What do violets look like

Violets serve an essential ecological niche. As early bloomers, they provide nectar to the hives of pollinators, like honey bees, that have been dormant all winter. Violets are also frequently threatened from habitat loss, and the presence of invasive species that crowd them out.

Lesser celandine. Trout lily, or Dog-toothed violet. African violets. Vinca, or periwinkle. Labels: early spring plants , edible flowers , for beginners , ID: violets , mid-spring plants , purple flower , sustainability , violets , white flower , yellow flower.

Unknown March 7, at PM. HenoftheWood March 10, at AM. Other Name Common Blue Violet. Recipes Wild Violet Jelly. Basic Search. Winter Survival Food Handbook. Learn how to survive on wild edibles during winter. This handbook is a full colour publication, 5. PDF Plant Magazines. In-depth wild edible PDFs. Click here for more. Types of Wild Food. Edible Weeds. Edible Fungi.

Edible Aquatic Plants. Edible Flowers. It blooms from May to early September, mostly in fields and gardens close to human habitation, meadows, soil heaps, and wastelands. This plant is a herbaceous annual and grows up to 12 inches in height. It has unusual leaves with blades that taper near the stalks and with stipules that divide into lobes that are very narrow. The petals, which are irregular in shape, are usually either blue or white and they have yellow markings.

This type of violet grows throughout most of the northeastern United States, and it blooms from early to late spring. True to its name, the Giant violet has petals that are deep purple in color and can spread up to two feet wide.

Like the Czar, it is a free flower that produces massive amounts of blooms and it has been around since the s. Similar to the Sweet violet, this plant has large, heart-shaped flowers and petals that are usually violet with white near the center and yellow in the very center. It grows mostly in Europe in the colder regions, and it is found in areas that include dry banks and woods. It grows up to six inches high and has fine hairs all over the plant, which makes it look a little greyish in color.

Similar to the Downey Yellow violet, this perennial gets to roughly 10 inches high and has yellow petals with dark lines near the middle and a purple-tinged look on the back of the petals. It blooms in mid to late spring and is found mostly in the mountains and the rich woods. Growing up to 16 inches in height, the Heath Dog violet is a perennial and has blue petals with white hearts.

The shiny leaves are toothed and short-tapered and it blooms from May to June. The Heath Dog is found mostly in roadsides, open forests, grazing land, and logging sites, to name a few, and it has a second variety, the Viola ruppii, which blooms in June and July. This type of violet is unique in that it can grow a different color depending on the soil and other conditions. The petals can be creamy white and various shades of blue, purple, and pink.

Found in most of the eastern United States, this violet has either white or blue irregularly shaped petals with yellow markings and leaves that taper towards the stalk. It grows great in gardens, fields, and fencerows.

The characteristic that makes this violet stand out is its very large petals that are violet-blue in color and its large, rigid stems. The La France blooms early but if you live in a place that gets too cool, it should be grown under glass. A herbaceous plant with toothed, heart-shaped leaves, the irregularly shaped petals are pale lilac and have dark centers.

They grow from Quebec to Georgia in the mountains or woods that are moist and rich. Invented in , these violets have large petals that are violet-blue in color with an inner bloom that looks similar to a rose and is usually creamy white and tinged in violet-blue. It has long stems, vibrant green leaves, and a beautiful, sweet scent. With blue to purple and sometimes white petals, the Northern Bog grows mostly in the northeastern part of the United States and has simple leaves that can be either lobed or unlobed but are never separated into leaflets.

Legend says that a person can only smell sweet violets once, as they steal your sense of smell. This is untrue, but, it stems from the fact that sweet violets contain beta-ionone, a chemical which temporarily shuts off smell receptors. The goddess of springtime and flowers, Persephone, was picking spring flowers, including violets, when she was abducted by Hades, god of the Ancient Greek underworld. Sweet violets were used in herbal medicine to treat ailments such as headaches, depression and insomnia.

They have been used to make perfume throughout history, dating back to Classical Greece. They were also used to create early household deodorants in medieval Britain. Sweet violets are edible, and are often candied and used to decorate cakes.