The African Violets, a 2010 souvenir sheet of 2 stamps from Canada.

 

Two Canadian African Violet hybrids, ‘Picasso’ and ‘Decelles’ Avalanche,’ are blooming on a set of commemorative stamps issued by Canada Post. Both flowers were grown by members of the Société des Saintpaulia de Montréal (SSM). On the stamps, the flowers are presented in pots on a windowsill. Picasso is a heavy bloomer with double flowers that are violet above and white below, with some variable white fantasy. Decelles’ Avalanche has semi-double red-fuchsia star blooms and medium green and cream variegated foliage.

A tropical flower, the African Violet was first discovered in East Africa’s Usambara Mountains in 1892, by Baron Walter von Saint Paul-Illaire, a German district officer living in what is now Tanzania. He sent seeds to his father in Germany, where the plant acquired the botanical name, Saintpaulia. Today, there are 21 species, six variants and two natural hybrids of the African Violet known to growers. The genus’s seemingly endless variety includes more than 1,000 hybrids developed and registered by Canadians. Its ease of care and extensive selection considered, it’s no wonder the African Violet is the most popular houseplant in the world.