reich Dog-Violet (Wood) / Wood Dog Violet - Wild Flower Finder

WOOD DOG-VIOLET

EARLY DOG-VIOLET

Viola reichenbachiana

Violet Family [Violaceae]

month8mar month8march month8apr month8april month8may

status
statusZnative		 flower
flower8bicolour		 flower
flower8indigo		 flower
flower8blue flower8mauve		 inner
inner8white		 inner
inner8yellow		 morph
morph8zygo		 petals
petalsZ5		 type
typeZspurred		 stem
stem8round

26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
With bluish-mauve flowers. Leaves which are longer than broad (as are many but not all Violets) and deeply cordate (Ace-of-Spades shaped) leaves. Grows up to 20cm high. There are both stem leaves and basal leaves, both are ovate to broadly ovate with a bluntish end are deeply cordate (Ace-of-Spades shaped).


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
All Violets gave a spur at the rear of the flower, but on Early Dog-violet it is darker shade than that of the petals.


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
With paler petals than those of Common Dog-Violet.


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
With white style in centre which has a beak at the end and wrapped around by something orangish.


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
Sepals pointed, as they are on most but not all Violets. The sepal appendages (tiny 'spurs' at rear of sepals) are less than 1.5mm long.


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
Leaves.


26th March 2011, quarry, Ballykelly, Campile, Co. Wexford, Eire Photo: © Paula O'Meara
The Hydathodes at the tips of leaf teeth are not an identifying feature. They allow excess water to escape and are present on many differing plants, but not all.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Pk, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The spur is a darker shade than the petals.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Pk, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The flowers are a bluish-mauve.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Pk, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The basal leaves are from a central tuft.


22nd April 2017, Loggerheads Country Pk, North Wales. Photo: © RWD
The leaves have short rounded teeth.

Not to be semantically confused with : Dame's-Violet (Hesperis matronalis) nor with Water Violet (Hottonia palustris), Violet Wallflower (Erysimum linifolium), Violet Hellebore (Epipactis purpurata), [un-related plants with similar names]

Easily mistaken for : many other Dog-violets such as Common Dog-Violet (Viola riviniana) but see captions to help guide you.

Hybridizes with :

  • Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina) to produce Viola × mixta which is very rare and confusable with Viola × intersita (which is the hybrid between Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) and Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina)
  • Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) to produce Viola × bavarica

It is native, common in Britain as far north as southern Scotland and found woods and hedgebanks. Common too in Ireland.

Hybridises both with Common Dog-violet (Viola viviniana) and with Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina).

  Viola reichenbachiana  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Violaceae  

Distribution
family8Violet family8Violaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Viola
Viola
(Violets)

WOOD DOG-VIOLET

EARLY DOG-VIOLET

Viola reichenbachiana

Violet Family [Violaceae]