Blue Violet

(Viola papilionacea)

Interesting Information About Plant:    

     The leaves high in vitamins A and C  and can be used in salads or cooked as greens, and the flower can be made into candies and jellies. This plant has been used as a symbol of love and faithfulness. It has been used in certain treatments for cancer, especially skin cancer, but there’s no proof that it actually helps. It has also been used for bladder and urinary problems, and there is proof that it may actually work.

Scientific Name:    Viola papilionacea

Family Name (Scientific and Common):   Violaceae   (Violet Family)

Continent of Origin:      North America

Plant Growth Habit:     Upright Herbaceous 

Height at Maturity:   Less than 1 foot

Life Span:    Perennial

Seasonal Habit:       Herbaceous That Dies Back in Winter 

Growth Habitat:    Partial Sun 

Manner of Culture:    Weed

Thorns on Younger Stem:       Yes 

Cross Section of Younger Stem:      Roundish  

Stem (or Trunk) Diameter:     Less Than The Diameter of a Pencil  

Produces Brownish Bark:    No

Bark Peeling in Many Areas:      No

Characteristics of Mature (Brownish) Bark:   No Mature Bark (all green)

Type of Leaf:   Flat, Thin Leaf

Length of Leaf (or Leaflet):   Less than Length of a Credit Card

Leaf Complexity:     Simple

Edge of Leaf:      Serrated

Leaf Arrangement:     Alternate 

Leaf has Petiole:    Yes

Patterns of Main-Veins on Leaf (or Leaflet):     Palmate

Leaf Hairiness:      No Hairs

Color of Foliage in Summer:  Green 

Change in Color of Foliage in October:      No

Flowering Season:     Spring 

Flowers:    Single 

Type of Flower:   Colorful Flower

Color of Flower:   Blue / Purple-Violet 

Shape of Individual Flower:     Bilaterally Symmetrical 

Size of Individual Flower:    Smaller than a Quarter 

Sexuality:    Hermaphroditic   

Size of Fruit:    Smaller than a Quarter 

Fruit Fleshiness:    Dry

Shape of Fruit:    3-Valved Capsule

Color of Fruit at Maturity:  Brown or Dry

Fruit Desirable to Birds or Squirrels:      No   

Common Name(s):    Butterfly Violet, Common Violet, Meadow Violet

Louisville Plants That Are Most Easily Confused With This One: Forget-me-nots

Unique Morphological Features of Plant:  Flowers that self-pollinate called cleistogamous flowers

Poisonous:    None of Plant

Pestiness (weedy, hard to control):    Yes  

Page prepared by: 

Ashley Wallace               

November 2004