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Glossary

African Violet Glossary

Cilia: sing. cilium. Plant hairs. On African Violets, these are often most visible on the leaves.

Cincinnati: Optimara variety. Small, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, two-tone pink flowers and medium green, girl-type leaves. More information.

Cindy: Rhapsodie variety. Small, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size). Flowers are pink single. Leaves are medium green (red reverse). More information.

Citrophilus Mealy Bugs: Pseudococcus calceolariae. A common species of Mealy Bug known to feed on African Violets. See Leaf Mealy Bugs.

Citrus Mealy Bugs: Planococcus citri. A common species of Mealy Bug known to feed on African Violets. See Leaf Mealy Bugs.

Citrus Oil: Oil with natural insecticidal properties which have been extracted from citrus peels. The active ingredients in these oils are Linalool and d-Limonene. Citrus oils are sometimes combined with insecticidal soap to produce an alternative to traditional chemical treatments for controlling various insect pests, including Aphids, Mites and Beetles. While considered relatively safe to use, neither its effectiveness nor its side-effects have been fully established for African Violets.

Cl: Symbol for chlorine, an essential element.

Claudia (1): Rhapsodie variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, two-tone pink flowers and dark green leaves. Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6609) More information.

Claudia (2): Holtkamp variety (Europe). Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, blue flowers and medium green leaves. Renamed Alice.

Clementine: Rhapsodie variety. Large, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size). Flowers are light blue stars. Leaves are dark green (red reverse). Introduced 1995. (AVSA Reg. No. 8341) More information.

Cleveland: Optimara variety. Compact African Violet (3-inch pot size) with single, red flowers and medium green, girl-type leaves. Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6552) More information.

Clump: See Rooted Clump.

Co: Symbol for cobalt, a trace element.

CO2 Fertilization: See Carbon Dioxide Fertilization.

Cobalt: (Co) Trace element which, though not fully established, may have beneficial effects for African Violets.

Coccus hesperidum: Brown Soft Scale. A common species of Scale Insect known to feed on African Violets. See Scale.

Collar: Also called neck, main stem or leader. On African Violets, the collar is that part of the plant just below the leaf stems which connects to the roots.

Collembola: See Springtails.

Color Pattern: See Bloom Pattern.

Colorado: Optimara variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, red flowers and medium green leaves. Introduced 1977. Improved 1988 and 1990. (AVSA Reg. No. 3152 and 6943) More information.

Columbus: Optimara variety. Compact African Violet (3-inch pot size) with single, bi-color flowers. Flowers are purple and white. Leaves are dark green (girl-type). Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6553) More information.

Comanche: Optimara miniature variety. See Little Comanche Girl.

Commodore: Early African Violet cultivar from which many of today's varieties have been developed. One of the first 10 commercial hybrids introduced in 1927, all of which had blue flowers. More information.

Compact: Description of plant size or growth habit. Typically grown in 3-inch pots. A compact African Violet has relatively short petioles which hold the leaves in tight arrangement with the flowers, making its overall size a little smaller than a small, standard African Violet, but still larger than a miniature. A compact African Violet will usually be 6 to 8 inches in diameter.

Compassion: Optimara variety belonging to the Victorian Charm series. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, blue flowers and variegated leaves. Introduced 1995. More information.

Complete: Describes plants on which all the flowers have both the male (stamen) and female (pistil) parts. African Violets have complete flowers. Also see Perfect.

Complete Fertilizer: Fertilizer which contains all three of the primary elements. Also see Balanced Fertilizer.

Compound: Leaf type. See Bustleback.

Confusa: See Saintpaulia confusa.

Conga: Optimara variety belonging to the Little Dancer series. Compact African Violet (3-inch pot size) with frilled, lilac flowers and medium green leaves. Introduced 1997. More information.

Connecticut: Optimara variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, lilac flowers and medium green leaves. Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6554) More information.

Constant Feed: Describes a quick-release fertilizer in which the concentration of essential elements has been diluted so that an African Violet or other plant can be fertilized every time it is watered. Such a fertilizer in no way diminishes the effectiveness of a fertilizer program. In some ways, a constant feed fertilizer can be more effective by reducing the danger of overfertilizing and by providing a consistent, uninterrupted supply of the nutrients that African Violets need.

Contact Pesticide: A pesticide which is applied superficially to plants, or directly to the pests themselves, and is formulated to react with the pest by simply coming into contact with it, i.e., it is not intended to be ingested. Also see Systemic.

Container: Any item used for potting an African Violet, leaf cuttings, peduncle cuttings, suckers or seedlings. Examples include pots and plant trays.

Continuous Blooming: See Semper Florescence.

Continuous Flowering: See Semper Florescence.

Controlled-Release: See Slow-Release.

Copper: (Cu) Essential element for the growth and vitality of African Violets. A micronutrient. Copper is necessary for photosynthesis and for metabolizing nutrients into usable energy sources.

Copper Deficiency: Condition which describes an African Violet that is not getting enough copper. Among other symptoms, a deficiency of copper can cause the appearance of white spots on leaves. More information.

Copper Sulfate: An elemental fungicide sometimes recommended for controlling the growth of fungus spores such as those that spread Botrytis. Copper sulfate is also indicated for use against Bacterial Leaf Blight. It is not recommended for African Violets, since it can burn foliage.

Cora: Rhapsodie variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, bi-color flowers. Flowers are blue and white. Leaves are medium green. Introduced 1999. More information.

Coral: Optimara super miniature variety. See Little Coral.

Cordate: Leaf type. See Heart-Shaped.

Corinna: Rhapsodie variety. Large, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size). Flowers are light pink stars. Leaves are dark green (red reverse). Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6610) More information.

Cornelia: Rhapsodie variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with semi-double, light blue flowers and dark green leaves. Introduced 1999. More information.

Corolla: On African Violets, the entirety of all the petals of a flower.

Corolla Tube: On African Violets, the very short tube formed by the fusion of petals near the base of a flower.

Corny: Holtkamp variety (Europe). Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, pink flowers and medium green leaves. Available in the U.S. as Florida.

Coryneospora: Fast-spreading bacterium which attacks the leaves of African Violets.

Cottony Mealy Bugs: See Leaf Mealy Bugs.

Cotyledon: Also called seed leaf. The very tiny leaves of an embryonic seedling contained within a seed. These tiny leaves will be the first to emerge during germination.

 
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