Abstract
The African violet was described scientifically for the first time in 1893, and named Saintpaulia ionantha by Wendland (1893). The genus belongs to the family Gesneriaceae, and the 20 species originate from South-East Africa. Breeding was done mainly with Saintpaulia ionantha and S. confusa, and as a result the cultivars existing today are regarded as S. ionantha hybrids (Moore 1957). Intensive breeding efforts led to a wide spectrum of cultivars in different flower colors and shapes. The economic importance of S. ionantha as an ornamental warmhouse plant increased, so now it is one of the most-sold plants in Europe and the USA. However, important characters have to be improved, like plant quality with regard to transport ability, cold tolerance, disease and pest resistances, especially against the Californian flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis),and yellow, orange, or true red flower colors.
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