Valley Violet - Viola vallicola

Valley Violet
Viola vallicola A. Nels.
Synonyms: V. nuttallii var. vallicola & var. major

Family: Violaceae, Violet
Genus: Viola

Description
General: perennial from short, erect rootstocks, the stems
largely underground but the above-ground portions are
sometimes as much as 15 cm long. Plant height, including
the flower stalks, up to 15 cm tall.

Leaves: basal, the stalks 3-15 cm long, somewhat wing-
edged. Leaf blades hairless to sparsely hairy, the blades
ovate to ovate-lanceolate, usually more or less straight or
almost heart-shaped at the base, generally 2-5 cm long,
entire or very shallowly blunt-toothed. Stipules joined much
of their length, the free portion entire to few-toothed.

Flowers: one to few from the base, the stalks equaling
or shorter than the leaves. Flowers 8-15 mm long, the spur
short. The 5 petals yellow, the upper ones usually brownish
on the back, the lower three lined with brownish-purple on
the inside, the side pair bearded. Style head bearded,
lobed to rounded. Ovary hairy to hairless.
Flowering time: May-July.

Fruits: capsules, hairless, with 3 valves, splitting open
explosively and shooting out seeds.

Distribution
Mainly in sagebrush and on sagebrush-ponderosa pine
benchland and wooded areas up to middle altitudes in the
mountains, in most parts of MT. Also from B.C. to OR and
in the Rocky Mts.

Edible and Poisonous plant, see below.

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Contents
Identification
English Names Index
Scientific Names Index
Family Index

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Edible Uses:
All violets are edible. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw in salads, used as potherbs or thickeners, or made into tea. Violets are high in vitamins A and C. The flowers can be used as a garnish (fresh or candied) or as a flavoring and coloring in vinegar, jelly and syrup.

Caution: The rhizomes, fruits and seeds are poisonous, causing severe stomach and intestinal upset, as well as nervousness and respiratory and circulatory depression.