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Viola riviniana
How do you seperate it from the other violets? By these signs: 1. Three petals are facing down. 2. Spur is bright, thick, blunt, slightly curved upwards (the forest violet is dark purple, narrow, tapering, curved slightly down). 3. Calyx are sharpened. Sepals leaf appendages are almost square (forest violet have short ones). 4. Stem foliage is developed already in the early flowering stage and is not breasted hairy. 5. Stipules middle stem leaves are much shorter than the petioles. 6. The leaves are egg-shaped with a heart-shaped base and distinctly toothed. 7. The plant has a ground-floor leaf rosette (dog violet has not).
Woodland rides, grassland and shady hedge banks. It is found in all soils except acid or very wet. Europe, including Britain, from Sweden south and east to Spain, Italy and Greece. Found a bunch of them in woods.
It blooms in late spring (April to June) in forests throughout Slovenia. This plant is edible. Young leaves and flower buds can be eaten raw or cooked. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. Flowers and buds - raw. A tea can be made from the leaves.
Spotted on Apr 21, 2013
Submitted on Apr 21, 2013
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