Viola tricolor
| Viola tricolor | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-7.3 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.5' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Viola tricolor (common name: heartsease)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame.
Division in the autumn or just after flowering. The plant is a short-lived perennial and division is not that worthwhile.
Cultivation: Prefers a cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds[1][2]. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high[3]. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5[3].
A very variable species[4]. It is normally an annual plant, but it is sometimes a short-lived perennial[5].
A good bee plant[6].
Grows well with rye but dislikes growing with wheat[7].
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[8][9][10].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Corsica, W. Asia, Siberia, Caucasus.
Habitat: Cultivated and waste ground, short grassland etc, mainly on acid and neutral soils[11].
Edibility: Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[12]. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra[9][10].
A tea can be made from the leaves[9].
The small attractive flowers are added to salads or used as a garnish[13].
Medicinal: Heartsease has a long history of herbal use and was at one time in high repute as a treatment for epilepsy, asthma, skin diseases and a wide range of other complaints[4]. In modern herbalism it is seen as a purifying herb and is taken internally in the treatment of skin complaints such as eczema[14].
The herb is anodyne, antiasthmatic, anti-inflammatory, cardiac, demulcent, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, expectorant, laxative and vulnerary[4][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Being expectorant, it is used in the treatment of various chest complaints such as bronchitis and whooping cough, whilst its diuretic action makes it useful for treating rheumatism, cystitis and difficulty in passing urine[14]. It is also used as an ointment for treating eczema and other skin complaints and is also useful in cases of rheumatism, bed-wetting etc[4][16]. The plant is harvested from June to August and dried for later use[4].
The root is emetic[15].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the entire plant[4]. It is used in the treatment of cutaneous eruptions[4].
Usage: Yellow, green and blue-green dyes are obtained from the flowers[21].
The leaves can be used in place of litmus in testing for acids and alkalis[4].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Brown, George. Shade Plants for Garden and Woodland.
- ↑ de Bray, Lys. The Wild Garden.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.