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Can anyone tell me anything about this violet? (pics)

A few years ago my friend gave me several clumps of unknown violets from her yard. The flowers are small and whitish with some blue/purple veining and the leaves look like regular violet leaves (that may not be a very good description). The plant loses its leaves in late winter, then blooms a little, then grows new leaves and I'm not sure if it blooms when it has leaves, the flowers are small.

I'd like to know more about this plant, whether or not it is edible and if I need to be concerned about it invading our new sod. It is a lovely plant.

Flower (I tried very hard to get this in focus but my camera wasn't cooperating):

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leafless tuberous rhizome-like part of plant:

{{gwi:1338461}}

Information much-appreciated :-)

Melanie

Comments (2)

  • Mike Hardman
    18 years ago

    Melanie,

    Your plant is Viola sororia f. Priceana, the Confederate violet.

    It is one of the variants of V. sororia, the sister violet (it goes by several other common names as well).
    The normal plant has violet-blue flowers, but there are white-flowered variants; and in a way yours is in-between.

    There are also reddish flowered ones, and a reddish equivalent of yours, called 'Alice Witter'.

    One of the most commonly grown cultivars is 'Freckles', which as white petals heavily marked with blue freckles.
    There are also cultivars with variegated leaves, eg. 'Binstead Speckles'.

    They are all tough and hardy plants, increasing well by seed and division (a lawn mower will do the trick!)
    So perhaps if you don't want them in your sod, hmmmmm

    They are not poisonous as such, and many types of violet have been used for medicinal and food purposes for a long time. But, to genealize, it would be safest to eat the leaves and flowers rather than seeds or roots. And as with most things - in moderation. If you want to use any violet as a foodplant, I strongly suggest you do further research (easier now you know what it is, eh?)

    Mike

    Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1338457}}

  • melle_sacto is hot and dry in CA Zone 9/
    Original Author
    18 years ago

    Thank you for the ID :-) Even though I haven't noticed them spreading by seed, I will be sure to keep the plants far from the new sod.

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