Here at least, some say "grown in Canada" and my grocery store ones seem to be Harster (Anthoflores). Did that one have any tag? At first I'd thought they were Optimara. The leaves are wrong for O. Texas and Texas doesn't seem quite as frilled to me. One of the Anthoflores I got is white with a thin red edge and it is ruffled. There is a blue counterpart, which I didn't buy but is shown on Harster's webpage. The foliage on the white/red one isn't the same but maybe it's one of their blue and whites. These come with pink or blue plastic pot covers as on the webpage. (I have Chico also and no leaf match there.) I think the plant does show birthmarking from what I can see in the photo. That will definitely make them go more blue. Note that Harster doesn't really have much in the way of photos. However they do show a few without names and 3 of those were at my supermarket marked "Grown in Canada." I found elsewhere that they grow over 200 varieties of african violets, but don't know if those are all Anthoflores or other kinds. Karin, I know what you mean. I started to wonder about my pH too. Of course he missed the "chomp marks" several of mine have. (Cat). I started to think the AVSA needed a class for catowners with no deductions for hair or a few toothmarks. Diana This post was edited by quimoi on Fri, May 2, 14 at 10:51

Are the flowers clustered, single or semi-double and of a pansy shape? It is hard to tell with the information you have given but if the stems have a group of flowers kind of clustered together like a group it could be a Optimara Tradition. This plant has the foliage you are describing. Hope this may help you. If you could give more of a description of the flowers it would be helpful. davioletman

Interesting to know that what you guess to be CT has not suckered. My Rob's Love Bite has never suckered, it has remained in a single whorl, it is close to two years old. (I have wondered if it was mislabeled.) By the way, the local grower who supplies the store where I got the Connecticut sometimes produces O plants that seem to be nothing by collections of suckers, with barely a whorl in sight. We have had discussions speculating about why this happens in our club. Some members drive out to the farm to pick up a quantity if they need them for a sale to the public. They can view the plants' growing conditions. They concluded that sometimes the plants are grown under stressed conditions, that is when they sucker. But that is just a theory. I will try to remember to report back the progress. Joanne

most if not all violets have the inclination to be thugs... i think it has more to do with the use and location ... if you only had 10 sq feet of garden allotment... i would say be done with it ... if you have acreage.. and dont mind it taking over an area which you dont want to mow ... but you need a ground cover.. what the heck.. why not ... in my sand.. i found that the grass basically browns out in july thru august.. and the only thing that was actually green out there in what i call a lawn.. but is more of a mowed pasture ... so at a 100 feet away.. it pleased me to see some green ... but back in suburbia.. i once collected any odd violet i saw around.. and after about ten years.. i just decided to move.. instead of deal with them.. lol ... not really but it makes a good story ... lol ken ps: one variation on the theme.. actually sprouted a seed pod in early spring... then leafed and flowered.. and seeded again .. and then there was a fall flowering that also matured to seed .. thats a lot of seed in one season ...