Viola pedata
| Viola pedata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Height: | 0.2' |
| Width: | 0.3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Viola pedata (common name: bird's foot violet)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Cultivation: A beautiful species but very difficult in cultivation[1]. It requires a very well-drained soil plus warmth and moisture in the summer. Some people have recommended that it should be grown on a clay soil, unpoisoned by humus[1]. It has been seen growing on the shaley bank of a newly-made road in full sun[1]. 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[2][3][4].
Range: Eastern N. America - New York to Wisconsin and south to Florida and eastern Texas.
Habitat: Dry rocky banks, in open deciduous woods on well-drained soils and on the edges of ditches in acid sandy soils[1].
Edibility: Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[5][6]. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra[3][4][6]. Some caution is advised if the plant has yellow flowers since these can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities[2].
A tea can be made from the leaves[3][6].
The flowers are candied.
Medicinal: A poultice of the leaves has been used to allay the pain of a headache[7].
An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of dysentery, coughs and colds[7].
A poultice of the crushed root has been applied to boils[7].
Usage: An infusion of the root has been used to soak corn seeds before planting in order to keep off insects[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.