Native violets

The vibrant purples and whites of native violets make them a valued ground cover, but they are also edible and have many healing qualities.

Words DR KAREN BRIDGMAN

Native violets (Viola hederacea) are small perennial plants growing over most of Australia with long-flowering purple and white flowers, often with a slight fragrance. They are a classic attractive ground cover. They are very easy to grow, even in moist shade or part shade, to the point where this colourful species is sometimes even considered invasive. The flowers are an excellent food source for butterflies, and the spreading nature of this plant acts as a superior weed suppressant in damp shady areas. In 2006, botanists divided V. hederacea into two groups, and the native violet with more purple than white was renamed V. banksii as a subgroup. Native violets are in the same family as other violets. There is extensive research on the sweet violet (V. odorata) and only minimal studies on…

You're reading a preview of

WellBeing (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 203

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.