Saintpaulia is a section within Streptocarpus subgenus Streptocarpella consisting of about ten species of herbaceous perennial flowering plants in the family Gesneriaceae, native to Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya in eastern tropical Africa.

Grow plants in bright, indirect light for the best color and blooms. A plant stand three feet away from a west- or south-facing window is an ideal location. Plants will still grow when situated right beside north- or east-facing windows, but leaves will be thin and spindly, and plants less likely to bloom.

African violets only need water when the soil is almost dry. Usually you’ll need to water about once a week, but this depends on conditions like the temperature, the season, and the size of the African violet’s container. The best way to water African violets is by bottom watering.