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Viola odorata
Also called Common violet, English violet, Florist's violet, Garden violet, Wood violet, March Violet, Sweet Blue Violet
Sweet violet is a small, low-growing hardy perennial that spreads by above-ground runners and is valued for its scented flowers. It does best in cool, moist, partly shaded conditions.
Viola odorata is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae. The small hardy herbaceous perennial is commonly known as wood violet, sweet violet, English violet, common violet, florist's violet, or garden violet.
The plant is native to Eurasia. The leaves and flowers are edible and have been used to make fragrances.
Viola odorata is native to Europe south of Scandinavia, northwest Africa (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), Macaronesia, the Caucasus, Western Asia, and Kazakhstan. It has been introduced to the Americas, Scandinavia, southern and eastern Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. The species can be found near the edges of forests or in clearings; it is also a common "uninvited guest" in shaded lawns or elsewhere in gardens.
The leaves and flowers are edible. Real violet flower extract is available for culinary uses, especially in European countries. The French are known for their violet syrup, most commonly made from an extract of violets. In the United States, this French violet syrup is used to make violet scones and marshmallows.
Hookedspur violet · Field Pansy · Australian Native Violet · Viola betonicifolia · Canadian white violet · Horned Pansy · Viola cotyledon · Marsh blue violet · Stately Violet · Dwarf marsh violet · Pioneer violet · Alpine violet
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Viola odorata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
