Woolly Blue Violet is a short-stemmed herbaceous perennial plant that is native to eastern North America. Woolly Blue Violet is an important food source for the caterpillars of fritillary butterflies. The plants also serve as food for wild turkeys, rabbits, deer, livestock, the mourning dove, the bobwhite, and the white-footed mouse. Woolly Blue Violet is the state flower of Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The common blue violet is also called the "lesbian flower" because in the early 1900s, lesbian women would give violets to the women they were wooing. This symbolized their "Sapphic" desire, so called because Sappho, a Greek lyric poet, in one of her poems described herself and her lover as wearing garlands of violets. This practice became popular in the 1910 – 1930 time period. The species name sororia means 'sisterly' a reference to resemblance of woolly blue violet to other species in the violet family.
Woolly Blue Violet is used in landscaping as well as a forage plant for livestock.
Within the realm of rational and holistic medicine, woolly blue violet has been used in a poultice to allay the pain of headaches. An infusion of woolly blue violet can be used in the treatment of dysentery, coughs and colds. A poultice of the crushed roots of woolly blue violet has also been applied to boils.
Please note that MIROFOSS does not suggest in any way that plants should be used in place of proper medical and psychological care. This information is provided here as a reference only.
The young leaves and flower buds of woolly blue violet can be consumed raw or cooked. The leaves have a mild flavour which makes an acceptable addition to mixed salads. The leaves are often mixed with stronger tasting leaves from the cabbage family. When the leaves are added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as Okra. The flowers, eaten raw, have a mild flavour, they are an excellent attractive garnish for salads. Rich in vitamin C, the flowers can also be made into jams or jellies. A tea can also be made from the leaves or from the flowers of woolly blue violet.
Please note that MIROFOSS can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the consumption of plant species which are found in the wild. This information is provided here as a reference only.
Woolly Blue Violet grows in moist meadows and rich woods Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid and neutral soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
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Woolly Blue Violet is a perennial plant that grows 7.5cm to 20cm tall with woolly haired stems. The leaves are cordate (heart shaped) and are 1cm to 10cm wide. The leaves of woolly blue violet have a crenate margin with cross-venulate venation. The flowers of woolly blue violet are bilaterally symmetrical and grow in clusters on a stalk that is 5cm to 15cm long. Flowers can be deep blue, Violet, Lavender, or white with five petals. Each flower is 18mm to 25mm wide and contains five stamens and five pistils. Woolly Blue Violet produces a mottled green fruit capsule which is 6mm to 12mm long. Self-seeding freely, in lawns and gardens it can be considered a weed by some. Cleistogamic seed heads may also appear on short stems in late summer and early autumn.
| Plant Height | 7.5cm to 20cm |  |
| Habitat | Moist Meadows, Rich Woods | |
| Leaves | cordate 1cm to 10cm wide | |
| Leaf Margin | Crenate | |
| Leaf Venation | Cross-venulate | |
| Stems | Hairy stems | |
| Flowering Season | March to June | |
| Flower Type | Bilaterally Symmetrical | |
| Flower Colour | Blue, Violet, White | |
| Pollination | Bees | |
| Flower Gender | Flowers are hermaphrodite and the plants are self-fertile | |
| Fruit | small mottled green fruit capsule | |
| USDA Zone | 4A (-31°C to -34°C) cold weather limit |
No known health risks have been associated with woolly blue violet. However ingestion of naturally occurring plants without proper identification is not recommended.
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-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see an artist rendering, from The United States Department of Agriculture, of woolly blue violet. (This image will open in a new browser tab) |
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-Click here- or on the thumbnail image to see a magnified view, from Go Botany, of the seeds created by woolly blue violet for propagation. (This image will open in a new browser tab) |
Woolly Blue Violet can be referenced in certain current and historical texts under the following seven names:
Woolly Blue Violet can be translated into the following select languages:
| Arabic | الأزرق البنفسجي الصوفي | Bulgarian | вълна синьо виолетово | Chinese (Sim) | 羊毛蓝紫色 |
| Croatian | vuneno plavo ljubičasto | Czech | vlněný modrý fialový | Danish | uldblå violet |
| Dutch | Esperanto | lano blua viola | Estonian | villane sinine violetne | |
| Finnish | villan sinistä violetti | French | laineux bleu violet | German | wollig blauviolett |
| Greek | μάλλινο μπλε ιώδες | Hebrew | צבוע כחול סגול | Hungarian | gyapjas kék lila |
| Italian | viola blu lanoso | Japanese | ウールブルーピンク | Korean | 털리 블루 바이올렛 |
| Punjabi | ਨੀਲੀ ਨੀਲਾ ਵਾਇਟਲ | Lithuanian | vilna mėlyna violetinė | Norwegian | ullblå fiolett |
| Persian | بنفش بنفش آبی | Polish | wełnisty niebieski fioletowy | Portuguese | violeta azul lanoso |
| Romanian | Russian | шерстяной синий фиолетовый | Slovak | vlna modrá fialová | |
| Spanish | azul violeta lanoso | Swedish | ullblå violett | Tagalog | makapal na asul na lila |
| Turkish | yünlü mavi menekşe | Ukrainian | шерстяна синя фіалка | Vietnamese | tím xanh tím |
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The MIROFOSS database offers free printable garden tags for personal and non-profit use. These tags can be used to properly identify plant samples in a garden. Click on the tags shown on the the screen or -click here- to download a full size jpeg image for a woolly blue violet identification tag; which can be printed on paper or used with a plastic laser printer. |
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| Description | Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004) ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto:McClelland and Stewart Ltd. |
| Description | Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR. |
| Description | Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979 ISBN 0-00-635555-2 |
| Folklore | MacKinnon, Kershaw, Arnason, Owen, Karst, Hamersley, Chambers. 2009. Edible & Medicinal Plants Of Canada ISBN 978-1-55105-572-5 |
| Image Rendering | USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. |
| Environment | National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2 |
| Physical Identification | National Audubon Society. Field Guide To Wildflowers (Eastern Region): Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-375-40232-2 |
| January 29, 2018 | The last time this page was updated |
| ©2021 MIROFOSS™ Foundation | |
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