VIOLA ODORATA
Common Names:- Sweet Violet.
Homotypic synonyms:- Viola hirta var. odorata; Viola hirta subsp. odorata;
Viola martii.
Meaning:- Viola (L) Viola, the ancient Latin name for a violet.
Odorata (L) Fragrant, referring to the flowers.
General description:- A low perennial forming patches by rooting runners, with
rounded cordate leaves and usually strongly fragrant violet flowers.
Rhizomes:-
1) Rootstock, short, producing basal leaf rosettes.
Stems:-
1) Flowering shoots, reduced; individual flower stalks commonly 5-15 cm high.
2) Stolons, elongated, creeping above ground and rooting to form daughter rosettes.
Leaves:-
1) Basal, long-petiolate, broadly ovate to reniform and deeply cordate.
a) margins, crenate.
b) surface, softly hairy; petiole hairs often directed backwards.
2) Cauline, foliage leaves absent from the flower stalks.
3) Stipules, relatively broad, with short marginal fringes.
Flowers:-
1) Inflorescence, solitary flowers arising from the basal rosette.
2) Bracts, 2 small bracteoles borne on each flower stalk.
3) Flowers, bisexual and bilaterally symmetrical, usually strongly fragrant.
4) Calyx, 5 free sepals, obtuse, with short basal appendages.
5) Corolla, usually deep violet, sometimes white or pinkish;
a) petals, 5, free, the lower one prolonged backwards into a spur.
b) spur, usually fairly straight.
6) Stamens, 5, closely surrounding the ovary;
a) filaments, very short; the lower pair bear nectar-producing appendages
extending into the petal spur.
b) anthers, closely appressed, with terminal connective appendages.
7) Ovary, superior, one-celled, formed from 3 united carpels;
a) style, single, curved or bent, ending in a specialised stigma.
Fruit:-
1) Capsule, rounded, shortly hairy and usually held near the ground.
2) Seeds, small, usually with a fleshy appendage attractive to ants.
Distinguishing features:- Rooting stolons and sweet-scented flowers are the
principal field characters. Viola hirta lacks stolons and scent. Garden escapes and
hybrids can differ from typical wild plants; flower colour alone is unreliable.
Flowering time:- February to May; occasional later flowers.
Toxicity:- Species-specific evidence is insufficient here to assess ingestion safety.
Habitat:- Hedgebanks, woodland margins, scrub, sheltered banks and old gardens,
often on base-rich soils.
Distribution:- Native in Britain, chiefly in the south, but long cultivation and escape
obscure local origin; also present in Ireland. Native across Europe to Iran and
northwestern Africa, widely introduced elsewhere.
Conservation status:- Least Concern (LC)
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