Cape Primrose
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Cape Violet, False African Violet and Nodding Violet.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exceptionPenn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Let the soil or potting mix dry between waterings.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In winter, water sparingly as the compost dries; in the growing season, water generously and let the compost dry between waterings. Feed every two weeks with a high-potassium fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- In winter give little water as the compost dries; in the growing season water generously but let the compost dry between waterings. Every two weeks, give a high-potassium fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttings root easily. In early spring, grow new plants from seed or divide large, established plants.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from seed or leaf cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by tarsonemid mite, vine weevil, thrips, mealybugs and glasshouse leafhoppers. Diseases: powdery mildews or grey moulds (botrytis).RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Streptocarpus saxorum, called the false African violet, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Streptocarpus, subgenus Streptocarpella, native to Kenya and Tanzania. It is an evergreen perennial that often bears flowers nearly year-round. Its "compact" variety has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as a houseplant.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- SE. Kenya to TanzaniaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Southeast Kenya to TanzaniaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Kenya, TanzaniaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- seasonally dry tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- semisucculent perennialWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Annual, Epiphyte, Herbaceous Perennial; habit cascading, moundingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Trailing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 6–8 in; width 8–12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers purple/lavender, white; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers purple in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.