Forest violet or Viola (from Latin Viola) is a modest, delicate and beautiful flower of northern latitudes. Different sources describe from 500 to 700 species of this wild plant of the Violet family. They grow mainly in the Northern Hemisphere in areas with a temperate cold climate.
The birthplace of the plant is East Africa. For the first time at the exhibition, Viola was shown in 1893. Since then, the cultural selection of flowers has begun.
Most species are found in North America and Japan. But wild violet is growing in the Andes, Australia and New Zealand. Cultivated varieties - Pansies - are more common in Russia.
The grass of individual forest violets has medicinal properties.
Forest Violet Description
The plant is perennial, low, creeping. Bushes are compact up to 15 cm in height. Branched rhizomes each year give new shoots, on which young rosettes of leaves are formed. One copy can grow in two years and occupy an area of 1 m2.
The violet does not have a stem, the leaves are small and large round, heart-shaped, depending on the type, are collected in a rosette. The lower tier of leaves is noticeably larger than the upper. In winter, the leaves do not die off, winter in the snow. Cope with frost helps them that the leaves are very pubescent over the entire surface.
The flowers are five-petalled, multi-colored, very beautiful. Small - up to 1.5 cm in diameter. Some have a pleasant, delicate, sweetish aroma. The smell is stronger in the morning and evening hours. It hardly smells in the heat.
The color ranges from pale blue and light blue, to purple and lilac. The core is mainly in yellow shades bordering on white.
Forest violet blooms in April, when young leaves have not yet appeared. Flowering lasts until September. Wild viola serves as a honey plant, but itself does not need extraneous pollination. Propagated vegetatively.
In the autumn, the fruit box with small, moist, brown seeds ripens.
Types of Forest Violets
In Russia, in vivo there are about 20 species:
| Title | Growth | Description of flowers | Flowering period |
| Tricolor (Pansies) | In the forest and countryside - on arable land, in vegetable gardens, like weed grass. | The top two petals are blue, the bottom three are white, the core is yellow. | May - September |
| Dog | At the edges, in a rare young shoot and in the field. | Small, even blue. | May |
| Marsh | Damp places - not only swamps, but also mossy forests, flood meadows. | Light blue, almost white with dark veins. | May - August |
| Field | Fields, forest glades, forest edge, roadside curbs. | Similar to Tricolor, but white, miniature with a bright yellow mouth. Height is up to 30 cm. | April - September |
| Fragrant | Forest | Violet, bright blue, with a pleasant sweet aroma. | April May. |
| Altai | Mountain slopes. | Violet-blue with a yellow center. Height is up to 20 cm. | Since the end of April 40-45 days. Repeated in September until the first snow. |
| Yellow | The fertile soils of sparse, well-ventilated forests. | Yellow green, bright. On the back of the petals are purple streaks. | June July. |
| Hill | In bright forests, on open slopes, under bushes. | Light blue, occasionally lilac, fragrant. Large, on a long peduncle. | May June. |
| Incised | Endemic of Siberia. In other areas not found. | Bright purple, graceful, raised above the bush. They resemble cyclamen in shape. | June July. |
| Aetolian | Sunny places, loose soil, rocky ledges. | The upper petals are yellow, the lower is orange. | Since May and all summer. |
| Dubravna (mountain) | In the European part of Russia, at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains, in southern Siberia. | Light blue, similar to flowers of dog violets, but larger, and the stem is higher - up to 25 cm. | May - July. |
| Peach leaf (pond) | It is rare in central and some regions of Siberia. | Long peduncles, small flowers of a characteristic milky white color with blue. | May June. |
| Purple | A rare species that grows only in the mountains of the Caucasus. | Blooms profusely with small purple flowers, collected in an inflorescence-spike of 20 pieces. It is pleasant, but it does not smell much. | Twice - in spring and autumn. |
Sowing seeds and forest violet care
Seeds germinate three weeks after planting. Moreover, they can be sown in spring, summer and autumn. Only freshly harvested seeds are used, since the next year they lose germination.
You can grow seeds and seedlings. To do this, take ordinary sheet soil, add sand, peat and a little humus to it. Lay out small achenes simple on top of the loose soil and sprinkle lightly. Then the site is moistened and covered with a film.
The only thing that will be required after the seeds are in the ground is daily watering and ventilation until seedlings appear.
Field violet is easily propagated by seeds. Breeding a forest is easier and faster by digging out budded rosette of leaves. Do it after spring flowering. In the fall, before frosts, plants may not have time to take root.
Dig an adult bush and select young rosettes with roots, which will serve as planting material. Large plants are planted one at a time, small bushes - two at a time. The distance between the seedlings is 20-30 cm.
So, already in the second year, forest violet will blossom in the garden or under the window.
The advantage of the plant is that it does not require constant thorough care. Wild violet winters quietly without shelter, drought-resistant. It prefers shaded areas of the garden, but can grow in sunny meadows, if you do not forget to water it.
The viola propagates well and self-seeding. In this she is assisted by garden ants, who take away seeds in the area.
Top dressing with usual infusion of humus or complex fertilizers for flowering plants. But this is just the plant that is better to undernourish than to overfeed. For better rooting, young growth is mulched with light humus.
In shady places, viola flowers are paler, but flowering is longer. She does not like stagnation of water in the soil - she begins to hurt. Therefore, in the lowlands it is better not to grow it.
The creeping nature of the shoots is advantageous on the gentle slopes and alpine hills, where the violets in the forest grow to form a flowering carpet.
We must be prepared for the fact that the plant can fill with itself more than the area allotted for it. In such cases, it will be necessary to remove the shoots by pinching or pruning, like a mustache with garden strawberries.
Forest Violet Diseases
The worst enemy of violets is illness.
| Disease, pests | Signs | Causes, pathogens. |
| Root rot | The roots rot, then the stem and leaves. The plant dies. | Pathogenic fungi that may be in the soil for a long time in a dormant state. Fungal disease occurs at low temperature and high humidity. Promotes an acidic soil environment. |
| Gray rot | Gray fluffy coating on the upper parts - peduncles and seed bolls. | |
| Powdery mildew | Plaque of white color in the form of powder on leaves and flowers. More common in early summer. | |
| Rust spotting | Brown spots on green parts of plants. Drying out. | |
| Smut | Swelling of blisters on petioles and leaves, filled with dark liquid. | |
| Blackleg | The disease of seedlings and seedlings. The base of the stems darkens, the leaves droop. Death occurs on day 3-4 | |
| Phytophthora | Penetrates through the pestle, or thin roots. | |
| Variegation | The leaves become variegated, marbled color, dry and die. | Virus. Aphids are carried. |
| Ring mosaic | Rings of dark green color on the leaves, followed by necrosis. | |
| Clover scoop (mother of pearl) | The tips of the leaves are combined. It develops from May to July during larval feeding. | Larvae of a moth with a wingspan of no more than 4.5 cm. Orange with black speckles, silver-pearl wings on the back. |
| Nematode | The aerial parts or roots are affected, depending on the variety of the parasite. Plants are oppressed, lagging behind in development, decorativeness suffers. | Parasites - air and earth nematodes (strawberry, gall). |
Fighting the diseases of wild violets is very difficult. Often, the entire plantation dies. If the species is rare and it is not possible to restore it, you should still try to save the plant.
Eliminate diseased parts, destroyed plants are destroyed. For survivors, spraying with special antifungal drugs is carried out, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied.
Application in traditional medicine
The plant in large quantities contains essential oils, flavonoid, vitamins A, C, E, fats, carotene. Due to the alkaloids contained in it, it is poisonous. Therefore, it should be used in home medicine with caution. It will be best to consult a doctor.
Forest violet helps in treating many diseases with folk remedies:
- Febrifuge.
- A decoction gargle with inflammation.
- Promotes sputum removal from the respiratory tract.
- Heals a headache.
- It has a diuretic effect.
- Has disinfecting properties.
- Hemostatic - for women with complications after childbirth and menopause.
- Antiallergenic, helps with diathesis in children.
- Antirheumatic (in the form of compresses)
In aromatherapy, the smell of violets calms the nerves, even helps with excitability, hysteria, and seizures. Increases vitality and immunity.
In cosmetology, violet oil smoothes wrinkles, heals cracks and weathered lips. In high concentrations, the extract of violets is poisonous. Therefore, use preparations based on violets with caution and keep out of the reach of children.
