Maas' Memories is a standard with medium green, plain foliage. The bloom is a large, pink star with white rays that propagate true.
Sorry it took so long to answer but I got the description from someone else.
Fred in NJ

How exciting! Sounds like it looks like a chimera! I was given a leaf almost a year ago, but none of the baby plantlets have bloomed yet. I love the Maas vintage violets. I also have Maas Janet, Mark and C. Leppard.
Thank you so much Fred!

Dragonfly-

have a question to you. Where did you get Maas' leaves?

My Chris Leppard starter is blooming. Gorgeous mid-purple pansies. i would love to get more of his varieties.

Irina

I got them at the Tulsa convention. One of the seminars was on the late Max Maas. At the end Janet gave away piles of leaves. I would love to get more of them as well. Maybe I will find some leaves at the Reno convention. My C. Leppard has a pink blossom, yours is mid-purple?. We are just finishing up work on a new sun room/plant room so I will have plenty of room for more plants! I can fit in 3 more lighted plant stands on the one wall with no windows and will be able to have some growing in natural light as well. I can't wait!

Irina,
Chris Leppard is actually a rose colored blossom.

Chris Leppard (4636) 11/30/1981 (M. Maas) Double rose frilled. Plain, ruffled. Large
Fred in NJ

Fred -

my fault - I didn't look at the description - and my leaf is from Tulsa too. It is pink with the purplish tint and it is has darker and lighter shades, but not rose pink.

I will try to make pic of it and post. Since it came from the talk about Maas - I hope if it is not it, it is still one of his plants - possibly mislabeled.

I tried to find a good pic of Chris Leppard on internet - and there is one on AVSA gallery - and it is from the beginning of the era of digital photography - and the closeup of it - looks half pink half blue.

Hope it is identifiable.

Irina

Fred -

Do you know where is the AfricanVioletNotebook now - after MSN closed all the groups? They had the great article about Mark Maas with tons of links.

Irina

Sorry Irina I don't have any idea where it is now, if it was on the Violet Voice, they have gone over to yuku. I have attached a link and maybe that will help. Other than that if you have any questions about Maas plants I may be able to help a little and if I don't know the answer I may be able to get it from Janet Riemer who gave the talk on Maas hybrids at the convention.
Fred in NJ

Here is a link that might be useful: The Violet Voice

Fred

- thank you. I think I know what happened - I got 2 leaves - Chris Leppard - and Maas' Robert. And during the feeding frenzy - believe me - when Janet Reimer was giving away the leaves - people really wanted to get them - I mixed them. Now I need to find the "Robert" starter - and it will be Chris.

I looked at the Maas Robert in the ML - and it is a ringer.

Guess it was not my day when I started boasting.

I hope Mrs.John will be able to move the treasured articles to the yuku place. So far - it is a transition time.

Happy Blooming

Irina

here is the article from the Violet Voice minus the pictures.
Vera

Max Maas Biography
Mr. Max Maas is no longer with us, but left a wonderful African Violet legacy behind. He was a member of the Union County African Violet Club in New Jersey. He was so much loved that the club is putting forth great effort to preserve his hybrids. Two individuals are sponsoring two Specific Amateur Awards at the 2006 AVSA National Convention in Minneapolis, MN:

Title: Best "The King"
Award: $ 25
Donor: Janet Riemer (NJ)

Title: Best Maas' Mark
Award: $ 25
Donor: Hattie Baggett (AZ)

According to the September/ October 2005 issue of the African Violet Magazine, the Union County AV Club created a new class for its shows -

"Class 2 - Union County Chapter, AVSA, collection of three different named varieties, all hybridized by Max W. Maas. Need not be registered. Each plant must score 90 or more points to be eligible for the UCCfirst or second rosette."

The Club's fevor for Maas varieties is not mere favoritism, or the fact that many members were immortalized by having their names used for naming his hybrids. Rather it is because Maas' hybrids are superior. His hybrids are known for being very floriferous and symmetrical - perfect traits for Show. Several of his varieties have made the AVSA Honor Roll. This means that these varieties have appeared on the AVSA Best Varieties List for five consecutive years! They are:

Mary D - 1977
Tina - 1980
The King - 1980
Becky - 1980
Ruffled Red - 1981
Mark - 1981
Jason - 1981
Flamingo - 1981
Little Jim - 1982
Celine - 1983
Maas' Chris - 1984
Chris Leppard - 1986
Janet Reimer, President of the AVSA, also loves Maas Hybrids and had this to relate about Maas himself:

Mary D. by Bonny
"Max originally worked with dahlias and his place was the Hilton Dahlia Farm. Then he got interested in AVs. His early cultivars had the prefix Union County in their names, and one of these was registered, "Union County Mabel Hudson" in 1965. I imagine that Glenn and Mabel registered it for him as he didn't register his cultivars. Later in the 70s, cultivars were registered on his behalf by the Hudsons, Union County Chapter, Staten Island AVS, Chris Leppard, and Edward Bradford. Max was awarded the AVSA Bronze Medal for Horticultural Achievement in 1976 at the Atlanta convention. He died in December, 1982. His last seedlings have been grown, named, and exhibited by Union County Chapter to whom they were given by Ed Maas, Max's son, but they cannot be registered because their parentage is unknown. All but the last seedlings are vintage violets (25 years) and they will be soon." -- Excerpted from an e-mail from Fred Hill to Janet Reimer

Janet further explained her fondness for Maas in a Violet Voice Exclusive Interview:

"I knew Max quite well and highly respected his hybridizing ability. My local affiliate, Union County Chapter, was given his last seedlings when he died in 1981. We have grown, exhibited, judged, and shared them in the hope of perpetuating these last seedlings. I also try to maintain his earlier introductions."

The variety Maas' Janet was named after Janet Riemer

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Maas Hybrids
The number of Maas varieties that are NOT vintage (25 years or older) is very small, and of those that are not, most soon will be vintage in another year or two. This adds importance to growing some Maas hybrids as not only are they wonderful for show, they are part of AV heritage and history.

There are a few varieties that are not listed in FC2. This includes the fairly popular Maas' Angela, a pink semi-mini with characteristic clackamus foliage. Do you know of other unregistered Maas varieties? Let us know by posting a message to the discussion board!

As mentioned by Janet Riemer above, Maas still had some seedlings of crosses before his death, which were given to his son Ed Maas, and then the Union County Chapter. The September/October 2005 AV Magazine also states that, though they can't be registered, there are now 26 new and named Maas varieties.

For a complete variety listing of FC2's Maas entries, check out this MS WORD File.

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Pictures
Below are various sources with pictures of Maas varieties:

AVSA's Photograph Page
Pictures of the varieties listed below are available through the AVSA's photo Page and also in FC2.

Becky Little Jim Maas' Nancy
Chris Leppard Little Red Maas' Robert
Diane's Delight Maas' Arbor Glen Mark
Flamingo Maas' Chris Mary C.
Gaetano Maas' Janet Mary D.
Gail Maas' Legacy Sea Breeze
Glenn H. Maas' Marjorie The King
Jason Maas' Maxine Tina
Jean Maas' Muriel Zeta

Janet's Photo Album
Jason
Maas' Janet
Mark

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How Does Your Maas Varieties Grow?
Some of the VV members growing Maas varieties have shared their experiences with us. Alana (luvs_violets) has several varieties that are still young, as yet. However, they already exibit easy growing under flourescent lights. However, of Maas' Angela, Alana indicates that one is difficult to grow symmetrical.

On the other side of the leaf, Bonny (bonnylynn0) enjoys Maas' Angela because of the clackamus foliage and beautiful blooms, abeit it has not bloomed often. Like Alana's experience, Bonny's plant seems "to prefer to grow up rather than out". Bonny has also loves growing Mary D.. "It grows symmetrical for me Under florescent lights and blooms profusely. It doesn't sucker much and easily starts from a leaf."

Maas' Angela from Fred Hill.
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Where to Get Maas Varieties

Commercial Vendors
Belisle's Violet House

Little Red
Maas' Angelina
Maas' Dorothy
Maas' Faith
Maas' Grace
Maas Janet
Mark
Union County Kathy

Bloomin' Jungle

Maas' Janet

Bluebird Greenhouse

Catherine Hunt
Maas' Arbor Glenn
Maas' Janet
Maas' Marjorie
Maas' Nancy
Mary D

D&P Greenhouses (formerly Florals of Fredericks)

Mark

Harborcrest Gardens (Canada)

Tina

Plants on Purpose

Maas' Janet

Violet Venture (Fay Wagman)

Little Red
Maas' Angela

Violets-o-ley (Canada)

Flamingo
Gail
Jason
Mark
The King

Violets in Vogue (Canada)

The King

Maas on eBay
Current US Listings

Current Canadian Listings

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Maas Varieties and the Violet Voice
Please join Violet Voice members on July First 2006 for a Swap exclusively for Maas varieties. Before this date, please consider adding a Maas variety (or two or three) to your collection and sharing a leaf or plantlet!

If you have or are getting a Maas variety, please check the vintage! If it meets the 25 years old plus criteria for being vintage please let us know through the Violet Voice's ongoing Vintage Project.

Maas' Muriel from 'Av Shows in New Jersey' photo folder on the Violet Voice.
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Thank you to all members that contributed information to the Maas Thread

Page By Rebecca

Thanks, Fred! Great history, and I'll be on the lookout for some of the Maas above!