Center leaves are known to fold up in order to protect the crown when they get too much light. Perhaps this is the issue? I've read somewhere that placing a tissue over it for a week or so and checking the results will confirm whether it's getting too much sun.

Hope it helps,

~K

This very situation is what originally brought me to the board a few months ago.
For me, it was a light issue; I thought they were getting plenty but they wanted more.

When I finally got my light stand and the plant was placed in 14 hours of light/day - everything relaxed and became flat. The amount of controlled light was what was different for me.

Don't know if that applies to you or not but I'm just sharing what happened with me. I had to figure it out on my own.

Dora

Well...it could be a light issue,...BUT, it is happening in east facing windows,...I am in south Fla, and the east facing windows get direct sun on he A.V's till 11am,...BUT it is also happening on plants in the south facing windows and they get no direct light at all,...just 'bright light',the flowering in the south windows is poor. While mature plants are nice and flat and blooming right next to the others that are doing the folding in the EAST windows. See my confusion? P.S. All the windows have 'sun blocking screening' in them, it is suppose to block out nearly 90% of the UV light! And I can see OUT,but no one can see IN. It is that tight of a weave in the screen. BUT the violets bloom and grow great,...except this folding issue.

Maybe they're praying for the condition of the country to get better?
(I know...that was probably tacky)

I've come to believe that they are each a unique individual and I can't really explain why they behave the way they do sometimes.

Dora

Floridabear -

I think the window sunblock is the problem. They say it is removing UV - but actually it removes some energy in all parts of spectrum and you do not know to what extent. Mature plants have a lot of leaf surface to absorb enough light - and starters - not enough - that's why they are "pleading" for more light.

Tha's my thought. Can be right-can be wrong. I have tinted windows in my office - you can see out - they cannot see in. I brought the light meter - 1000 foot candles near the window - should be plenty - but the plants grow but do not bloom. Something missing.

Irina

Well they are far from 'starter' violets. They are blooming size and pretty big,...I just haven't potted them up. But like I said..I guess it could be a light issue. But I have always had this screening, and all my violets have grown with it on the windows and grown into big blooming plants,...or have died from mite infestations:(. This is my second full 'crop' of violets, after months of NO plants at all. To be sure that there were no mites. And I know it isnt mites this time.:)

You've mentioned that the plants that are doing this are blooming. Are they blooming *really* well? My "office violet" grows under a small fluorescent light, and when it blooms really well the leaves grow upward because the unidirectional light is being blocked by a mound of flowers. This plant has been doing this for almost 3 years.
Maybe the blooms are blocking light in your case too?
Adam in NH

Yes my violets are covered in blooms. I have to cut off flower stems to clear room to see the blooms! There are to many flowers. I like fantasy blooms, and when they bloom to many flowers at once, I miss the spots and splashes on the blooms, it gets to colorful! So I thin them out. I keep waiting for them to stop blooming! They must be exhasuted, and no I am not feeding them to make them bloom,just VERY weak A.V reg. plant food, in every 3rd-4th watering. 1 big violet is finally not bloooming in that window facing east, a 'Funambule'. It just put out about 7 flower stalks, and the last one finally died. And I dont see any new ones coming yet. But it has bloomed for nearly 5 months non stop. Yet right next to it, is one with the folding leaves, and no flowers,...that hasn't flowered in 2 months,but the one next to it is folded also,and is blooming all over the place! I cant figure it out!!

I know it's a bit late to add to your post, but I did just join (30 seconds ago) specifically to tell you... I own a 15 year old Prayer plant (along with at least 300 different other species), and I know exactly what you mean. I would say it's a change in culture for that specific plant. I have had plants who had too much light, not enough light, and none of them did a Prayer plant maneuver-they did however grow like celery stalks with long stems and light green leaves, and small leaves short stems brittle cracked stems(like a calloused foot) with tight burnt crowns and dark foliage. None of them had "Prayer plant" syndrome. I would say by now if you haven't moved the plant around too much, it's been long enough to be able to tell if it's from too much or too little light. look for light colored leaves with long stems regardless of a celery stalk appearance, for lack of light, and short stems with small brittle dark leaves regardless of a tight bunched up/brown crown, from too much light. On the up side, if it happens to be from too much light and the crown is burnt and you don't want to have rows of burnt or missing leaves or end up with a dead crown, lop that sucker of, and in a few months you'll have a bunch of suckers (pun intended), from which you can grow a plethora of new babies, and not only that, but if you did that and also took cuttings from the "Prayer leaves", you may be able to tell if it's genetic/the plants natural "evolution", especially if you split the babies up into different areas as an experiment in growth, to see if different ones grown in different areas happen to also have "Prayer Syndrome". Though chances are they won't all have that even if it is genetic/inherited, because chances are you have a plant with unstable genes-perhaps some babies will be red or ruffled or fantasied depending on the parents dominant and recessive genes/genetic makeup. Anyway, best of luck, I'm sure by now you've got a better idea of what it is since the plant has grown out and can seen the leaves grown out from the crown. I'm in upstate New York and grow my plants as all the windows, and from time to tome I get lack of or too much light signs, and the Prayer Plant, so I'm pretty sure I know what you mean and chances are it's just a natural change for that plant. I tool a leaf off a plant which was a complete bell "cup", and several of the children had all cupped leaves (like a teacup and nothing I've seen before), so it's worth a shot to take a few of those folded leaves and propagate them. Good luck!

Oh and remember, if the leaves are all normal on all the babies, then you'll know it's due to something else such as light or nutrients, and I got all caught up in my response so I meant so say plants, not plant. If it's more than one plant then, it may just be a light or other issue, but it was intriguing to hear Prayer Plant-like leaves, and I really wanted to reply to your post! You never know! Maybe they're all somehow related from a common close ancestor and all carry a gene that was hidden till now-look how long true yellows took to appear for instance, and we haven't even seen true orange or true reds yet, just very dark pink. We may even see black or a deeper green or a turquoise. Alright, I'll stop now, I'm sure your patooter (what we call our Shiloh Shepard's butt) is numb by now and your eyes or popping out begging for a rest! Oh, and look at the AV called Celery, I'm sure there's more types of leaves that haven't even been discovered yet because of all the focus on blooms. Okay I promise I'm done.