Newbie question #1 Optimara plants

Hi Everyone,
I have a lot of questions and I'm sure by the time I get to newbie question #99 you guys are going to be sick of me, lol.
Today I was repotting one of my Walmart violets and I was surprised to find that the optimara marker actually had a name "Chico".
Do all optimara violets have names even if they are only marked with a generic tag. Does that mean that all the optimaras really do have names and they are not unnamed violets at all.
This is just one of the many questions I have :)
Thanks,
Sue

Optimara's do have names. At one time they used to label all their plants by name but in the last years have not done so basically putting on their Optimara label without the variety name. Occasionaly you can find them labeled by name like you just did. I know the company has received many complaints on this issue. It seems I read an article explaining that much of their work force is illiterate and caused mix ups and confusion so they did away with the variety name labeling.

Yes SnowRose is so correct. I read back a couple years ago they were not going to name them. If you want correct named plants you have to buy them from Optimara direct.
They said so many plants were being named wrong they decided not to name any.
I've seen some variegated Optimara African violets Minis and semis in stores and I know they have no names as Optimara does not have any mini/semi named variegated plants.
I feel their nice plants even if their not named !
Glamorpuss this is info on Chico from FC .
Optimara Chico (9122) 05/29/2002 (R. Holtkamp) Single white sticktite pansy/wide blue ruffled edge. Medium green, plain, glossy, hairy, scalloped. Standard
It's a pretty plant ! Does your's look like this then you know the name tag is correct.

It's not in bloom right now, it must of been when I bought it but I know it's not blue. It might've been purple though. Now I can't wait for it to bloom again. That's pretty!

Thanks for the info. I am trying to start some leaves from this one, just to see if i can do it.

Sue

Sue: Check out this Optimara photo at there website ... pic does look purple! Very Pretty! Sometimes when I take a pic of a purple Av and download it, the color looks blue. I have heard someone else say that happens a lot with the purple and blue flowers!

Wow! It's a gorgeous plant!

http://www.optimara.com/optimarafieldguide/varietiesa-l/chico.html

So ... on the Optimara website where, like this one at the link below, says 2" miniature ... they are referring to the pot size and not the plant? This particular plant "Little Cheyenne Girl" is not a miniature, but a Standard in a 2" pot??

http://www.optimara.com/optimarafieldguide/varietiesa-l/cheyenne.html

I think I answered my own question ... you were saying mini's with variegated foliage? I am thinking just mini's. Oooh ... I love their website ... some of these AV's are just sooo gorgeous!

Optimara Chico on Optimara says Bloom Color: Bi-color, white with a blue edge
This means it's not all purple .. Optimara registered it with AVSA as; Optimara Chico (9122) 05/29/2002 (R. Holtkamp) Single white sticktite pansy/wide blue ruffled edge. Medium green, plain, glossy, hairy, scalloped. Standard
Yet Optimara web sight says reg. number is 8948
which is odd ?
Yes Optimara has 8 African violets variegated registered in First Class ~ Alll standard.
Also on Optimara web sight they have only the same 5 variegated standard AV's
http://www.optimara.com/optimarafieldguide/violetsbyleaftype/variegated.html
Yes Optimara Little Cheyenne is registered as a Semiminiature
Optimara Little Cheyenne (7916) 07/06/1993 (Holtkamp) Semidouble blue and white/blue center. Light green, ovate, glossy, hairy, serrated. Semiminiature
They do have wonderful African violets. Back years ago lot's of the older long time growers stubbed their nose up at them .... and the Silverglade they say they were too much like Optimara.
Don't know if they feel the same way though all are different ..but you don't see many Optimara's at shows .
Now the Optimara's and Silverglades are so hard to get with correct names and getting them with correct names can be costly. ##

Hee Hee .... I am laughing at that statement about some grower's snubbing the Optimara Av's. My DH and I went to a local Gardening Show here in town about a month ago and we stopped by the AV booth/table and the two ladies asked me if I had any "Named" AV's ... I said, yes .... just one ... It's name is Optimara 'Annabelle' .... they had such strange looks on their faces and began talking about ones they had on the table. I thought it was a bit strange! Mabye for some reason some folks just don't like Optimara for propagating so many different AV's. I haven't seen an Op Av I didn't like! Or, maybe some folks don't like it that Optimara's are out there in the market at such reasonable prices that people are buying so many of them and not the more expensive ones from other growers?

I say the prettiest AVs I come across are always shipped from Optimara....I am only someone who loves african violets...am not and don't ever want to be a collector of them.......

Ditto, Gail .... I love Optimara Violet's too, didn't plan on becoming a collector, but ya sure wouldn't know it by the looks of my plant stands. I never would have believed I would ever have this many AV's. Most are Optimara Noids .... one of these days I will sit down and study their website pages real hard to see if I can identify them ... hee hee ... one of these days .... maybe .... when I can find the time! :)

I am positive these minis have names....every one of them has semi or double bloom and double color,etc...along with variegated foliage....