Compilation
Saintpaulia diplotricha

USES. Cultivated as an ornamental, though not as widely as var. ionantha. CONSERVATION This variety suffers from the same habitat threats as the typical variety in the Tanga region and is likely to have experienced significant population declines both over past decades and at present. It is also known from less than 10 localities at present. It is thus assessed as Vulnerable (VU A2c, B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)). Var . diplotricha superficially appears distinct from var. ionantha on account of the striking diplotrichous leaf indumentum, but in other respects (capsule shape and size, corolla indumentum and leaf shape and thickness) is very close to that taxon. As diplotrichy appears to have evolved on several occasions within the species it is not likely to be of great taxonomic significance, but the apparent consistency of indumentum type within populations permits the recognition of diplotricha at the varietal level. The type is a rather scant specimen; the fruits are atypically slender for subsp. ionantha but the leaf shape and indumentum are close to plants from Sigi Segoma and from an isolated population in the Handei Village Forest, E Usambaras (e.g. Simiyu et al. H48!), which are referable to var. diplotricha. Collections from Kwamgumi in the E Usambaras vary from typical var. diplotricha (Iversen 86607! & Borhidi et al. 86647!) to caulescent plants with a predominantly puberulent leaf indumentum with only scattered longer hairs, the hairs appearing somewhat appressed at least on the petioles (Frontier Tanzania 3157! & Simiyu et al. H9–15!). Similar plants to the latter are also recorded from Kwamtili (e.g. Simiyu et al. Kwamtili 8!). These gatherings appear intermediate with subsp. grotei; fruiting material is required to further elucidate their identity.