African Violets (Saintpaulia ionantha) are popular flowering houseplants, beloved for their velvety leaves and near-constant blooming cycles. Discovered in East Africa in the late 19th century, the original wild species featured modest, violet-colored flowers. Over a century of dedicated hybridizing has transformed this simple bloom into a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns. The spectrum of available African Violet flower colors is now vast, ranging from the deepest purples to pure whites, with hundreds of shades and combinations in between. This wide color diversity ensures that there is a variety to suit nearly any preference.
The Standard Color Spectrum (Solid Hues)
The foundation of the African Violet color palette consists of four main solid color groups, all derived from the plant’s natural anthocyanin pigments. The most common color is Purple or Violet, closely matching the shade of the wild species, Saintpaulia ionantha. This group offers a range from light lavender to deep, almost black, shades of royal purple.
Blue varieties are also widely available, extending from a pale, icy blue to saturated, dark navy hues. African Violet blue is genetically a violet-blue, often appearing slightly purplish to the eye, as the plant lacks the pigment for a true, vibrant blue. Pink is another abundant color group, with shades covering the spectrum from the softest blush or pale shell-pink to intense colors like deep rose and fuchsia.
The fourth foundational color is White, which can range from a pure, brilliant snow-white to a slightly creamy or off-white tone. White African Violets often achieve their color through a chemical mechanism that prevents the existing color pigments from developing as the bloom matures. This process is sometimes temperature-sensitive, meaning some white varieties may show a slight blush of pink or lavender in cooler growing conditions.
Patterned and Multi-Toned Varieties
Beyond solid colors, African Violets are celebrated for their intricate patterns, which add significant depth and complexity to the color spectrum. Bi-color and two-tone varieties showcase two distinct shades or colors on the same flower. A two-tone bloom features light and dark shades of a single color, such as a pale pink center that deepens to a bright rose at the petal tips. A bi-color bloom displays two entirely separate colors, such as blue and white.
One of the most complex patterns is known as Fantasy, characterized by random speckles, spots, or streaks of a contrasting color splashed across the petals. This pattern is the result of a dominant gene mutation, commonly presenting as purple streaks on a pink background. Another distinct pattern is the Eye, where a clearly defined, contrasting color forms a spot at the center of the bloom, sometimes described as a thumbprint pattern.
The Edging pattern, particularly the Geneva edge, involves a thin, distinct margin of a contrasting color along the petal edges. The most common Geneva edge is a crisp white border, which is a dominant trait that restricts the primary color from reaching the very edge of the petal. Other specialized patterns include the Chimera, or pinwheel, which displays continuous, radial stripes of two contrasting colors. This pattern is genetically unstable and requires specific propagation methods.
The Myth and Reality of Rare Colors
African Violets do not possess the genetic machinery to produce every color found in the plant kingdom, leading to misconceptions about rare hues. True Red is one such color; the plant’s pigment system, dominated by anthocyanins, cannot produce a pure scarlet or fire-engine red. Cultivars marketed as red are deep magenta, wine, or coral, which are reds with a significant blue or purple undertone.
Similarly, a true, vibrant Yellow or Orange African Violet does not exist naturally. The plant lacks the biosynthetic pathway to produce carotenoids, the pigments responsible for brilliant yellows and oranges in flowers like sunflowers and marigolds. While some modern hybrids exhibit yellow or green tinges, usually concentrated in the throat or on the edges of the petals, these are muted tones.