Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia 'Little Love Blue'

Cultivated origin of Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia 'Little Love Blue'

'Little Love Blue' is a cultivated African violet. African violets belong to Streptocarpus section Saintpaulia, whose wild species are centred in Kenya and Tanzania and grow from coastal forests to cooler mountain forests.

Care for Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia 'Little Love Blue'

• Light: Bright filtered light keeps the rosette tight and supports flowering. Use gentle early-day sun for any direct exposure.
• Water: Water with room-temperature water when the surface begins to dry. Keep water below the leaves and drain away excess from the saucer.
• Potting: Use a fine, airy African-violet mix in a small pot that fits the shallow roots. Keep the crown level with the surface.
• Temperature and airflow: Keep the plant warm with stable room temperatures. Gentle airflow around the compact rosette helps leaves and flowers dry after watering.
• Feeding: Apply a weak feed during visible growth and flowering, then run plain water through the pot occasionally to rinse out fertiliser salts.
• Repotting and propagation: Repot once roots fill the container or the mix becomes dense. Root healthy mature leaves, or divide separate rooted crowns.

Common problems with Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia 'Little Love Blue'

• Flowering becomes sparse and the rosette opens: Light is probably too low. Move the plant gradually closer to bright filtered light.
• Leaves stay limp after watering: Root rot is possible. Inspect the roots, cut away soft brown tissue back to firm healthy roots with a clean tool, discard the damaged material and repot healthy growth in fresh African-violet mix.
• The crown turns dark: Crown rot is possible. Remove affected tissue back to firm healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the rot and water below the foliage so the crown stays dry.
• Flowers or fresh leaves show scars: Thrips or cyclamen mites may be present. Isolate the plant, inspect the blooms and tight centre, and use a product labelled for the identified pest and indoor ornamental plants at the stated repeat interval.

Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia ‘Little Love Blue’ is non-toxic to cats and dogs

• This plant is non-toxic to cats and dogs.
• Its effects on people are unclear, so keep it away from young children who may chew it.
• Eating a large amount can still cause an upset stomach. Seek medical or veterinary advice if symptoms continue.

Who first published Streptocarpus and Saintpaulia, and what do the names mean?

Streptocarpus means “twisted fruit”, referring to the spiralling seed capsule. Saintpaulia honours Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire, who collected the plant in what is now Tanzania.

John Lindley established the genus Streptocarpus in 1828 in Botanical Register, volume 14, plate 1173.

Hermann Wendland established the genus Saintpaulia in 1893 in Gartenflora, volume 42, page 321. Saintpaulia remains familiar in horticulture, but Kanae Nishii and nine coauthors placed it within Streptocarpus after a 2015 DNA study in Taxon, volume 64.