A blue-violet flower with a pale, notched spur that has no scent whatsoever, unlike the sweet violet it resembles
Common dog-violet — Viola riviniana.
Nature · Wildflowers & flowers
Common dog-violet
Native · flowers Apr–Jun · woods, hedgerows, heaths and grassland
Viola riviniana — Violaceae
The common dog-violet is the everyday scentless violet of woods, heaths and hedgerows, flowering from April, a little later than the sweet violet. It is a caterpillar food plant for several rare fritillary butterflies. The 'dog' in its name means unscented, and is the whole point of separating it from its fragrant cousin.
How to spot them
- ▸Five blue-violet petals, the lowest with darker veins and a stout, pale, notched spur behind
- ▸Heart-shaped, dark green, hairless leaves; flowers grow on stalks from leaf axils of leafy, non-creeping stems
- ▸Unscented — the reliable difference from sweet violet (Viola odorata), which is fragrant and has creeping runners
- ▸A dense tufted plant up to 15 cm tall, in flower April to June
- ▸Look-alike: early dog-violet (Viola reichenbachiana) has narrower, darker-spurred flowers and blooms earlier
How to know it
The 'dog' in its name refers to its lack of scent rather than to any pet
Common dog-violet — dog = worthless, unscented.
Caterpillars of the silver-washed, high brown and dark green fritillaries feed on this woodland violet
Common dog-violet.
In Irish this violet is known as 'cuckoo's foot'
Common dog-violet — salchuach.
Ancient Greeks saw violets as symbols of fertility and romance, and Victorians used a purple one to say the sender was 'occupied with love'
Violets, including the common dog-violet.
Quick-fire facts
- •Family Violaceae; Viola riviniana
- •Woodland Trust gives the flowering season as April to June; height up to 15 cm
- •Unscented: the 'dog' in dog-violet refers to the lack of fragrance, not pet dogs
- •Larval food plant of rare butterflies including the silver-washed, high brown and dark green fritillaries
- •Common and widespread across the UK in woods, heaths, hedgerows and grassland
- •Irish word salchuach means cuckoo's foot
- •Violets were used by ancient Greeks in herbal medicine, and were symbols of fertility and romance
- •Its close relatives include the early dog-violet, the heath dog-violet and sweet violet
Drill it — 6 cards
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Sources
- Woodland Trust — Common dog violet (Viola riviniana)