Wooly Blue Violet, Common blue violet
Viola sororia

Family: Violaceae

What it is like

Viola sororia is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in flower from March to June. 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): 0.1

Where it is found

Moist meadows, low woods and shady banks, often on sandy substrates.

Eastern N. America - Quebec to Wyoming and south to Oklahoma and N. Carolina.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked. A mild flavour, they make an acceptable addition to mixed salads. The leaves are often mixed with stronger tasting leaves from the cabbage family. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as Okra. The leaves are rich in vitamins A and C. Flowers - raw. A mild flavour, they are an excellent attractive garnish for salads. Rich in vitamin C.The flowers can also be made into jams, jellies etc. A tea can be made from the leaves or from the flowers.

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

Medicine

Rating: 1

A poultice of the leaves has been used to allay the pain of a headache. An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of dysentery, coughs and colds. A poultice of the crushed root has been applied to boils.

Analgesic: Relieves pain.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

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

Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content

Other

Rating: 3

An infusion of the root has been used to soak corn seeds before planting in order to keep off insects. 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. Faunal Associations: The flowers are not often visited by insects (hence the need for cleistogamous flowers), but sometimes they attract bees (e.g., Mason, Halictid), skippers, Syrphid flies, and other insects. The Syrphid flies, however, feed only on stray pollen and are non-pollinating. The caterpillars of many Fritillary butterflies feed on the foliage, including Speyeria diane (Diana), Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary), Speyeria aphrodite (Aphrodite Fritillary), Boloria bellona (Meadow Fritillary), and Boloria selene myrina (Silver-Border Fritillary). The seeds have soft appendages that attract ants, which are in part distributed by them. Various upland gamebirds and small mammals occasionally eat the seeds, including the Wild Turkey, Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, and White-Footed Mouse. Wild Turkeys also eat the leaves and fleshy roots of Viola spp. (Violets). Although it is not a preferred food source, mammalian herbivores occasionally eat the foliage of violets, including the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and livestock.

Incense: Aromatic plants that can be burnt to impart a pleasant smell, repel insects and disinfect closed areas.

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

Prefers a cool 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. There are a number of named varieties selected for their ornamental value. Plants produce cleistogamous flowers as well as the usual insect pollinated flowers. 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. Sometimes misspelt as Viola sororaria 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;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 4-8

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

V. chalcosperma