Thinking of points being deducted from your plant, did you know that you can have many small imperfections and still get a blue ribbon? Up to 10 points can be taken off before the plant receives a red ribbon. That's a lot of marred leaves! So why worry if your plant isn't perfect? Don't be afraid to enter it anyway.

About the last week before a show, if a plant is starting to be in full bloom, I will move it to a cooler spot to slow it down a little, or visa versa if it isn't blooming enough. Basically, you should have 20-25 blooms for a large standard, 10-20 for a semi, and 6-12 for a mini. However, if you are a blossom short, enter it anyhow. Not that many points will be deducted.

Beginners will sometimes want to leave on spent blossoms but you can loose mega points (1/2 point per spent blossom) for doing that. I remove blossoms if they are even starting to fade because malls are hard on plants. There are cold drafts and dry air and the blossoms tend to fade more quickly there.

Our photo is showing a blossom that is getting brown edges. The flower is all but spent and although a pretty color, it should be removed.

Before I email my list to the entry person, I review each plant to make sure that it looks like the description in First Class. Is it variegated, a semi, a mini, does it have an edge, is it the right color, etc.? If you don't have the First Class program, don't know what some of the terms like "an edge" means, or have any questions on how to enter a plant, call one of the Sr. members (please don't call us old) for help.

So all you novices, my advice is to try it. Enter the show! It's scary and confusing at times, but remember every single grower in the show went through the novice stage of entering shows. It's not a requirement to enter in that class, but it's a class that the judges will look at the plant a little gentler and may make more comments on the entry tags. The comments are a great way to find out how to make adjustments and grow an even more lovely plant next time. Never, but never, try to guess what a judge sees. Remember, they only look at a plant for maybe a minute and may not even see a problem.

A large THANK YOU to Sharon Johnson for sharing this article.

Entering You Plant in a Show, part 1

Entering plants in a show is the fun part of growing African violets. Maybe you bought a leaf grew it out and now it is a fully-grown plant, or maybe you purchased a small plant and now it is large enough to show the world all its beauty. Now what exactly do you do?

What should you look for right now, with a month or more till the show? Check all of your plants to see which ones might make a good entry in a show. How do you know? What do you look for? The foliage should lay straight out from the center of the plant to the edge of the outer leaves. Each row should overlap the row below without gaps or spaces in the rows or between the individual leaves in a row. Preliminarily grooming the plants for a show is very important too and actually is quite easy. You want to take care of most of the large grooming chores at this point. Most beginners hate to remove leaves, even the baby ones and the yellow ones. But nice symmetry is important so when in doubt, remove them! If there is dust or hair on the leaves, use a soft facial brush and gently sweep it away. Better to do these things now than when there is a chance of ruining a leaf right before the show.

This photo shows some of the larger problems you'll want to deal with. There is cat hair on the leaves to the left. Use a make-up brush and gently remove it, or better yet give the plant a bath in tepid water. The red flag shows us a huge potential problem! The plant is in full bloom more than a month before the show. Those flowers should have been removed prior to now so that the plant has fresh blooms for the show! The blue flag shows a folded, broken leaf. Remove that and the one marked with purple. That one is ripped. The yellow flag shows baby (tiny) leaves in the outer rows. It's best to remove them now so that the rest of the mature leaves will fill in the voids.

When I am first deciding which plants to enter, I review each plant as a possible entry. If it is less than 8" in diameter and it is a standard plant, I do not consider entering it because it needs to grow up a few more months. If you are entering a semi it should not be more than 8" in diameter and a mini can't be more than 6" in diameter. If the plant is just a bit too large the outer row of leaves can be removed to help keep the plant in its proper category. The size of the pot doesn't matter for semis or minis, but the standard's leaf span should be 3x (times) the diameter of the pot. If I do have to repot a plant, I never repot a plant until the 4^th week before a show. If I do it earlier, the plant will not be root-bound and may not bloom.

This photo shows us that some plants just need more time to grow. Picking the proper sized pot is necessary but very easy!

After I've decided on which plants to enter in a show, I write out a list and for the time being I ignore the schedule which describes all the classes and sections. At this point don't worry about entering more than one plant in a class.

This photo shows our volunteer contemplating all the different classes she'll be entering her plants in. She's holding the schedule which is good to have handy even all these weeks before the show! It's helpful to know what the designs will be so that you have time to plan for them!

The next part of "Entering Your Plant in a Show" will review what to do a little closer to the show! Stay tuned.

Intergeneric Crossing

We have a special entry for you today!!! When I got the new issue of African Violet, I happened to turn to Dr. Smith's column about breeding new violets. The first question on the page is one that I've wondered about since I got interested in violets. Can you cross a Saintpaulia with any of the other gesneriads??? His answer is informative and interesting (page 6 of the new Jan/Feb AV) but made to fit the limited space of the Q&A format. I had more questions. I kept wondering about trying to cross a violet with streptocarpus or a sinningia and then I got a bit of inspiration..... ask some people who would know!

I wrote to Dale Martens who has made some fantastic intergeneric crosses! (Click on the link.) She is the co-author of Crosswords, a publication for hybridizers, and she was the featured speaker at a half-day seminar put on by the AGGSTC, the local gesneriad club, in September of 2005. In addition, Dale is one of the nicest people you could want to meet! When I wrote to her with my questions for the blog she immediately took the time to answer... Here is her reply!

"For those new to intergenerics, streptocarpus is a genus and Saintpaulia is a genus (with a common name of African violets). If you cross two different genera (plural for genus) you have an intergeneric. Which gesneriads make the best candidates for hybridizing: Ones that have the same number of chromosomes so they match. How do you find out the number of chromosomes? Research! I believe sinningia is aroudn 26 and streptocarpus is 32, but could be wrong. One must put an "x" in front of the intergeneric's name which is a combination of both genera. I have crossed achimenes x smithiantha to get xAchimenantha, and Phinaea x Diastema to get xPhinastema, and smithiantha x eucodonia to get xSmithicodonia. The closest genera to Saintpaulia is streptocarpus, but genetically not just any streptocarpus. Studies seem to indicate that the evolution of Saintpaulia is from the Streptocarpus subgenus Streptocarpella.

Streptocarpellas are stemmed and branching streptocarpus with fuzzy leaves. A common one is Streptocarpella 'Blueberries and Cream'. Some of us have tried crossing streptocarpella x saintpaulia. The most likely person to succeed probably needs to cross a species AV with a species streptocarpella that lives near it (within miles) in Africa in nature. Therefore, it'd take some research to find which ones live close to each other. I have tried crossing species AVs with all sorts of other gesneriads including Petrocosmea since to me it's most similar. But Petrocosmeas live in Asia, so it's quite unlikely to cross with an AV."

Again, a special "Thank You!" to Dale for taking the time to reply! Hopefully, even more will follow about the intergeneric hybridizing of gesneriads and more specifics on the Saintpaulia genus.