diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/ingest.py b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/ingest.py
index 230e3424e8..560c9d7e6c 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/ingest.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/ingest.py
@@ -2190,16 +2190,42 @@ def _ingest_uns_string_array(
     However, ``SOMADataFrame`` _requires_ that soma_joinid be present, either
     as an index column, or as a data column. The former is less confusing.
     """
-    if len(value.shape) != 1:
+
+    if len(value.shape) == 1:
+        helper = _ingest_uns_1d_string_array
+    elif len(value.shape) == 2:
+        helper = _ingest_uns_2d_string_array
+    else:
         msg = (
             f"Skipped {coll.uri}[{key!r}]"
-            f" (uns object): string-array is not one-dimensional"
+            f" (uns object): string array is neither one-dimensional nor two-dimensional"
         )
         logging.log_io(msg, msg)
         return
 
+    helper(
+        coll=coll,
+        key=key,
+        value=value,
+        platform_config=platform_config,
+        context=context,
+        use_relative_uri=use_relative_uri,
+        ingestion_params=ingestion_params,
+    )
+
+
+def _ingest_uns_1d_string_array(
+    coll: AnyTileDBCollection,
+    key: str,
+    value: NPNDArray,
+    platform_config: Optional[PlatformConfig],
+    context: Optional[SOMATileDBContext],
+    *,
+    use_relative_uri: Optional[bool],
+    ingestion_params: IngestionParams,
+) -> None:
+    """Helper for ``_ingest_uns_string_array``"""
     n = len(value)
-    df_uri = _util.uri_joinpath(coll.uri, key)
     df = pd.DataFrame(
         data={
             "soma_joinid": np.arange(n, dtype=np.int64),
@@ -2208,6 +2234,41 @@ def _ingest_uns_string_array(
     )
     df.set_index("soma_joinid", inplace=True)
 
+    df_uri = _util.uri_joinpath(coll.uri, key)
+    with _write_dataframe_impl(
+        df,
+        df_uri,
+        None,
+        ingestion_params=ingestion_params,
+        platform_config=platform_config,
+        context=context,
+    ) as soma_df:
+        _maybe_set(coll, key, soma_df, use_relative_uri=use_relative_uri)
+
+
+def _ingest_uns_2d_string_array(
+    coll: AnyTileDBCollection,
+    key: str,
+    value: NPNDArray,
+    platform_config: Optional[PlatformConfig],
+    context: Optional[SOMATileDBContext],
+    *,
+    use_relative_uri: Optional[bool],
+    ingestion_params: IngestionParams,
+) -> None:
+    """Helper for ``_ingest_uns_string_array``. Even if the 2D array is 1xN or Nx1, we
+    must nonetheless keep this as 2D rather than flattening to length-N 1D. That's because
+    this ``uns`` data is solely of interest for AnnData ingest/outgest, and it must go
+    back out the way it came in."""
+    num_rows, num_cols = value.shape
+    data: Dict[str, Any] = {"soma_joinid": np.arange(num_rows, dtype=np.int64)}
+    for j in range(num_cols):
+        column_name = f"values_{j}"
+        data[column_name] = [str(e) if e else "" for e in value[:, j]]
+    df = pd.DataFrame(data=data)
+    df.set_index("soma_joinid", inplace=True)
+
+    df_uri = _util.uri_joinpath(coll.uri, key)
     with _write_dataframe_impl(
         df,
         df_uri,
diff --git a/apis/python/testdata/pbmc3k.h5ad b/apis/python/testdata/pbmc3k.h5ad
index e529a6d851..5484064982 100644
Binary files a/apis/python/testdata/pbmc3k.h5ad and b/apis/python/testdata/pbmc3k.h5ad differ
diff --git a/apis/python/tests/test_basic_anndata_io.py b/apis/python/tests/test_basic_anndata_io.py
index 4c1bd0b784..722d9136d3 100644
--- a/apis/python/tests/test_basic_anndata_io.py
+++ b/apis/python/tests/test_basic_anndata_io.py
@@ -40,8 +40,9 @@ def h5ad_file_with_obsm_holes(request):
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
-def h5ad_file_uns_string_array(request):
-    # This has uns["louvain_colors"] with dtype.char == "U"
+def h5ad_file_uns_string_arrays(request):
+    # This has uns["louvain_colors"] with dtype.char == "U".
+    # It also has uns["more_colors"] in the form '[[...]]', as often occurs in the wild.
     input_path = HERE.parent / "testdata/pbmc3k.h5ad"
     return input_path
 
@@ -392,13 +393,13 @@ def test_ingest_uns(tmp_path: pathlib.Path, h5ad_file_extended):
         assert np.array_equal(got_pca_variance, original.uns["pca"]["variance"])
 
 
-def test_ingest_uns_string_array(h5ad_file_uns_string_array):
+def test_ingest_uns_string_arrays(h5ad_file_uns_string_arrays):
     tempdir = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
     output_path = tempdir.name
 
     tiledbsoma.io.from_h5ad(
         output_path,
-        h5ad_file_uns_string_array.as_posix(),
+        h5ad_file_uns_string_arrays.as_posix(),
         measurement_name="RNA",
     )
 
@@ -406,9 +407,16 @@ def test_ingest_uns_string_array(h5ad_file_uns_string_array):
         with tiledbsoma.DataFrame.open(
             exp.ms["RNA"]["uns"]["louvain_colors"].uri
         ) as df:
-            contents = df.read().concat()["values"]
-            assert len(contents) == 8
-            assert contents[0].as_py() == "#1f77b4"
+            contents = df.read().concat()
+            assert contents.shape == (8, 2)
+            assert len(contents["values"]) == 8
+            assert contents["values"][0].as_py() == "#1f77b4"
+
+        with tiledbsoma.DataFrame.open(exp.ms["RNA"]["uns"]["more_colors"].uri) as df:
+            contents = df.read().concat()
+            assert contents.shape == (8, 2)
+            assert len(contents["values_0"]) == 8
+            assert contents["values_0"][0].as_py() == "#1f77b4"
 
 
 def test_add_matrix_to_collection(adata):