African Violets and Gesneriads: November BINGO, let the game begin!, 1 by critterologist

critterologist wrote:
LOL, Nancy, that's just what my niece said! You both have vivid imaginations... such silly girls! ;-)

From what I've read, "girl" foliage gets its name because it was first associated with a series of newly hybridized AVs with "girl" in the name. The foliage is somewhat cupped, often ruffled, and characterized by serrated edges and a lighter coloration in the center toward the base of the leaf. Girl leafed plants can be a little tricky to grow well-shaped, as the leaves tend to twist and curl. With some varieties, it seems to help to remove every other row of leaves so the plant doesn't turn into a tight little ball. Because of this, I think I'm starting to prefer the girl foliage trailers, which can grow as wildly as they please...

In this photo, the camera did one of those funky things and the blooms came out a little more lavender than they actually are... The first photo is more true to the color of the blooms... but I couldn't resist showing all these big blooms on this little plant!