I love African violets. You probably already know that because I say it a lot. When shopping, I usually choose the one I bring home because of the flower color or the foliage. Recently though, I chose one because of its striking sepals.
Why the sepals?
I guess I’d never really paid attention to them. This ‘Ma’s Taffy Swirl’, though caught my eye because of the burgundy sepals that contrasted to the light pink flower petals. They really stood out.
What are sepals?
Sepals are the protectors of the flower buds before they open. All the sepals collectively are called the calyx. They are actually modified leaves which bracts are as well.
Below, you can see the difference in the colors of the sepals. Usually they are green, like on the right. You can see why I was attracted to the burgundy ones. They’re different.
The mini violet below, ‘Rob’s Argyle’s Socks’ has the burgundy sepals, but because the bud is also burgundy, they don’t stand out to the extent the lighter budded ones do. (Plus, it is very tiny…)
Here are the flowers the sepals were protecting. Thank goodness they are there to ensure we get these gorgeous flowers!
Notice the speckled flowers on this ‘Ma’s Taffy Swirl’ .
I hope you learned a little “tidbit” of information today about your African violet flowers. Do you have African violets? How do you choose the one you bring home?
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