You asked for it, you got it! The African Violet FAQ is currently in version 0.2 (not intended for release, but you can't stop freedom of information on the Internet can you!) and in two parts. I'm always interested to hear where you found out about the AV FAQ, and whether you find it useful. Regards, Richard. The African Violet FAQ By Richard Trout, based on the input of the Gesneriphiles mailing list. This list of Frequently Asked Questions, is an attempt to harnass the collaborative memory of African Violet and Gesneriad enthusiasts from around the world. It is intended to highlight some of the ways a beginning African Violet lover can get over some of the simple hurdles of African Violet growing. One of the most important aspects of learning to grow African Violets however, is open discussion and sharing of information - for this reason the reader is encouraged to find some of the Internet and non-electronic ways of meeting with other hobbyists. Part 1 of 2 This revision: Rev 0.2 (draft) Still haven't got it right! Added some info on the history of Gesneriphiles. Updated gesneriphiles subscription information (how did I stuff that up???). Corrects some errors in the 0.0 revision, adds technical references and contact details of African Violet clubs & societies (did you know there is an encyclopaedia of clubs and associations - for ALL clubs around the world of any type!). Current efforts are incorporating suggestions from some contributors, as well as completing the requirements for Rev 1. Anyone with information which may be in the slightest way useful are welcome to forward it to me (email:rtrout@p05.as01.honeywell.com.au or fax: +61-2-353 8090) Thanks to: Barbara Pershing, Miriam Denham, Bill West, Melmooch, Michael Ward, Barrie (from Port Franklin), and all the other supporters from Gesneriphiles for help in making the 0.0 revision a 1.0 revision! Future revisions: Rev 1 Should contain the basic questions a beginner to African Violets will ask. Tough areas: Reference List African Violet Clubs and Societies Other places to look Pest Control Rev 2 Common questions of the advanced African Violet enthusiast. History of Gesneriphiles. Rev 3 To include the results of some special projects. Current thoughts: List of favorite suppliers List of favorite cultivars African Violets around the World Rev 4 What can we do with regards to the gesneriad family? Previous Revisions: 0.0 June 1995 Draft to test outline and allow comment from Gesneriphiles 0.1 August 1995 Finally managed to fix the glaring mistakes in 0.0 & added clubs & societies info. 1. SO WHAT IS THIS FAQ ABOUT ANYWAY? (INTRODUCTION) The African Violet Frequently Asked Questions (AVFAQ) is a compilation of questions and answers, commonly asked by people new to African Violets. It has been compiled for the Gesneriphiles Internet mailing list. The AVFAQ is intended to highlight some of the problems encountered by newcomers to African Violets, so they can be avoided, and some of the tricks to bring out the beauty of African Violet.. 1.1 Where does the FAQ come from? This FAQ is written by Richard Trout, based primarily on the input from the Gesneriphiles mailing list, which was created to encourage the discussion of African Violets and other members of Gesneriads. 1.2 How do I join the Gesneriphiles mailing list? At the end of May 1995, the Gesneriphiles mailing list moved to Colorado University, Boulder, where it is administered by Norah Otto (email: otton@spot.colorado.edu). It is available without restriction to Internet mail users. To subscribe, send a message addressed to: listproc@lists.colorado.edu with the text of the message in the format: subscribe gesneriphiles {Your Name} where {Your Name} is the name you'd like to be known by. When you wish to post an item on the mailing list, address your email to: gesneriphiles@lists.colorado.edu and your message will be automatically copied to all the subscribers on the mailing list. Try to remember to use a meaningful subject, and include your name and email address at the bottom of your message. To leave the mailing list, send a message to the listproc address (listproc@lists.colorado.edu) with the message: unsubscribe gesneriphiles in the text of the message. At the beginning of June, 1995, there were 146 subscribers to gesneriphiles@lists.colorado.edu. The list reached 200 around August 22/23 1995. 1.3 Where can I get the latest copy of the FAQ? The AVFAQ is posted to Gesneriphiles mailing list as close as possible to the 7th of each month. At this time there is no way to retrieve the file in real-time. An email request to rtrout@p05.as01.honeywell.com.au with "Send AVFAQ" in the subject, a mail-robot will reply with the current FAQ. 1.4 Is there anywhere else on the Internet I can find out more about African Violets? Yes - there's two good places on the WWW. Point your WWW browser at URL's: http://haven.ios.com/~wwells/ By gesneriphiles member Wallace Wells http://aggie- horticulture.tamu.edu/tisscult/chimeras/Valprop/Val.html Where there's some various African Violet pics and info. I've also managed to find some miscellaneous information on veronica and WWW crawlers, but it is mostly very poor (except those above!) in my opinion. 1.5 A History of African Violets on the Internet (yes I know this isn't a question - it isn't frequently asked either) This is the best place I can think of to record some of the history of African Violet appearances on the Internet. There are three spots I can think of which were `firsts' in the electronic African Violet: the formation of the Gesneriphiles mailing list; the African Violet gopher created by ; and Sonya Doten's Web Page. 1.5.1 Gesneriphiles (gesneriphiles@lists.colorado.edu) As best as Kathy Law (the originator of Gesneriphiles, email: klaw@uclink.berkeley.edu) can remember, Gesneriphiles first formed around April 1994 at uclink.berkeley.edu (for techos, this was a largely manual listserver with a lot of administration required by Kathy, and also had no automatic archiving features or similar). Here's some of what Kathy told me about when she first formed the list: "I subscribed to several groups, but could not find one devoted to my beloved African Violets. After posting requests for information about any such group, I realized there wasn't one, so Jim (who is a graduate student in Computer Science) encouraged me to try starting one. So, I posted on Rec.gardens and Bionet.plants to see if there might be enough interest. Initially, only six people responded (Roland Gronroos was one of them), and I didn't have a lot of hope that it would last, but I kept posting to those groups to recruit new members. SLOWLY it grew to twenty, then thirty, then fifty...and I knew it would survive. I tried to get my own AVSA club to allow me to put out flyers at our annual show, but they refused. It wasn't AVSA sanctioned, and they all seemed to regard the whole enterprise with scepticism (bordering on hostility--how dare I bring computers into their beloved pastime!!). Fortunately, the group continued to grow, by word of mouth, and then the AVSA, the AGGS, and the Canadian AVS printed the notices I sent to them about the group. I STILL get e-mail from those printings!" In doing gopher searches for African Violets, I found many of Kathy's early posts advertising the Gesneriphiles list. I just can't resist including one for the bright and cheery message Kathy brings: From BIOSCI-REQUEST Wed Oct 19 21:33:15 1994 Return-Path: BIOSCI-REQUEST Received: (from daemon@localhost) by net.bio.net (8.6.9/8.6.6) id VAA01416 for plant- biology-list; Wed, 19 Oct 1994 21:33:15 -0700 Received: (from news@localhost) by net.bio.net (8.6.9/8.6.6) id VAA01411 for plant-biology- arpanet; Wed, 19 Oct 1994 21:33:13 -0700 To: plant-biology@net.bio.net From: klaw@uclink.berkeley.edu (Kathryn Dolores Law) Subject: african violets & gesneriads maillist Date: 14 Oct 1994 03:18:18 GMT Message-ID: <37kt9q$euo@agate.berkeley.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: pearl-fddi.berkeley.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Subject: african violets & gesneriads maillist ODE TO THE AFRICAN VIOLET Your smiling, happy flower faces Bob so merri-lee Above your soft, warm, fuzzy leaves For all the world to see! Well, if you're NOT feeling nauseous after reading that, then you must be a GESNERIPHILE! There is a maillist discussion group (where, thankfully, you won't find ANYTHING like the above) devoted to all aspects of violet and gesneriad culture. Subscribers from all over the world represent all levels of involvement, whether professional, scientific, or recreational. To subscribe, send a message to me at the above address or at gesneriphiles- request@uclink.berkeley.edu Thanks! Kathy Law 1.5.2 gopher.sgen.slu.se - Roland Initially Roland maintained a small gopher space for African Violet pictures, and then an archive of the gesneriphiles mailing list. This provided the first pictures of African Violets on the Internet. Unfortunately, the gopher server shut down in late March 1995. The gesneriphile archive went to Sonya's Web Page 1.5.3 Red Sonya's Web Page - http://www.gulf.net/people/sonya/index.html Sonya Doten was a subscriber to Gesneriphile's when she created the first African Violet Web page. In early April 1995, the Web page became the new site for an archive of the gesneriphiles articles (previously at Rolan's gopher site. Unfortunately, the web page died at the end of July 1995, when Sonya wasn't able to keep up the subscription to the service providor. 1.6 Table of Contents 1. SO WHAT IS THIS FAQ ABOUT ANYWAY? (INTRODUCTION) 2. WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE ANYTHING IN THIS FAQ? SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME SO MANY THINGS ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS, YET I STILL CAN'T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT (THE SPIRIT OF AFRICAN VIOLET CO-OPERATION) 3. ARE AFRICAN VIOLETS FROM AFRICA? ARE AFRICAN VIOLETS A VIOLET? (AN INTRODUCTION TO SAINTPAULIA) 4. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE TALK IN PLAIN ENGLISH WHEN TALKING ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS? (SOME BASIC HORTICULTURE TERMINOLOGY) 5. AREN'T AFRICAN VIOLETS FUSSY? (THE BASICS OF AFRICAN VIOLETS) 6. I'VE JUST COME HOME WITH A BEAUTIFUL NEW AFRICAN VIOLET - WHAT SHOULD I DO TO LOOK AFTER IT? 7. WHAT SHOULDN'T I DO (OR TRAPS FOR BEGINNERS) 8. I'M LOOKING AFTER A FRIEND'S AFRICAN VIOLET - WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? 9. HOW CAN I GET THE BEST FROM MY AFRICAN VIOLET? 10. WHAT'S THE LITTLE WHITE CRAWLY THING ON MY AFRICAN VIOLET, AND HOW DO I GET RID OF IT? OR WHY HAVE ALL THE LEAVES TURNED BROWN (PEST CONTROL AND OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS) 11. HOW DO I...? (MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS) 12. WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS? APPENDIX WHY SHOULD I BELIEVE ANYTHING IN THIS FAQ? SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME SO MANY THINGS ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS, YET I STILL CAN'T SEEM TO GET IT RIGHT (THE SPIRIT OF AFRICAN VIOLET CO-OPERATION) Don't believe anything in this FAQ - try it for yourself. Many people have their own opinions of how a particular problem can be solved, especially with regards to African Violets. The AVFAQ intends to provide a simple answer to most questions. However, no problem has a single answer, and many forums for the discussion of African Violets exist - many cities have African Violet clubs, where enthusiasts go to discuss African Violets, show plants, and meet people - a number of books have been published - and the on-line community has info too. This FAQ will point you in the direction of African Violet Organisations where you can find help (it may need a phone call or letter to find the nearest to you), but also African Violet Online Organisations, such as the Gesneriphiles mailing list. There are a lot of conditions (temperature, humidity, light, available products) which are different in your own part of the world. At the end of the day its up to you to select the right methods. What the FAQ does attempt to do is provide a simple, generic answer to common questions. Hint: if you see a long answer to your question it probably means you'll have to experiment! 3. ARE AFRICAN VIOLETS FROM AFRICA? ARE AFRICAN VIOLETS A VIOLET? (AN INTRODUCTION TO SAINTPAULIA) African Violets are from Africa, but not violets. They were discovered near Tanzania (previously Tanganyika and before that German East Africa - thanks Barrie!), Africa, and dubbed the Saintpaulia. What are known as African Violets today, are mostly derived from the species Saintpaulia ionantha - ionantha means `violet like'. So they come from Africa and look a bit like violets. In the wild a number of species plants have been found, most notably the Saintpaulia ionantha. Some African Violet enthusiasts enjoy growing the different species plants, but African Violets are most well known for the many cultivars. It is the cultivars which have been `bred' to provide the large blooms of many different colours that most people look for. Cultivars are often given names (such as Blue Boy) by which the plant is then known. 4. WHY CAN'T PEOPLE TALK IN PLAIN ENGLISH WHEN TALKING ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS? (SOME BASIC HORTICULTURE TERMINOLOGY) 4.1 Genus The study of plants is quite difficult because of the wide range of diversity in the plant world. In an effort to reduce the ambiguity, a number of scientific terms have been created. Commonly confused is the naming of plants. Plants are named for the Genus or family they belong to, the species or specific types within the family, and the cultivar or hybrid which makes them unique. The way they are usually written are: Genus species x cultivar eg. "Saintpaulia ionantha x Blue Boy" Although for African Violets, most people refer to species plants (ie. those which exist in the wild such as Saintpaulia ionantha and which therefore aren't cultivars), and cultivars (which are usually known by the name given to them by the person who hybridised them). Other basic terms are: 4.2 Nutrients The plant food elements known to be used by the plant. The 16 elements are: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen (90% of plant tissue), Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium (primary macronutrients), Sulfur, Calcium, Magnesium (secondary macronutrients), Iron, Manganese, Boron, Copper, Zinc, Molybdenum, Chlorine (micronutrients). Well known African Violet author, Melvin Robey uses the following method to remember the elements: C HOPKNS CaFe MgB Mn CuZn Mo Cl (See Hopkins Cafe Managed by Mine Cousins Mo & Cleo) Also, there is a variation, "Charlie Hopkins CaFe Mighty Good plus I(odine)" [and the other micronutrients] (recalled from a plant physiology class by Miriam Denham, email: denham@spot.colorado.edu) 4.3 Photosynthesis The process of collecting energy from the sun to produce sugars used by the plant as its basic food. The food is distributed to the flowers, leaves and roots to be consumed by other processes (seed formation, root growth etc.) 4.4 Propagation Propagation is the reproduction of a plant. This may be seeds (sexual reproduction), or by cloning (asexual reproduction). For African Violets, cloning is achieved from leaves or suckers. 5. AREN'T AFRICAN VIOLETS FUSSY? (THE BASICS OF AFRICAN VIOLETS) Most people believe African Violets to be fussy because they have had plants die or friends who have had similar problems. Enthusiasts believe they are actually quite simple - its just like any other indoor plant. Indoor plants are unusual in they have been removed from the habitat they would exist in, in the wild. However they thrive indoors when they are provided with conditions similar to the wild, ie. successful indoor plants have natural conditions similar to what we enjoy in our homes. All plants require a few basics: air, water, light. African Violets are happy when we would be happy in their situation, so the temperature of the air should be 15-25 degrees C (60-80F), not too dry and not too humid; it enjoys water to drink but not to drown in; and sufficient light to make it healthy but not too much to burn it. If you think of the plant in terms of the conditions you would be happy with, then you're probably on the path to successful African Violet growing. In fact, African Violets are capable of flowering all year round, and aren't particularly dependant on light, heat or season to do so. 6. I'VE JUST COME HOME WITH A BEAUTIFUL NEW AFRICAN VIOLET - WHAT SHOULD I DO TO LOOK AFTER IT? 6.1 Watering and fertilising There are a lot of different methods of watering. Most common is to use a suitable watering can to pour water on to the potting mix. If water is spilt on the plant, take the time to remove it with a tissue or similar. Or water early in the day so the water can evaporate - it is the sunlight magnified through the water droplets which burn the plant. Extra water which spills from the bottom of the pot shouldn't be left for more than a day. Water again when the potting mix at the top of the pot is dry, but not before the entire potting mix is dry. Enthusiasts commonly use wick-watering where a nylon twine dangles from the bottom of the pot. Water is kept in a reservoir the pot sits on (a special base or plastic tub from takeaway food), and the wick draws water up to the potting mix and African Violet as required. Fertilisers are provided to the plant from the potting mix or the water. After a few months most of the nutrients in the potting mix have been consumed and need to be added to the water. Special African Violet fertilisers/nutrients exist, just follow the directions. If you don't have an African Violet formulation you may like to use a common type but remember that African Violets have a low nutrient requirement so use it at half to a quarter strength. If you always add the nutrient when watering, half the strength again. 6.2 Where to put it This is easy - put it somewhere in your house where you would be comfortable to spend your day. Somewhere with some air circulation but not a draught, with good sunlight but not too strong (perhaps filtered by a lace curtain) and not in darkness all day, with a comfortable temperature (15-25 degrees C or 60-80F). Fluorescent lights provide a good light source if natural light isn't sufficient. 6.3 Removing spent flowers and old leaves African Violets prefer to have old leaves removed. Do this by bending the leaf gently and removing the leaf at the trunk of the plant (perhaps using a sharp knife or your fingernails). Spent flowers attract pests and disease and should be removed if it drops from the flower stalk or is starting to wilt. When all the flowers on a leaf stalk are spent, carefully remove the flower stalk as you would a leaf. 7. WHAT SHOULDN'T I DO (OR TRAPS FOR BEGINNERS) 7.1 Over-watering African Violets in the wild live in rainforests where the humidity and rainfall are relatively consistent. Be consistent with watering and you'll enjoy a beautiful African Violet. Common causes of over-watering are: allowing the water to sit in the base of the pot; use of a heavy potting mix; watering too much too often. All of these causes reduce the amount of air which would otherwise exist in the potting mix, and from which the African Violet takes most of its nutrient. Your African Violet will tell you when you are over-watering by wilting or if the centre (crown) of the plant has a powdery fungus or is starting to rot. Another indicator is if the surface of the potting mix is green from algae. {A side-note about African Violets and over-watering from Miriam Denham, email: denham@spot.colorado.edu: The reason that plants which have been under-watered or over- watered show the same symptoms is that in both cases water is unavailable to the plant. It was only a few years ago that the cause in over-watering was identified as follows. As has been known for many years, plant roots need oxygen from the air, but it was only in the recent past that the precise need was defined. The roots need oxygen to do the work to take up the minerals from the soil. As the minerals are taken up by the roots, the water flows in by osmosis (that dirty word biology students hate). No oxygen, no water. I sometimes like to think of roots in the same terms as animals: they need oxygen for their metabolism, and cannot manufacture their own food.} The drought and drown syndrome is very bad to African Violets. If the potting mix dries it will contract away from the edge of the pot and the next time you water, the water will fall straight out the base. If the water is then allowed to sit in the base, the roots at the bottom of the pot will be water-logged and not have access to the air that it needs. A number of different watering methods exist to make this problem easier. This may be a good time to ask for help from a friend with African Violets or an African Violet society. 7.2 Too much or too little light African Violets are used to having sunlight filtered by the canopy of a rainforest. Direct noon sun in summer is too hot for African Violets (and humans). This is because the surface of the leaf is getting too hot, and losing more water through evaporation than it can replace. Use a lace curtain or blinds to filter the sun, or move it away from the direct light. Signs of too much sun are browning of the leaves. If left too long, the crown will rot and the plant will be destroyed. A lack of light will reduce the ability of the African Violet to flower. It is actually possible to sustain the plant on very little light. However if the plant is getting very little light, it may also mean it is cold and damp - which the African Violet will not be able to survive for long. Darkness is also required - the African Violets should have at least 8 hours of total darkness each day - without this the hormones required for flower production cannot be produced. 7.3 Overpotting Many people take their new African Violet home, decide it looks root-bound and immediately repot it. Don't. African Violets prefer small pots - use a pot no more than one third the diameter of the foliage spread of the plant. In fact, if the oldest leaves on the plant are below the top of the pot where the leaf stalks are connected to the trunk of the African Violet, its probably best not to repot, just top up the potting mix to just below these leaf stalks. 7.4 Mixing with outdoor plants - staying away from pests African Violets are susceptible to pests and disease in the wild, but most people prefer the plants to be looking their best. The easiest way to keep pests and disease away from your African Violets is to keep them away from other plants, especially outdoor plants. When grooming your African Violets, you should wash your hands in case you're inadvertently carrying bugs, especially if you've just been gardening outdoors. When you buy or receive new African Violets, a period of quarantine away from your healthy plants is a good idea. --------- From: stever To: rtrout Subject: SEND AVFAQ Date: Friday, October 13, 1995 12:06 PM http://www.ior.com/~stever (Classic Video Game Page) SteveR@on-ramp.ior.com Atari 2600/5200/7800 Atari 400/800 ColecoVision Intellivision E-mail for COMPLETE Price/Trade list Prowler's DOMAIN bbs 509-327-8922 6-lines 6.0+Gigs You asked for it, you got it! The African Violet FAQ is currently in version 0.2 (not intended for release, but you can't stop freedom of information on the Internet can you!) and in two parts. I'm always interested to hear where you found out about the AV FAQ, and whether you find it useful. Regards, Richard. The African Violet FAQ By Richard Trout, based on the input of the Gesneriphiles mailing list. This list of Frequently Asked Questions, is an attempt to harnass the collaborative memory of African Violet and Gesneriad enthusiasts from around the world. It is intended to highlight some of the ways a beginning African Violet lover can get over some of the simple hurdles of African Violet growing. One of the most important aspects of learning to grow African Violets however, is open discussion and sharing of information - for this reason the reader is encouraged to find some of the Internet and non-electronic ways of meeting with other hobbyists. Part 2 of 2 8. I'M LOOKING AFTER A FRIEND'S AFRICAN VIOLET - WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? Fertilising Temperature Light Watering 9. HOW CAN I GET THE BEST FROM MY AFRICAN VIOLET? 9.1 Grooming leaves Suckers 10. WHAT'S THE LITTLE WHITE CRAWLY THING ON MY AFRICAN VIOLET, AND HOW DO I GET RID OF IT? OR WHY HAVE ALL THE LEAVES TURNED BROWN (PEST CONTROL AND OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS) Thrips Powdery mildew Soil mealies 11. HOW DO I...? (MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS) 11.1 I have a three year old violet that has developed a long trunk/neck. What can I do to correct this condition? Let your long-necked violet dry out for an extra day or two so that the leaf petioles are limp. You run less risk of breaking off leaves if the foliage is less than turgid (stiff with water). Remove the plant from it's pot and slice off the bottom of the rootball. How much you remove depends on how much you have to lower the plant into the pot to hide the neck. You should remove a little more than you think you do since you have to allow for some fresh soil in the bottom of the pot. After you've made the slice at the lower part of the rootball, take the remaining mass of roots and soil and gently knead away most of the old soil. Squeeze it softly, or "worry" it with a pencil or knitting needle. This procedure reduces the size and the depth of the root- ball. When this is done, the plant can be put back in the same (cleaned) pot or a new pot of the same size. While you're reducing the size of the rootball, you should scrape the neck and dust it with rooting compound. Important new roots will grow from this part of the stem. Start the repotting by adding a half-inch of soil to the bottom of the pot. Then set the plant in the pot and fill in the sides with new soil. As you add the soil, tap the pot on the table so that the soil settles into the spaces in the rootball and sifts down the sides of the pot. Your aim is to cover the scraped neck of the plant with soil so that new roots will form just below the crown of leaves When this is done and the plant has been watered, the soil should come up to the level of the bottom leaves, and no neck should be showing. In cases of radical surgery, involving little or no rootball remaining, it is necessary to enclose the plant in a plastic bag tied at the top for up to a month to give the new roots an opportunity to get established. ( Thanks to Bill Westbrook for his persistence in getting me this information - it is certainly the most important issue after basic care of an African Violet). 12. WHERE ELSE CAN I FIND OUT ABOUT AFRICAN VIOLETS? Where possible, I've included email contacts of clubs and societies to keep the `net' feel about this FAQ. Unless otherwise indicated, these are `unofficial contacts' (we're still waiting for the big societies to get email addresses :-) ). On the basis that the addresses will become obsolete from time to time, I would appreciate it if you let me know when these addresses don't work, or require updating. 12.1 African Violet Clubs and Societies African Violet Society of America (AVSA) 2375 North Street, Beaumont, TX 77702 USA Phone: 1-800-770-AVSA; Fax: (409) 839 4329 Barbara Pershing, email: barbara.pershing@uni.edu African Violet Magazine published bi-monthly by the African Violet Society of America. Subscription US$18.00 per year which is included in membership dues. AVSA. (1994) Handbook for African Violet Growers, Exhibitors and Judges. Official publication listing all judging criteria etc. Information on growing and showing African Violets. $9.95 (Update 1993 handbook for $4.00) American Gloxinian & Gesneriad Society (AGGS) For information on the American Gloxinia and Gesneriad Society write to For those of you interested in joining AGGS, membership is $20 per year for an individual. Add $3 per year for anyone outside the US. This will get you 6 issues of "The Gloxinian" per year, plus access to the Seed Fund, the AGGS library, slide programs, and Round Robins that will allow you to keep in touch with others in your area of interest. It's lots of fun. To join, send your money to: AGGS Membership Secretariat M.J. and D.B. Tyler P.O. Box 1598, Port Angeles, WA 98362-0194 USA Online contacts: David Turley, email: deturley@ahoynet.com Al Wojcik, email: wojcik@pmsrs4.pms.ford.com Gesnedriad Society International (GSI) GSI Membership Co-ordinator 11510 124th Terr N Largo, FL 34648-2505 USA US members: 1 year $20 Canada: 1 year $26 International surface mail: 1 year $26 Internation air mail: 1 year $50 Richard Dunn, email: rwdunn@aol.com Ohio African Violet clubs (courtesy Melmooch, email: melmooch@aol.com) Canton, OH AV Club 4th Tues of the month 10:00 am West Brook Park Methodist Church 2521 12th Street N.W. (216) 832-7634 Cincinnati,OH AV Club 3rd Thurs. of the month 9:30 am Sept. to June New England Club 8135 Beechmont Ave. (513)271-5678 Columbus, OH AV Club 4th Monday of the month 6:30 pm -9 pm Grandview Public Library 1684 West First Ave. (614)486-2954 Dayton, OH AVS 1st Monday of the month 7:00 p.m. Sept. to June Cox Arboretum 6733 Springboro Pike (513) 434-9005 Painesville, OH Town& Country AV Club 1st Wednesday of month United Way Bldg. Progress Pkwy off Heisley Rd. Springfield, OH AV Club 2nd Wednesday of month 7:30 pm St. Paul Lutheran Church New Carlisle Pk. at St. Paul Ave. (513)964-1160 African Violet Society of Canada Included in your membership is a quarterly publication, CHATTER, a magazine dedicated to growing and showing African Violets and Gesneriads. International membership: US$14. Send check or money order to: Irene Henry 349 Hyman Drive Dollard des Ormeaux Quebec H9B 1L5 CANADA Online contact: Bill West, email: billwest@hookup.net Vancouver African Violet Club (AVSA) Michael G. Ward, Publicity Chairperson email: 74271.446@compuserve.com Number 1406 1616 Pendrell St Vancouver, BC V6G 1S8 CANADA African Violet Association of Australia, Inc (as of September 1994) Newsletter, `The African Violet', published bimonthly Secretary, Barbara Pittaway 8 Wangalla Road Lane Cove NSW 2066 AUSTRALIA African Violet Society of South Australia Inc. (as of August 1994) Secretary 15 Kinnear Crescent Rostrevor SA 5073 AUSTRALIA African Violet - Gesneriad Society of Canberra Inc (as of August 1994) Hon Secretary c/- Griffin Centre, Bunda Street Canberra City ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA North West African Violet Group Inc. (as of August 1994) Mrs Gwenda Rudd 10 Bakers Rd Coburg, VIC 3058 AUSTRALIA Early Morn African Violet Group Inc (as of August 1994) PO Box 186 Mt Waverley Vic 3149 AUSTRALIA African Violet Society of Western Australia Inc. (as of September 1994) Newsletter: Violet Talk PO Box 3 South Perth WA 6151 AUSTRALIA Hunter Valley African Violet Society Inc. (as of July 1995) PO Box 109 Cardiff NSW 2285 AUSTRALIA On-line contact: Richard Trout, email: rtrout@p05.as01.honeywell.com.au Central Coast African Violet Club Inc. (Australia - as of September 1994) Newsletter bimonthly President Mrs June Colwell, ph: +61-43-99 1626 African Violet - Gesneriad Society of NSW Inc. (as of September 1994) Newsletter: African Violet News PO Box 173 Homebush, NSW 2140 AUSTRALIA African Violet Society of Queensland Inc (as of September 1994) Newsletter: monthly President, Mrs Joyce Woods 58 Durham St St Lucia QLD 4067 AUSTRALIA Wanganui African Violet and Gesneriad Club (as of September 1994) The Editor PO Box 385 26 Bignell St Gonwille, Wanganui NEW ZEALAND Saintpaulia and Houseplant Society {This address was given to me by Brigitte McKnight (email: Brigitte_McKnight@citynet.org), who was in turn given it at the St. Louis convention - let's hope it stays current for a while!} Hon. Secretary B3 Church Road Newbury Park Ilford Essex IG2 7ET ENGLAND 12.2 Reading Material The following books were recommended to me by Barbara Pershing (email: Barbara.Pershing@uni.edu). Robey, Melvin J. (1988), African Violets: Gifts From Nature; Published by Cornwall Books. Available from Tinari Greenhouses, 2325 Valley Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA, 19006. Cost $45 postpaid. Excellent source of information on AV's. Detailed chapters on proper potting, watering, lighting, propagation, hybridizing etc. Diagrams and photographs, both color and black and white. An encyclopedia of information. 312 pages. ------ Bartholomew, Pauline. (1985) Growing to Show: How to Grow Prize-Winning African Violets. A must for your African violet library. Everything you need to know to grow prize winning African violets. 112 page 8 1/2 x 11 paperback full of information with many illustrations, definitions and how to, including equipment, lighting,, pot types, potting, grooming, pests, . . . . and much more. Order from AV Enterprises Press, P.O. Box 6778-A, Oxnard, CA 93030 $12.95 plus $1.50 postage USA/Canada (CA add 6% sales tax); $7.50 airmail overseas postage or $2.50 surface mail. ------ Cole, Dr. Charles, (1994) Insect and Mite Pests of African Violets. $12.00 from AVSA. Factual book on basic principles of pest control. Discusses detecting, identifying and controlling pests on African violets. Comprehensive. ------------- Halford, Joan. (1991) Growing African Violets in Southern Africa. $15.95 postpaid from Tinari Greenhouses. Brief history of discovery of African Violets, short descriptions of the species plants, anatomy of the AV plant and much basic information with numerous illustrations. Glossary of terms. Very informative yet short and too the point. -------------- >From: gesneriphiles-owner >To: "BOGGAN,JOHN"; "GESNERIPHILES@UCLINK.BERKELEY.EDU" >Subject: Gesneriad Bibliography >Date: Monday, November 14, 1994 8:53AM > >For those of you who have access to the Internet Gopher system, there >is an online Gesneriad bibliography available. The "Annotated >Bibliography of the Gesneriaceae" was compiled by Laurence Skog and >Leslie Brothers, researchers at the Smithsonian Institution. It >contained several hundred bibliographic references on the family, >up to 1990. For all references, it also gives key words, and at the >end there is a key word index. The gopher also allows you to search >the document using any word, not just the indexed key words. You >will find the bibliography on the Smithsonian Institution's Natural >History Gopher, under the "Botany at the Smithsonian Institution" >menu. (Oops, that should be "contains" not "contained"!) Many of >the references are on the technical side, but it's well worth a >browse. > John Boggan > Washington, DC > boggan@simnh.si.edu The "street address" of the Smithsonian Institution's Natural History Gopher is nmnhgoph.si.edu port 70. If you are trying to get to the gopher by a menu system, use the sequence North America- United States-Washington, DC and you will find it listed. The gesneriad bibliography will be found under "Department of Botany" or a similar heading (I don't remember the exact wording offhand). John Boggan Washington, DC APPENDIX --------- From: stever To: rtrout Subject: SEND AVFAQ Date: Friday, October 13, 1995 12:06 PM http://www.ior.com/~stever (Classic Video Game Page) SteveR@on-ramp.ior.com Atari 2600/5200/7800 Atari 400/800 ColecoVision Intellivision E-mail for COMPLETE Price/Trade list Prowler's DOMAIN bbs 509-327-8922 6-lines 6.0+Gigs