What Are African Violets According to AVSC.ca?

According to AVSC.ca, the African Violet is one of the world's most popular houseplants — a plant you can commonly find for sale in grocery stores, home improvement stores, and greenhouses. The site describes it as a "seemingly simple houseplant" that has actually resulted from hybridization of species native to eastern Africa, mainly the Nguru mountains of Tanzania.

Where African Violets Come From

AVSC.ca traces the plant's origins to eastern Africa, specifically the Nguru mountains of Tanzania. The African Violets sold today are not wild species but the product of generations of hybridization from those original species.

What Hybridization Has Produced

According to the site, this breeding history has led to:

• Many flower colours — a wide range beyond the original species
• Amazing patterns in flowers — varied markings and forms
• Forms of variegation — foliage with different colour patterns

So the plant's appeal isn't just its flowers; hybridization has also changed the leaves.

The Plant Family It Belongs To

AVSC.ca places the African Violet in a larger plant family called Gesneriads. Other well-known houseplants in this same family include:

The site notes there are many other lesser-known plants in this family that also make beautiful houseplants.

What AVSC.ca Is

AVSC.ca is the official website of the African Violet Society of Canada, a group devoted to growing and showing these plants. The site describes it as a community centred on learning together and sharing knowledge, open to anyone who wishes to join.

According to the site, membership gives you:

• Access to the Chatter newsletter, with growing advice from other members
• A connection into the community to obtain named hybrids to grow
• The option to join a local affiliate society if you want people to connect with in your geographic area

The site provides two main entry points: Join/Renew Membership and Find a Local Affiliate.

Quick Takeaway

If you're trying to understand what an African Violet actually is, AVSC.ca's answer is: a hybridized Gesneriad from eastern Africa — mainly Tanzania's Nguru mountains — that became a mass-market houseplant, available in grocery stores, home improvement stores, and greenhouses, and valued for its range of flower colours, patterns, and variegated foliage.