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Home > Plant profiles > Viola ‘Prairie Violet’
Viola ‘Prairie Violet’
 Botanical names: V. pedatifida ‘Prairie Violet’.
Common names: Larkspur violet, Purple prairie violet.
History: Early references are from Plantarium (1753) and Reichenbach (1832), but there is a long history of violets from as far back as 400 BC. Prairie violet was first described for science in 1831 by the Scottish botanist George Don (1798-1856).
Origin: Central and Eastern North America.
Name: The name Violet is said to be from vias meaning wayside. ‘Pedatifida’ means “pedately-cleft“ in botanical Latin, in reference to the leaves, which look like a bird`s foot with the outer toes parted.
Comments: A rare little violet that is native to North America and is currently endangered in the wild. It makes a 12cm mound of deeply indented leaves like crows-feet, and bears quite exquisite lavender blooms on short stems from spring through summer. The small clump forming herbaceous perennial has usually between 5 and 11 palmate leaves. The leaves will grow to 3cm and have very narrow leaflets. The deep violet-blue flowers are 2cm across and have bearded lower petals and short spurs. It self seeds freely not from flower but from seed heads produced after flowering.
Tips: Violets are very cold-tolerant plants. Grown outdoors and acclimated (exposed to the cold gradually), they will easily handle cold temperatures and keep on blooming. If the temperature drops very low the existing flower buds are usually damaged, but the plants live on. They are perfect for planting in containers. Not only will they make a great planter by themselves, they combine well with other early spring bloomers such as snapdragons. Tucking a few into a summer mixed pot will give you some early colour while the summer plants are filling out. This viola also will make an excellent edging for any border in the garden. Deadhead the faded flowers for a repeated bloom.
Contacts:
www.violets.com
The African Violet Association of Australia
8 Wangalla Road
Lane Cove NSW 2066
Family: Violaceae.
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial.
Size (HxW): 12cm x 15cm.
Depth and spacing: Plant as to the same depth as in the pot and 15cm apart.
Watering: Keep moist.
Frost tolerance: Fully hardy.
Flowering time: Spring to summer.
Soil: Well drained, rich, peat soil. A pH of 5.5-7 best suits Viola.
Aspect: Semi-shade to full shade.
Climate: Cool to temperate.
Fertilizer: Apply a light organic fertilizer annually in spring.
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