African Violet flowers can have different color patterns, these include two-tone, bi-color, multi-color, geneva, dark eye, white, eye, chimera, wide edge, colored edge, speckled edge, thumbprint and fantasy. They are defined in details as below:
Two-tone African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit two tones/shades of the same color. These include light and dark hues of the same color.
Bi-color African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit two unique colors.
Multicolor African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit more than two unique colors.
Geneva African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit a textured white edge around the petal borders.
Dark Eye African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit a strong dark color in the center with gentle fading as the colors seep away from the flower center/eye.
White Eye African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit a clear white color in the center/eye of the flower, surrounded by colored petals.
Chimera /Pinwheel African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers which exhibit a continuous striped pinwheel like pattern with two contrasting colors. This pattern is caused by a spontaneous mutation and is genetically unstable. Chimeras can only be propagated by suckers, flower stems and not from leaves. However, recently, there are flowers which have pinwheel pattern, but are not chimera. These pinwheel pattern flowers can be propagated from leaves too. For more info on chimera flowers, can check out, African Violet Chimera Flowers.
Wide edge/band African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers exhibit a distinctive wide band of color along the edge of the petals.
Colored edge African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers exhibit a distinctive thin band of color along the edge of the petals.
Speckled edge African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers exhibit a distinctive band of color splashed with speckles and dots along the edge of the petals.
Thumbprint African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers exhibit one color in the center and a contrasting color in the middle and tips of the petals.
Fantasy African Violet Flower Type:
- Flowers exhibit patterns of rays, streaks, dots, splashes or puffs in contrasting colors or variable shades of the same color.
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Rays: Fantasy flowers exhibit long streaks or rays of color on each petal.
2. Puffs: Fantasy flowers exhibit small to medium splotches or puffs of color all over the petals.
3. Streaks + dots: Fantasy flowers exhibit streaks and dots of colors on each petal.
4. Feathering: Fantasy flowers exhibit a vein like pattern from the center to the edges of petal.
5. Watermark: Fantasy flowers exhibit a dark band of color near the center of the flower which separates two distinct colors.
This was a wonderful article with beautiful pictures and well written descriptions that I thoroughly enjoyed!
Thanks Diane, appreciate the positive feedback. Sometimes I dont know whether these articles are helpful and if anyone is reading them. This motivates me to keep on writing. 🙂
Very interesting. Thank you
Thank You!, Glad you enjoyed the post.
I have bookmarked this article. I continually refer back to it as l discover more african violets. It is very helpful. Thank you!
Thank you Mary for your kind words. Happy to hear the articles are useful.
regards,
BV
Oh my gosh. This is the best article and descriptions I have found! Thank you.
Hello Janet, thank you for your kind words! Appreciate it, regards, BV
Thank you for this wonderful article. Seven years ago, I received my first violet. It bloomed solid white, then solid pink. It had an offshoot baby, which I nursed back from almost death, where my original plant died. My baby has now bloomed and it is white with purple edges. My question, how does African violets bloom different colors everytime they bloom? They don’t stay the same color?
Hello Mary Anne,
thank you for your question. Colors of African Violet flowers in most cases do stay stable and the same color with only slight variations. However, there are instances when the same plant can change its blooms over each bloom cycle. This can happen when there are sudden changes in the external environment, such as temperature, intensity of light, watering, humidity or fertilizer. Most likely the bloom changes, occur due to changes in the plants genetics. The plant may be trying to revert back to its original color (mother or father plant). If your flowers are bi colored or tri colored, then they have a higher susceptibility of changing colors. Hope this helps, regards, BV
I love your site! I am so amazed of the many shapes and colors of AV that exist!
This is going to be bookmarked for sure!
Thank you!
Thank you for your kind words!! Glad to hear the posts are of help!!
BV
Great information. Thank you for all.
I’ve been growing several different colors of St Paulia for a few years now. I was so surprised today to notice that one of my plants had produced a flower that appears to have three layers of petals, where in the past it has only had single petal flowers. It looks like a mini rose..so pretty. Is this common?
Hello,
thank your for your question, glad to hear that you have been an avid violet grower for a few years. I haven’t heard of flowers reverting from single petals to three layers. However, some plants do produce both single & semi-double petal flowers. These examples include, river falls twilight, optimara tennessee, alexis kisss, california victory and many more….. They can produce both these flowers on the same plant and in the same bloom cycle. Seems like that’s what’s occurring on your plant. BV
Wonderful article, BV! So happy I came across this, and now I’m reading all the rest of your posts.
The collector in me wishes you had named the flowers in the pictures or gave names to look for! Thanks for explaining so clearly.
Hello Cindi, that’s a good idea, I will go back and see which pics I used and add the names soon! Appreciate the suggestion! BV