Mississippi: Optimara variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, bi-color flowers. Flowers are white with a pink edge. Leaves are dark green. Introduced 1987. Improved 1999 and 2000. (AVSA Reg. No. 6576) More information.
Missouri: Optimara variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, two-tone reddish-purple flowers and dark green leaves. Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6577) More information.
Mites: Tiny arachnids, many of which are known to feed on African Violets. Depending on the species, they measure between 1/150 to 1/100 inch in length and come in various colors. Some Mites specialize in specific parts of African Violets, while others will feed on almost the entire plant. Damage caused by Mites is compounded by the fact that many of them carry Botrytis. Also see Broad Mites, Cyclamen Mites, Privet Mites and Spider Mites.
Miticide: Also mitacide. Pesticide used to control Mites. Also see Dicofol.
Mix: Potting mix. See Potting Soil.
Miyako: Holtkamp variety (Europe). Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with semi-double, bi-color flowers. Flowers are purple with a white edge. Leaves are dark green (red reverse). Available in the U.S. as Maui.
Mn: Symbol for manganese, an essential element.
Mo: Symbol for molybdenum, an essential element.
Mobility: See Elemental Mobility.
Modesty: 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. (AVSA Reg. No. 8328) More information.
Mohawk: Optimara miniature variety. See Little Mohawk Girl.
Mold: Type of fungus. See Botrytis (Gray Mold) and Sooty Mold.
Mold Potting: Technique used for repotting. Mold potting involves using the pot in which an African Violet is currently growing to form a hole in the soil of the new pot. This "mold" is made to precisely accommodate the rootball formed in the old pot.
Molluscicide: Pesticide used to control mollusks, such as snails or slugs.
Molokai: Optimara variety. Small, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, bi-color flowers. Flowers are light blue with a white edge. Leaves are dark green (red reverse). Introduced 1987. (AVSA Reg. No. 6578) More information.
Molybdenum: (Mo) Essential element for the growth and vitality of African Violets. A micronutrient. Molybdenum plays an important role in the conversion of nitrogen into usable compounds.
Molybdenum Deficiency: Condition which describes an African Violet that is not getting enough molybdenum. Among other symptoms, a deficiency of molybdenum will cause leaves to pale on the edge (halo-ing), while the tips darken (leaf tip burn). More information.
Monet: Optimara variety belonging to the Artist's Palette series. Named for the French impressionist painter, Claude Monet. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, bi-color flowers. Flowers are blue and white. Leaves are medium green. Introduced 1995. (AVSA Reg. No. 8329) More information.
Monique: Rhapsodie variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with frilled, semi-double, light purple flowers and dark green leaves (red reverse). Introduced 1987. Improved 1990. (AVSA Reg. No. 6986 and 7361) More information.
Montana: Optimara variety. Medium, standard African Violet (4-inch pot size) with single, white flowers and medium green leaves. Introduced 1987. Improved 1991 and 1995. (AVSA Reg. No. 6579 and 7495) More information.
Moonstone: Optimara super miniature variety. See Little Moonstone.
Mosaic Variegated: Leaf type. Also called Lillian Jarrett variegated. Describes a variegated African Violet leaf with an evenly mottled appearance. Also see Champion Variegated, Nancy Reagan Variegated and Tommie Lou Variegated.
Mosaic Virus: See Virus.
Mother Leaf: See Leaf Cutting.
Multi-Color: Bloom pattern. Also called multi-colored. Describes an African Violet flower which exhibits more than one color.
Multiflorescence: Bloom characteristic developed by Optimara. Multiflorescence produces continuous and overlapping flowering cycles, so much that the African Violet which has this characteristic will have many more blooms open at the same time. Also see Semper Florescence.
Multiple Crown: Also called multiple-crowned. Describes an African Violet with more than one crown. Also see Caulescent.
Multiple-Stemmed: Growth habit. See Caulescent.
Mushroom Flies: Insects which feed on fungus and decaying organic matter. Mushroom Flies seldom cause damage to African Violets, but may be considered a nuisance. They measure about 1/16 inch in length and are usually grayish-brown or black in color. More information.
Mutant: See Sport.
Mutation: Describes an African Violet or part of an African Violet which exhibits physical characteristics indicative of a genetic change in that variety. The genetic change may either be induced, as occurred during the Space Violet program, or it may be spontaneous, which simply means that the cause of the change is unknown. When propagating by leaf, approximately one out of every 100 leaves will produce a mutation. Also see Sport.
MVL: See Master Variety List.
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