African Violet
Saintpaulia Ionantha
Flowering Plants Difficulty: Moderate
📖 About this plant
African Violet, a beloved houseplant cherished for its compact size and nearly continuous blooms in purple, pink, blue, and white.
Native to East African cloud forests, it thrives in warm, humid conditions with bright indirect light.
The fuzzy, dark green leaves form a perfect rosette that cradles delicate clusters of flowers above the foliage.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Bright indirect (6+ hrs)
💧
Water
Every 1-2 weeks
💨
Humidity
Moderate (50-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
18-26°C
🪴
Soil
Well-draining African violet potting mix with peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite
🧪
Fertilizer
Balanced liquid fertilizer (8-14-9) or specialized African violet food every 2 weeks during growing season
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Tanzania, Kenya — tropical East African cloud forests
- 📏 Max height
- 10-15 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 15-20 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Year-round
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Purple, Pink, Blue, White
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Dark Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Perennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Slow
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic to cats, dogs, and humans (ASPCA safe)
- 🌱 Propagation
- Leaf cuttings (place leaf stem in moist potting mix), crown division, or seed
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic to cats, dogs, and humans (ASPCA safe)
Common issues
- Crown rot from overhead watering, Powdery mildew, Cyclamen mites causing deformed new growth
💡 Care tips
- Water from the bottom to avoid spotting fuzzy leaves.
- Never let water touch the leaf surface.
- Use specialized African violet potting soil mix.
- Blooms year-round under proper lighting conditions
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 11 days, fertilizing every 14 days.
