Edible Parts: Flowers  Leaves
Edible Uses: Tea

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[159, 177]. A mild flavour, they make an acceptable addition to mixed salads[K]. The leaves are often mixed with stronger tasting leaves from the cabbage family[183]. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as Okra[62, 85, 159, 183]. The leaves are rich in vitamins A and C[159, 183]. Flowers - raw. A mild flavour, they are an excellent attractive garnish for salads[K]. Rich in vitamin C[159].The flowers can also be made into jams, jellies etc[183]. A tea can be made from the leaves[85] or from the flowers[159].

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Analgesic  Dysentery  Poultice  Vitamin C

A poultice of the leaves has been used to allay the pain of a headache[257]. An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of dysentery, coughs and colds[257]. A poultice of the crushed root has been applied to boils[257].

Incense

An infusion of the root has been used to soak corn seeds before planting in order to keep off insects[257]. 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. Faunal Associations: The flowers are not often visited by insects (hence the need for cleistogamous flowers), but sometimes they attract bees (e.g., Mason, Halictid), skippers, Syrphid flies, and other insects. The Syrphid flies, however, feed only on stray pollen and are non-pollinating. The caterpillars of many Fritillary butterflies feed on the foliage, including Speyeria diane (Diana), Euptoieta claudia (Variegated Fritillary), Speyeria aphrodite (Aphrodite Fritillary), Boloria bellona (Meadow Fritillary), and Boloria selene myrina (Silver-Border Fritillary). The seeds have soft appendages that attract ants, which are in part distributed by them. Various upland gamebirds and small mammals occasionally eat the seeds, including the Wild Turkey, Bobwhite, Mourning Dove, and White-Footed Mouse. Wild Turkeys also eat the leaves and fleshy roots of Viola spp. (Violets). Although it is not a preferred food source, mammalian herbivores occasionally eat the foliage of violets, including the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and livestock [1-6].

Special Uses

Dynamic accumulator  Food Forest