African violets (Saintpaulia H.Wendl., Gesneriaceae) are among the world's most popular houseplants. Thousands of cultivars exist and are commercially grown for homes and offices throughout Europe and North America. The annual wholesale value of Saintpaulia in the USA and the Netherlands alone is over F 50 million. In contrast to the popularity and economic value of the cultivars, the native distribution of the genus is restricted to small areas in Tanzania and Kenya, and most of the c. 25 wild species are endangered. Urgent actions are needed to save the genetic diversity of the genus. However, basic information on the distribution, habitat requirements, and accurate conservation status of the wild species is inadequate, and very few data exist on their biology, which hampers effective conservation work. In the last decade, the growing awareness among botanists and conservationists of the critical situation of Saintpaulia has led to a number of research and conservation initiatives. This paper provides an overview of the activities known to the authors: research on systematics, phylogenetics, population biology, and conservation biology, and in situ and ex situ conservation initiatives. The ongoing activities are placed against a listing of needs of information and measures for efficient conservation of the genus. Critical information and action gaps are identified. Plans to fill one of the gaps - ex situ conservation in European botanic gardens - are put forward. A preliminary listing of Saintpaulia accessions in some European botanic gardens is presented, and a call for collaboration in ex situ conservation is issued.
