Purple ground-nail
Viola yedoensis
Family: Violaceae
What it is like
A herb without a stem. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a stout taproot. The leaves are narrowly sword shaped. They are 2-6 cm long by 5-10 mm wide. There are shallow teeth. The flowers occur singly and are violet. They are on stalks longer than the leaf stalks. The fruit is a capsule 7-10 mm long.
It most likely has anti-HIV properties.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows in north-eastern China.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China
How it is used for food
The young plants are eaten.
Edible parts
Leaves