# How Can I Tell a Sucker From a Flower Stalk in African Violets?
African violets are flowering houseplants that belong to the Saintpaulia species. They appear in a number of varieties and require bright, indirect sunlight to display blooms in pink, purple, white, blue and red. The shapes of their blossoms and leaves also vary depending on the cultivar. Older African violets produce a leggy stem you can use to propagate the plant. That stalk -- a sucker -- distinguishes itself from a flower stem by being rootless.
Instructions
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1
Move the African violet’s leaves out of the way with your fingers as you look for the stalk’s point of origin. If you find it above the soil line, extending from a rooted stem, the stalk is a sucker. Go to step 2 if you cannot see where the stem starts because it is below the surface.
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2
Remove the violet from its pot carefully if all stems are in the soil. Shake the dirt off gently so you can see where the stalks begin.
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3
Prod with your fingers, following the stalk in question to the spot where it sprouts. The plant has a sucker if you find that the stalk is the branch of a rooted stem.
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