Wow, that must have been some gale. If it was my plant, I would take off bottom leaves until I had a stem that I could re-root. Trim the stem of all leaf stubs, pot into a smallish pot, and bag it until it re-roots. I wouldn't use rooting hormone, not necessary. After a couple of weeks, tug on the plant gently to see if it sent out new roots. If it has, start to 'wean' it from the plastic bag by opening it a little for a couple of days, then a little more, etc. Pot the leaves also for new plants and 'just in case'. The more I think about this, the more I wonder if the stem might have rotted, and the wind was enough to flip it to the floor. Be sure to check the end of the stem on the crown; it should be green, not brown and mushy. If brown, treat as above by removing all the brown part until you get to good fresh green, then pot up. Good luck. Barbara

Hi Begonia Thank you for posting the question. I have found the space violets to be satisfactory in every way--the bloom count is amazing. Along with the Everfloris, seeds from other Optimara varieties were also sent into space, such as the Rhapsodies and some of the States series. I have a few that are in constant bloom, with a full bouquet of blooms that is much larger than any other AVs. Several of my AV friends, who are not collectors, they just enjoy having a few AVS, raise these for the heavy blooming. They are very easy to grow. They rest just a short time in between bloom cycles. I have also had success in raising Optimaras from leaves that I got from Selective Gardener. They are very sturdy, with thick petioles and they grow rapidly from leaves. Having a few of these in full bloom to brighten up the collection is a joy. Joanne 47 This post was edited by fortyseven on Sat, Jan 4, 14 at 1:57

Well, Wow that is quite the trait! I see what you mean every violet has them, but some are so small, I can barely consider it a leaf, these are quarter sized, and look like the momma leaves, quite unique. I have read that if they are propagated by leaf, they sport, and quite often go back to a faded blue, so am I safe to assume that if I did give it away, it would lose its name and become "a sport of".....Would the suckers bloom true to the parent? These AV genetics stump me sometimes....lol Thanks

Oh I know, and you are absolutely right but there is much behind me wanting one of these. My partner and I are huge science nerds. My love is biology, theirs is space. I know these are not the most spectacular violet out there (I only want one for that reason), just that the LDEF project was incredibly exciting to both of us. My partner also edited most of the articles published around this, and good portions of the writing is their work. Also, they did all the photo editing for this project, and most if not all of the photo editing from the shuttle trips from 1988 to 1995. Some of my love's works are in textbooks and Astronomy Today. These plants are special to us... not for how they look, but for the way they combine our passions. For these reasons, there will always be a place in my collection for one of these overgrown funky violets. :)