African Violet 2 bloom colours on 1 plant (1crown only)

(Question)

I’ve been growing and propagating African Violets for 50 years but this is a first for me. (2 very different coloured blooms on the same plant.) Could you tell me how this happened and is it as rare as I suspect? Since I live in Bowmanville, you may prefer to FaceTime to get a better look at it. There are still blooms on the plant, there are more buds yet to open and a second group might also be that bluish mauve colour.
I have made numerous inquiries but have yet to get any answers.
I eagerly await your reply.

(Answer)

 

This can happen with plants that are hybrids (created from 2 different parents). The flowers revert to the colour of a previous genetic parent This often happens with roses for example and is called reversion. There has been a great deal of hybridizing done in the past several years with African violets because of the demand for newer, different, hardier, prettier, more unusual specimens.

You can go to the website of the African Violet Society of Canada avsc.ca or the Toronto African Violet Society tavs.ca for details about hybridization and contact them to see what their experiences have been with  blossom colour change and whether anything can be done to get your violet to bloom only in one colour as when purchased.

Monty Don, the well-known British plant expert has answered a similar question in his Daily Mail newspaper column. as follows:

If African violets become stressed – because they are too cold or too wet – they spontaneously revert to the colour of one of their parents. Once they have changed colour, they are unlikely to return to their original hue.

Another possibility could  be a change in alkalinity in your potting soil. A lower soil ph (ie; more acidic soil)  could possible change  the pink colouration  in your bloom to blue.