Viola odorata: A Powerful Plant with a Sweet Scent
This article is about the wildflower Viola odorata, commonly known as sweet violet, common violet, and violet. It provides information about the plant's history, culinary uses, health benefits, and how to identify and propagate it. Use this guide to help you identify, grow, and eat Viola odorata.
Viola odorata growing in a shaded lawn.
Viola odorata, commonly known as sweet violet, is a perennial plant that has been on Earth since the time of Ancient Greece. This plant was so important to the Ancient Greeks that they named it their state flower of Athens. They also used the sweet scent of this plant’s flower in their perfumes. Viola odorata was a powerful plant then and is still a powerful plant today.
The flowers of sweet violet have a delicate scent that isn’t overpowering and is reminiscent of springtime. After gathering a handful of flowers and leaves, place the bunch in your hand and lightly sniff it. You’ll be able to smell the sweet kiss of Viola odorata.
Not only does this plant smell good, but it can also help you make a remedy for a sore throat. Sweet violets make a tasty addition to salads and smoothies. This plant’s many uses and benefits make it stand out from other wild edible plants, and its history with us humans proves that we mustn’t forget the importance of Viola odorata.
Why Eat Viola odorata?
Eating Viola odorata has health benefits for the body and mind. It has a high amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, and carotenes. Your body needs these nutrients to function, and eating sweet violets is one way to gain them. Viola odorata also has fiber which is excellent for your gut. Eating sweet violets in smoothies or salads is one way to add a little boost of fiber to your diet.
Viola odorata also has the potential to help your sore throat. Multiple studies have shown that this plant contains soothing, demulcent properties. These properties can help alleviate sore throats in children and adults, especially when you use sweet violets to prepare Viola tea or syrup.
Arguably the most important reason to eat sweet violets is that they taste good! The flowers have a soft flavor similar to their scent. With a wide variety of culinary uses, sweet violets are a valuable addition to the kitchen.
Here are a few easy ways to use Viola odorata in the kitchen:
Top salads with flowers to add color and flavor.
Bake leaves and flowers in pastries as a decal, or as a flavoring agent.
Candy the flowers and leaves.
Cook the leaves like spinach. (link to greens article spinach)
Make Viola-infused vinegar, and combine it with honey to form Viola oxymel.
Craft a Viola liquor.
Brew a Viola tea.
Viola odorata leaves up close.
Identify & Find Viola odorata
Sweet violet originates from Europe and has since spread across the globe. It has fallen out of favor as an ornamental garden plant and is thus hard to find in newly planted landscapes. It can, however, be found growing in forgotten gardens, mossy lawns, and other unattended garden spaces. It also grows in forests, shaded woodlands, and uncultivated wild spaces.
Viola odorata can spread through seeds and runners and form a mat of heart-shaped leaves over time. Because of the plant’s habit, you’ll most likely find it growing in a group rather than on its own.
A stemless plant, Viola odorata grows out of a central rosette. It forms heart-shaped green leaves from this rosette that will typically start growing in early spring. Viola odorata goes dormant in late fall when the first frosts arrive and will die back to the ground. Don’t worry though: this plant sprouts up with new growth in early spring.
The flowers of this charming plant are usually deep-violet in color, but they can vary from lighter to darker from plant to plant. If you smell the flowers of Viola odorata you’ll inhale a delicate, sweet scent that will surely have you looking for sweet violets wherever you go. It is a wonderful fragrance!
There is one Viola odorata lookalike plant to be aware of. Commonly known as “lesser celandine” Ficaria verna sports leaves that look similar to Viola odorata. They look alike, but lesser celandine is slightly toxic when consumed. One sure way to know the difference between the two plants is by the flowers: lesser celandine has star-shaped yellow flowers with many petals, and sweet violet has purple flowers that only have five petals.
The leaves of both plants are similar but can be distinguished by paying close attention to their different shapes. The arrow-like shape and the glossiness of Ficaria verna leaves are noticeably different from the heart-shaped ones of Viola odorata. Also, lesser celandine leaves can sometimes have slight variegation, with creamy splotches of color on the interior outlined by darker green margins. Not all lesser celandine plants have this variegation though, as some will have plain green leaves.
Ficaria verna. Photo by Julia Filirovska from Pexels
Viola odorata flower and leaves.
As always, be 100% sure that the plant you collect is the plant you intend to consume. If unsure, it is better to be safe than sorry and leave the plant behind. You can also look to local university gardening extensions in your area for knowledgeable experts on plant identification.
Propagate Viola odorata
If you can’t find Viola odorata growing near you, or you simply would like to have some in your garden, you’ll find comfort in how easy it is to grow this plant yourself.
Propagating Viola odorata can be done by seed or by runner:
Seed
Here’s how you propagate Viola odorata with seed:
When to sow seed depends on your climate:
In cold winter areas, sow seeds indoors in the winter and set out the seedlings in early spring.
In mild winter areas, sow seeds in pots in late summer and set out seedlings in the fall.
Sow seeds on top of 4” pots with a light covering of soil.
Place the pots with seeds in them by a light source, either under indoor grow lights or by a brightly lit window.
Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate and sprout.
Once the seeds sprout, you can water the seedlings after the soil dries out a bit. Do not let them get bone dry, but also be sure not to overwater them. You’ll want the soil moisture to resemble a wrung-out sponge.
Plant seedlings into the garden once the threat of frost passes.
After the plants become established, they’ll have more cold tolerance and be able to withstand light frost.
A patch of Viola odorata spreads by runners.
Runner
Propagating by runners is even easier than by seeds. The only caveat is that you’ll have to have access to a patch of Viola odorata that is already established.
Here’s how you propagate Viola odorata by runners:
Locate a patch of Viola odorata that is growing well without any signs of disease.
Do so during early spring or late summer, as transplanted plants will have more success relocating during these seasons.
Using a trowel or similar tool, gently dig up a few plants, being careful not to dig up too many.
Viola odorata is not as widespread as it once was, so allowing healthy patches of Viola odorata to keep growing and thriving is crucial to this plant’s continued reproductive success.
Do not dig up single plants; only source plants from existing patches of Viola odorata.
Transplant the Viola odorata plant into the desired location in your yard or garden.
Water the plant well and keep it moist until it is established, which usually takes about a month or two.
And that’s it! Growing Viola odorata is fun, easy, and a great way to have this wonderful plant in your own backyard.
Conclusion
Identifying Viola odorata can be a valuable way for you to better understand the natural world and its connections. It will help you appreciate the beauty of these delicate flowers and increase your awareness of biodiversity and the interdependence of different species in their ecosystems. In addition, learning to identify sweet violets can be a fun and rewarding way for you to connect with nature and deepen your understanding of the environment.
I hope this guide has helped you understand the importance of sweet violets and how we can use them. To learn more about other edible wild plants, visit here. Thank you, and happy growing!
Sources
Kathleen Norris Brenzel, and Sunset Books. Western Garden Book. Oxmoor House, 1 Feb. 2007.
Forêt, Rosalee De La, and Emily Han. Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. Carlsbad, California, Hay House, Inc, 2020.
All photos were taken by Jerad Bryant unless stated otherwise.
