Genus: Viola

Common Names: "violet is the common name most often used for the small wildflower and its cultivated varieties; pansy refers to the larger garden flower first bred from wild violets in the early 19th century, and viola and violetta are commons names for cultivated flowers intermediate in size between pansies and violets (1)."

A genus of over 500 species. "Sweet violets were among the first flowers ever grown commercially. They were sold in markets in Athens as early as 400 BCE and were so valued that the violet became the city's symbol. Violets were used in cooking and to make wine, perfume, purple dye, garlands, and medicines ... Before sugar was readily available from the New World plantations, violet blossoms were used to sweeten foods  (1)."

Distribution: found mostly in the temperate Northern Hemisphere with a few exceptions.

1. Cumo, C. (2013). Encyclopedia of cultivated plants: From acacia to zinnia. ABC-CLIO.

Viola corsica

Common name(s): Corsican pansy, Corsican violet

Description: perennial; large indigo flowers bloom from spring through most of fall. Incredibly cold hardy and easy to grow. Can be short-lived in poorly draining soil but will continually seed around the garden into all sorts of nooks and crannys if left to its own devices.

Height: to 8 in. Spread: to 12 in.

Position: partial shade and well-draining soil

Uses: ornamental

Winter Hardiness: to 0 F and below

Drought: adapted to 4 months of summer drought

Distribution: Corsica, Sardinia

Viola odorata 'Clive Groves'

Common name(s): sweet violets

Description: perennial; a 1984 introduction raised from seed by Charles Groves and named for his son. Selected for its vigor, long stems, and especially large and fragrant flowers. Low, spreading growth with edible, heart-shapes leaves and edible, dark purple flowers in spring.

Height: to 6 in. Spread: to 3+ ft.

Position: partial shade, tolerant of clay and poor soil

Uses: medicine, culinary- eaten fresh, candied or infused in syrup/honey/vinegar/etc., perfume, dye

Winter Hardiness: to 0 F and lower

Viola odorata 'Mrs. David Lloyd George'

Common name(s): sweet violets

Description: perennial; named for Welsh humanitarian, Margaret Lloyd George. Fragrant, semi-double lavender purple flowers with central white rosettes in spring. Low, spreading growth with edible, heart-shapes leaves. Slower-growing and reputed to be less hardy than many V. odorata cultivars. Flowers are sterile and won't set seed.

Height: to 6 in. Spread: to 2 ft.

Position: partial shade and well-drained soil

Uses: medicine, culinary- eaten fresh, candied or infused in syrup/honey/vinegar/etc., perfume, dye

Winter Hardiness: to 15 F and lower

Viola odorata 'The Czar'

Common name(s): sweet violets

Description: perennial; an old cultivar introduced in Europe sometime before 1900. Low, spreading growth with edible, heart-shapes leaves and edible, dark purple flowers in spring.

Height: to 6 in. Spread: to 2 ft.

Position: partial shade, tolerant of clay and poor soil

Uses: medicine, culinary- eaten fresh, candied or infused in syrup/honey/vinegar/etc., perfume, dye

Winter Hardiness: to 0 F and lower