Family |
Violaceae
Viola odorata
L.
Viola odorata L.
First published in Sp. Pl.: 934 (1753).
(Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, p. 533, Pl. CCXXX, 2; 1970)
Description
Life-form & habit: Finely hairy, stemless perennial, 10–15 cm tall, producing above-ground runners after flowering.
Leaves: Stalked, oval, heart-shaped at the base, 2–4 cm long, with scalloped margins. Leaves on the runners are kidney-shaped. Stipules are pointed and lanceolate, entire or shortly fringed.
Inflorescence & flowers: Fragrant violet flowers about 2 cm long, borne on stalks equalling or slightly exceeding the leaves, with a small bract near the base of the flower stalk.
Fruit: Rounded, hairy capsule.
Flowering and habitat
Phenology: Flowering February–May.
Habitat & elevation: Woodland and damp places; locally distributed.
Distribution
Lebanese distribution: Qoubbayat, Zahle pass, Jabal Kneisse, Fnaideq, Jabal Qamoua, Khan Sannine, Hasroun, the Cedars, Tannourine el Foqa, Mount Hermon, Sannine and Kornet Chehwan.
Native range: Albania, Algeria, Austria, Azores, Baleares, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canary Is., Central European Russia, Corse, Cyprus, Czechia-Slovakia, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kriti, Krym, Lebanon-Syria, Madeira, Morocco, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, NW. Balkan Pen., Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sardegna, Sicilia, South European Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Türkiye, Türkiye-in-Europe, Ukraine.
Introduced into: Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Assam, Bermuda, British Columbia, California, Chile Central, China North-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Costa Rica, Cuba, Delaware, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Finland, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Idaho, Illinois, India, Indiana, Japan, Leeward Is., Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mexico Central, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Montana, Myanmar, Nebraska, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, North Carolina, Norway, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Panamá, Pennsylvania, Peru, Puerto Rico, Québec, Rhode I., Sweden, Tadzhikistan, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Trinidad-Tobago, Utah, Venezuela, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, Washington, West Himalaya, Wisconsin.