Violet

Description:

Glossy, heart-shaped leaves. Flower stalk nods downward and ends in a single flower. Each flower is about ½–¾" across, consisting of 5 pale blue-violet petals and 5 pale green sepals. The lower lateral petals are bearded with white hairs near the throat of the flower; the lowest petal and upper lateral petals are beardless. The throat of the flower is white, and there are dark blue-violet veins on the lowest petal and lower lateral petals that function as nectar guides to flower-visiting insects.

Habitat:

Grassy cut through wooded greenbelt.

Notes:

http://www.foragingtexas.com/2008/08/vio... Scientific name: Viola species Abundance: uncommon What: Leaves, flowers How: Leaves and flowers raw (great in salads), tea from flowers Where: small, heart-shaped flowers in shady, moist areas When: Winter (in Houston), Spring, early summer Wild violets are a wonderful winter nibble. They are loaded with vitamin A & C which help keep many an Appalachian child nourished. The leaves and flowers are eaten raw or mixed in any sort of salad or green smoothie. Look for clumps of them in the dappled shade of woods/forests with moist soil. Nutritional Value: Very rich in vitamin A,C