XCanada Violet (Viola canadensis)X
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Canada Violet -or- Canadian White Violet (Viola canadensis), family Violaceae (Violet)
This diminutive little herb is easy to overlook. Look closely at the plant shot included in this panel. We placed a dime next to the bloom to give a perspective of it's small size. A close look at the face of the flower reveals a delightful sight!! The center offers a sweet yellow color with the purple lines or viens that is distinctive with these flowers. Lovely! The Violet family is sizeable, having 16 genera hosting almost 800 species.
Greek Lore: The wonderful book, WILD AT HEART, by Janis Lindsey Huggins, has this delightful information on the Violet family: 'According to Greek mythology, when Zeus' lover Io was turned into a white heifer Zeus commanded violets to grow wherever her tears fell, to console her and sweeten her diet.
Violets still sweeten the diet of wild-food gourmets, who treasure the flowers and leaves as nutritious and colorful additions to salads, omelets, and casseroles - but only in moderation. Soaplike compounds in the leaves can upset the stomach. Violet wine was a popular brew in ancient Rome and violet-flower or leaf tea is still used as a beverage in England. Medicinally, violet leaves have been prepared in salves for skin irritations, poultices for bruises and teas and syrups for coughs, sore throats, and constipation. The Greeks and Romans believed strongly in the medicinal value of violets. Hippocrates extolled the plant as a cure for headache, hangover, and breathing problems. Violets also have a stong folklore tradition for treatment of cancer.
American Dog Violet was used by the Native American Ojibwa tribe as a Heart Medicine - Infusion of whole plant taken for heart trouble. Decoction of root used for pains near the bladder.
See the other members of genus Viola on this site: labradorica & nuttallii.
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Plant location: The Lookout Mountain area, Jackson County Open Space, Colorado was the location of this sighting. Remarkably, the date was OCTOBER 4, 2008!! The flower photograph is a composite of the two blooms in this shot using Adobe Photoshop CS3. This species is found in almost every state of the U.S. and all of Canada. However, the species is endangered in Illinois, Maine, and New Jersey, and threatened in the state of Conneticut. Habitats are foothill canyons, not in deep shade. Our specimen was in a fairly moist area.Plant -
Bloom season: The commonly recognized period is May to July. Obviously, if conditions are favorable the bloom period can extend MUCH longer, as our specimen demonstrated. We saw another violet also blooming later than commonly reported: Viola labradorica.Foliage -
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