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status
flower
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petals
type
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stem
smell
sweet
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
A very low-grower, between 5 and 15cm high. Unlike the similar Hairy Violetit is a perennial and it spreads by underground rhizomes forming patches, but the runners may not be as obvious as folk would like. It is the first violet to flower. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The flowers are usually a darker purple/violet than the similar Hairy Violet. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Sweet Violet, unlike any other violet including the similar Hairy Violetthe flowers emit a sweet fragrance, but your Author couldn't smell them. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Unlike Hairy Violetthe sepals are rounded, or at least appear so. Also, the stems do possess hairs, but unlike Hairy Violetthey are short (up to 0.3mm long) and angled downwards (rather than long (0.3 - 1.0mm) and sticking out at a more or less normal to the stem). |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Sepals rounded. The flower stalks (petioles) are totally leafless. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The flower spur at the rear is fairly short. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Looking right into its 'open mouth' at the anthers and style. Whiskery white hairs both upper sides of the 'mouth'. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Patch forming. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaves heart-shaped and and often coming to a very rounded tip at the end - they are overall more rounded than those of the similar Hairy Violet(which are more oval, but still with a rounded end). |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Leaf teeth shallow and often rounded. The glossyness of the leaves is not a feature to be trusted in identification, they might be dull instead. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Stems often square, with possibly one or two grooves down two opposite sides. |
A MUTANT 'SWEET VIOLET'(Which your Author calls 'Spock')) |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
It looks fairly normal from this angle. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Until you catch sight of it's 'ears' which are anomalously pointed. |
25th March 2016, woods, Ainsdale, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The sepals are also anomalously pointy, but otherwise it does indeed look like Sweet Violet. |
Easily mistaken for :
Hybridizes with : Flowering earlier than all other violets it is a perennial which prefers to grow in open woodland, or on hedgebanks and scrub especially on lime-rich soils. It is a native, and is often found growing natively in churchyards but is also a garden flower (where the petals are longer and narrower and distinctly purple rather than dark mauve-blue. It is also commonly found in white but always with a dark mauve-blue spur. The leaves and the flowers all radiate out from a central point for each patch. |
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odorata ![]() |
⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Violaceae ![]() |
![]() Viola (Violets) |
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