Although these plants are called African violets, there are varieties with flowers in different shades of pink and red as well as violets and blues; there is also a white variety. In addition there are cultivars which have flowers with white-edged petals, and bicolours blue and white. There is also a considerable variation in the flowers themselves, including single flowers, double flowers, plain-edged petals, frilly-edged petals and so on.
Although many named varieties have been raised, nurserymen do not usually offer plants by name, so when selecting a plant you have to be guided by other considerations. The two main points to look for are thick flower stems, as this usually means that the plant will be floriferous, and dark green leaves. One of the many causes of losses when growing African violets is the plant rotting, and plants with light green leaves are more likely to suffer from this complaint.
