Chimeras as african violets that have more than one set of DNA. This means that they are more complicated to propagate as they cannot be propogated by leaf.

Due to this complication in the process, as well as the time it takes to verify the chimera is true (still has both sets of DNA and has the proper flower and leaf colours), they are a little more expensive than non-chimera violets.

Chimeras can be observed as leaf or flower chimeras. Leaf chimeras have multi-coloured patches on their leaf that are not a natural variegation pattern. Flower chimeras typically have a stripe down the centre of each petal. Basically, the outside of the petal has one set of DNA and the inside has another.

If you buy a starter plant or medium sized plant that isn't blooming, I do give bloom-time estimates on my plant order form. However, keep in mind that these are only estimates. Sometimes plants can bloom much sooner than expected or take longer due to many variables such as light, soil, and temperature.

"NOID" is a term, generally used for African Violet hybrids, that means "No identification." It is used for violets that don't have their official hybrid name. It is not that the violet doesn't have a name given by their hybridizer, but instead it is the case that the name has been lost or never was inluded with the violet when it was obtained (very common with violets bought at common big box stores or greenhouses).

I give my "NOID" violets an unofficial name (with the label NOID still attached to make this clear) so that they can be distinguished from one another. Just because a violet doesn't have it's official name doesn't take away from its beauty, so if you have a NOID that you enjoy, don't let it discourage you that it doesn't have its name.

The short answer is generally no...

There are thousands of African Violet hybrids, some which are registered in an official database such as the AVSA database and others which have an official name, but were never registered with a database (such as many of the Russian hybrids). This means that many violet hybrids have similar characteristics to others that can make them nearly indistinguishable. Add to this that violets vary in their growth patterns and flower colouration due to environmental conditions such as temperature, it's nearly impossible to identify a violet's hybrid name once it is lost.

Of course, if there is some information about the violet, such as the person it was originally purchased from along with a list of violets they had at the time, it can be possible to identify it. However, if it's from a general greenhouse or grocery store, it's unlikely it can be identified.

The only way to truly identify an african violet would be if there was a genetic database of african violet hybrids to which you could compare the NOID violet after doing a DNA test on it. It's a cool idea, but so far no one has invested the money to create one!

I have the ability and know-how to ship internationally, however, it is complex because it can require things such as a phytosanitary certificate. If you are hoping to have some of my plants shipped to you internationally, please contact me directly at jadeliciasplantshop@gmail.com and we can discuss what is involved.