It could be Cora, gone solid because of conditions. You can see some white on it. You should show the leaves - they help.

Diana in PA

The entire plant.

I think it is Cora.

Gosh, that's beautiful.

I think it's Cora too. I can see the edge of the Optimara pot in the second post. What is BBS?

Lucky, Terri and I both have Cora that turned white, and we did not get the leaves from each other, so you might be the sole owner of a Cora that remained purple. Once my Cora turned white, I gave up on trying to i.d. it! Joanne

Mine is blooming right now and gorgeous dark purple and white. It was much lighter when it was colder though. Maybe yours will darken with the warm weather coming.

If you love dark purple and white then you will love Starry Night Blue. I got Cora togo with my Starry Night and another similar in color, Midnight Waves. Joanne

Joanne

My Cora's turned white also. I am growing leaves to see if I can get the color again. What I believe was Giselle also turned white. I have too many muddy unstable whites. I am not keeping them anymore. Set a leaf and see if it will come true.

I have Starry Night Blue as a leaf from Joanne. It hasn't bloomed yet but it is a good grower in natural light and sets mouse ears very quickly and reliably. I will post a picture when it blooms. It should do that fairly soon.

This is intriguing because that looks very similar to an Optimara I just picked up at Lowes... although mine has more white edging. after I got it home, I thought too that perhaps it was a Cora... and kicked myself because someone just sent me a Cora leaf in a trade!

Here is mine:

no two Coras are ever the same. anyway, i have other white and purple violets that do the same switch with colors, Arctic Frost is an example. Lucky, perhaps you will fine a senior center to donate the plants that you don't want. Usually the ladies there are more than happy and nostalgic for a violet. Joanne

Thanks Joanne! I will donate.

Shihtzusu Yes, that must be Cora. I found mine in a grocery store. Now I know they are getting Optimara. That is what Lowes carries.

That is a very pretty plant you have there Shihtzusu. Let's compare in a year and see if those plants are anything alike.

Lucky and Su, I just picked up this plant, it looks exactly like yours, so it must be one that Optimara is offering this spring. It does not seem to be the same as Cora from last year, which was a lighter color, the petals where not so irregular, and it had more white in a swirled pattern. This one is more smudgy and wild-looking. It looks like the current photo on the Optimara page. Lots of bloom.Joanne

Joanne

Well, hello!

I wondered when you were going to realize that this Cora is not like that other Cora and neither of them is like my first Cora :)

The first Cora I had resembled Silver Glade Bauble. The second is darker than my first Cora. In both plants, the leaves were quilted, thicker and the petals were not so irregular. It had more white in a swirled pattern. Cora Lite and Cora Dark. Now this may be Cora but it wild and smudged. Exactly.

Also, this new "Cora" is not a thumb-print. It is a variable wide Geneva edge on my version. You can see more of the variable Geneva edge on Shihtzu4su's plant

I like this plant. What I am going to find out is if this Cora turns white in cooler weather like the other two did.

What could it be besides Cora?

I bought my Cora this year and it has a beautiful thumbprint. My guess is different growing conditions maybe once it hit the stores? My Cora was uninspiring at the store and almost didn't buy it but I've seen over and over how much prettier they are after a little care. The blooms since I brought it home have been gorgeous! She now has a full bouquet. If I can get off my lazy rear, I'll take a pic tomorrow.

Nice photos, especially that close up at the top of the thread! Yes, this seems to be a new version of Cora. The grocery shop where I got it had only one Cora, with a lot of various deep pinks in all sorts of variations. Another grocery store of the same chain also had a lot of pinks and a few of Manitoba.

I found this old post from 7/2014 that I noted: "One [Cora] that I bought directly from Optimara bloomed mostly white with a little purple, a very full head of bloom and did not sucker. Every bloom was consistent. Now in its second blooming, it is very dark purple with just a touch of white on the blooms." That is the same plant that bloomed nearly all white again last January. The one I bought from Selective did not sucker. The ones I bought in local stores sucker. The farm where it was raised tends to have O's that have a lot of suckers in a pot, or several crowns.

Joanne