''Streptocarpus goetzeanus'',

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

''Saintpaulia goetzeana'', is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of ''

Streptocarpus ''Streptocarpus'' ("twisted fruit" from Greek στρεπτός (''streptos'') "twisted" and καρπός (''carpos'') "fruit") is an Afrotropical genus of flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae. The genus is native to Afromontane biotopes ...

'' in the section '' Saintpaulia'', commonly known as an African violet. It is a small, flowering plant that is used widely in home

horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...

. ''S. goetzeana'' was first collected in 1898 by W. Goetze, and it was later described as a

by Engler in 1900.

Characteristics

''Streptocarpus goetzeanus'' has stems of about 40 cm in length with leaves of 1.6-3.8 cm long and 1.4-3.6 cm wide. The flower is unique to the species. It has five

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

, where the top two are

violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

and the bottom three are white.

Distribution

Members of ''Streptocarpus'' section ''Saintpaulia'' are native to eastern tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. There is a concentration of species in the

Nguru Mountains The Nguru Mountains are a mountain range in Morogoro Region, Tanzania, Africa. The Nguru Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The mountains are predominantly covered with rainforest, home to 83 species of birds (Romdal 2001) and Africa ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

. This particular species is only found at the higher elevations of 1300–2000 meters.

Cultivation

''Streptocarpus goetzeanus'' is very hard to cultivate due to the narrow conditions it needs to grow, such as mossy rock surfaces in deep shade. These conditions are hard to reproduce, making cultivation difficult.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q87543462, from2=Q16992374 goetzeanus House plants Endemic flora of Tanzania Plants described in 1900 Flora of the Eastern Arc forests Taxa named by Adolf Engler