Viola prionantha
Bunge
(c) Chuangzao, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Chuangzao
(c) Gastón., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Flowers, Leaves
Young leaves and flower buds can be eaten raw or cooked, and have been gathered as a food in times of want. When added to soup, they act as a thickener much like okra. This species typically has purplish flowers; caution is advised with yellow-flowered plants of this genus, as those flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities. A tea can be brewed from the leaves.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant.
Asia, China, Japan, Manchuria,
How to Identify
A perennial reaching 0.1 m tall. Flowers April to May with seeds ripening May to September. Hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Prefers mildly acid to neutral pH and moist conditions. Grows in semi-shade or full sun.
How to Grow
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5. All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities.
Propagation: Seed is best sown in autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed can be sown in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in summer. Divide plants in autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can go straight into permanent positions, but smaller divisions are better potted up and grown on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until establishing well, then planted out in summer or the following spring.
Medicinal Uses
None known
Other Uses
No other uses known.
Wikipedia
Source ↗A perennial reaching 0.1 m tall. Flowers April to May with seeds ripening May to September. Hermaphroditic and insect-pollinated. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Prefers mildly acid to neutral pH and moist conditions. Grows in semi-shade or full sun.
Notes
There are about 500 Viola species.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- BARANOV,
- Enum. pl. China bor. 8. 1833 (Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St.-Petersbourg Divers Savans 2:82. 1835)
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
