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Viola labradorica - Schrank.

Common Name Labrador Violet, Alpine violet, Johnny Jump-Up, Alpine Violet
Family Violaceae
USDA hardiness 3-8
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Woods and grassy places[187].
Range North-eastern N. America - Labrador, south to the mountains of Maine, New Hampshire and New York.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (2 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Full shade Semi-shade Full sun
Viola labradorica Labrador Violet, Alpine violet, Johnny Jump-Up,  Alpine Violet


en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ram-Man
Viola labradorica Labrador Violet, Alpine violet, Johnny Jump-Up,  Alpine Violet
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Amrum

 

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Summary

Bloom Color: Blue, Purple. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Spreading or horizontal


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Viola labradorica is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.1 m (0ft 4in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a fast rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 2 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves
Edible Uses: Tea

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[105]. A mild flavour, though the leaves soon become quite tough[K]. The leaves make a very acceptable addition to salads[K]. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra[85, 159]. A tea can be made from the leaves[85].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


None known

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

A good ground cover plant, fast spreading but slow to thicken up and may need weeding for the first year or so[197]. Plants should be spaced about 30cm apart each way[208]. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest  Ground cover

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Border,Ground cover, Rock garden, Woodland garden. Cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Succeeds in dense shade[197]. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5. Hardy to about -25°c[187]. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[200]. All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities[62, 85, 159]. Special Features:Attractive foliage, North American native, Naturalizing, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons [1-2].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

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Plant Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Greenland, Canada, Québec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, United States, Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

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12

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Schrank.

Botanical References

200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Terence A Cox   Sun Aug 23 2009

I have had this plant in my garden for many years initially in a group of alpine plants. however I am now finding these plants all over my garden and the only way I've found to control it is by using a weedkiller. No where can I found reference to the fact that the plant can be so invasive.

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Subject : Viola labradorica  
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