Uzambara violet : a diverse houseplants

Houseplants come in many types. Some are more popular than others. The indoor violet is a good example.

Violets have an interesting past. They were first written about in ancient myths. But these old violets are not the same as the ones we know today.

Modern "violets," or Saintpaulias, were found in Africa in the late 1800s. Walter von Saint-Paul, a German officer, discovered them. The plant was named after him.

Hermann Wendland, a botanist, first described the plant. He also grew the first flowering plants. Saintpaulias quickly became popular. They were found in 1892 and shown at an exhibit in 1893. People loved them right away.

These plants, also called Uzambara violets, are part of the Gesneriaceae family. They are very pretty. "Uzambara" comes from the mountains where they were first found.

They were called "violets" because they look like real violets. In 1893, Saintpaulias became famous in Europe. American growers learned about them in 1894. Soon, the best new violets were being made in America. In 1898, breeders created plants with pink, white, and red flowers.

In the 1920s, a company in California started using leaves to grow Saintpaulias. This made growing them easier and faster. They quickly made many new kinds of violets. This started a "violet boom." People made clubs just to grow them.

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