How did the violet get its name?

Answer 1

It was discovered by Baron Walter Von Saint-Paul in 1892 and, upon its introduction in Europe, was baptized Saintpaulia ionantha. The genus Saintpaulia was named after its discoverer and the species name, ionantha, is Greek, meaning "having flowers like the violet's".

From that point on, the common name of "African violet" became popular, giving the impression that the genus is related to the true violet, Viola. In fact, the two genera are very different, botanically speaking.

Answer 2

It was discovered by Baron Walter Von Saint-Paul in 1892 and, upon its introduction in Europe, was baptized Saintpaulia ionantha. The genus Saintpaulia was named after its discoverer and the species name, ionantha, is Greek, meaning "having flowers like the violet's".

From that point on, the common name of "African violet" became popular, giving the impression that the genus is related to the true violet, Viola. In fact, the two genera are very different, botanically speaking.

Answer 3

The colour came first, violet is one of the oldest colours known to man and the history can be traced back over 25,000 years. Variations were produced from grinding manganese and mixing it with water or animal fat. Also blackberries were a common source of dye sometimes mixing with mulberries and crushed green grapes. The colour could be imitated by crushing two sea snails and was named Tyrian Purple. Violet became the status colour of Emperors and princes of the Church. The colour took its name from a small plant in the 14th Century, the name developed from the flower