The African Violet, scientifically known as Saintpaulia, is a popular flowering houseplant often confused with succulents because of its thick, somewhat fleshy leaves. However, it is definitively not a succulent. This common misunderstanding arises from the plant’s appearance, yet its biology, native habitat, and care requirements place it far outside the true definition of a succulent, which is built for arid survival.
Defining Succulents
Succulents are a diverse group of plants defined by a shared physiological adaptation: storing water in specialized tissues. These plants possess enlarged parenchymal cells within their leaves, stems, or roots that can swell significantly to hold moisture. This characteristic, known as succulence, is an evolutionary response to surviving in environments characterized by high temperatures and infrequent rainfall.
Many succulents employ a unique water conservation strategy called Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis. Unlike most plants, CAM species keep their stomata closed during daylight hours to prevent water loss through transpiration. They open these pores at night to absorb carbon dioxide, which is stored until the sun returns for photosynthesis. This mechanism, coupled with a thick, waxy cuticle, allows a succulent to maintain a high water content, sometimes up to 95% of its mass, through extended drought periods.
The True Identity of the African Violet
The African Violet belongs to the plant family Gesneriaceae and the genus Saintpaulia. Its natural home is not the desert, but the humid, shaded forest floors and rocky crevices of the mountains in tropical East Africa, specifically Tanzania and Kenya. Here, the plant thrives in consistently moist, well-drained soil, shaded from direct, intense sunlight.
The velvety, somewhat fleshy leaves of the African Violet are an adaptation to its tropical environment, not to aridity. The leaves’ texture helps manage the high humidity and temporary moisture availability of its shaded habitat. While the leaves hold some water, this is a minor, temporary buffer, not the deep, long-term storage required for survival in a desert ecosystem. The African Violet is fundamentally an herbaceous perennial that requires continuous access to water to maintain its delicate root system.
Watering and Light: Care Requirements Contrast
The fundamental difference between the plants is clearly reflected in their required care, particularly concerning water and light. A true succulent is adapted to full sun and tolerates intense, direct light, needing a long period of dryness between infrequent, drenching waterings. Overwatering is the most common cause of death for succulents, as their stored water cannot handle consistently saturated conditions.
The African Violet requires bright, but strictly indirect, light, such as that provided by an east-facing window. Direct, intense sun will quickly scorch and damage its leaves, which are not designed to withstand high radiation. Cultivation requires the soil to remain consistently moist, though never soggy or waterlogged. Letting the soil dry out completely can fatally damage the fine, delicate root structure, which is contrary to the survival strategy of a desert succulent.