Canada Violet, Canadian white violet, Creepingroot violet
Viola canadensis

Family: Violaceae

What it is like

Viola canadensis is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in) by 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in flower from April to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.4

Where it is found

Rich soils in deciduous woods and forests in the mountains.

N. America - Saskatchewan and south to Nebraska and the Rocky mountains.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked. A very mild flavour, when boiled as greens they are best mixed with other stronger tasting leaves. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. Flowers - raw. The leaves are a good tea substitute.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 1

A tea made from the roots has been used in the treatment of pain in the bladder region. The roots and leaves have traditionally been used to induce vomiting, they have also been poulticed and applied to skin abrasions and boils.

Emetic: Induces vomiting.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Other

Rating: 2

A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Easily grown in any fertile soil in full sun or partial shade. Prefers a cool position in a moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5. Hardy to about -25°c. All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities. This species has mainly white flowers that are at first yellowish at the base then turn violet. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 3-8

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Lophion canadense. Lophion rydbergii. Viola geminiflora. Viola muriculata. Viola neomexicana