THE TIME & PLACE TO SAVE AFRICAN VIOLETS FROM EXTINCTION NOW

AFRICAN VIOLETS

With voluptuous blossoms & lush velvety leaves, African Violets (Saintpaulias) are among the most beautiful plants on the planet! And while we love them, we face losing them forever.With many species and subspecies now classified as endangered or threatened, African Violets could soon become extinct.

Native to the Eastern Arc mountaintops of Tanzania and adjacent southeastern Kenya, a biodiversity hotspot, African Violets are losing ground as their cloud forest habitats are being cleared for agriculture.

There is a concentration of species in the Nguru mountains of Tanzania, with colors ranging from pure white to soft pinks to brilliant purples.

A team of scientists at University at Buffalo has crowdfunded an initiative to sequence the African Violet genome, which can help lead to efforts that can save these beautiful plants from extinction.

The research, led by biologists Charlotte Lindqvist and Victor Albert, will first focus on Saintpaulia ionantha. Aureliano Bombarely Gomez, a genobotanist at Virginia Tech, is also contributing. Their mission is to map the African Violet’s DNA, to gain insights that can benefit both breeding and conservation.

Understanding how the African Violet has adapted in the past to environmental changes can help us understand how the African violet might adapt or respond to future habitat encroachment and climate change.

Check out the African Violet study video.

Read more about Beautiful Violet in 10 Beautiful Violet Images & Ideas Now, Surprisingly Beautiful Violet Creatures and Beautiful Edible Violets Guild The Sweet Lily Now.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Boaz Ng. “African Violets.”
2. Image: by photogramma1. “African Violet.”
3. Image: by Charlotte Lindqvist, of University at Buffalo. Usambara Mountains, Eastern Arc Mountain Range. Tanzania.
4. Image: by Al. “Amour Elite.” African Violet.
5. Image: by Charlotte Lindqvist, of University at Buffalo. The African Violet. Saintpaulia ionantha. Tanzania.
6. Image: by lovinlife642000. “Violet Flower.”
7. Image: by Andrew Malone. “African Violet.”
8. Image: by Andrew Gustar. “African Violet.”
9. Image: by Chrys Omori. “Violet.”
10. Image: by Emma L Brown. “African Violets.”
11. Image: by BN App - Download now!
12. Image: “Kitulo National Park, Sea of Flowers.” Courtesy of Tanzania Tourist Board.