Violets! Edible and Medicinal Spring Flowers - Identification and Description Early Blue Violet

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In this video I describe how to identify violets which are edible and medicinal. There are a lot of different species of wild violets and all are edible. I also specifically describe early blue violets - Viola adunca which is a specific species of violet. Violets bloom in the spring and are one of the first wild edible plants that grow in the spring. If you want to confirm you have wild violets, this should help!

Early Blue Violet - Viola adunca AKA Western Dog Violet and Hookedspur Violet

Also discussed is all violets - Viola spp.

Violet Distribution

Violets are found all across North America, and all species of violet are edible. Pansies are also a type of violet and are also edible.

Violet Flowers

Early blue violets are blue to deep violet with 5 petals. The lower petals are often white at the base with purple veins. The lowest pedal has a spur at its base.

Identifying All Violet Flowers

There are lots of different species of violet all over North America, and the flowers can be used to identify all the different violet species, viola spp. The flowers are at the top of a long thin unbranched stem called a peduncle. Along the peduncle are two tiny reduced leaves. The peduncle is J shaped with a curve near the top where the flower is. The flowers have five petals, and the bottom petal has an enlarged sack at the back of it.

Early Blue Violet Leaves

The leaves of early blue violet are generally ovel to heart shaped with finely round-toothed edges.

Violet Distribution

Violets are common in many habitats such as grasslands, moist meadows, open woods, lawns, and disturbed grounds.

Edible Violets

All upper portions of violets are edible. This includes the flowers, leaves and stems. They are rich in vitamin A and C. The leaves and flowers can be eaten raw as a trail nibble, added to salads, cooked as a potherb or or used as a thickener in soups and stews. The flowers can be used as garnishes, to make syrups and jams, and the leaves and flowers have been fermented to make wine.

Medicinal Violets

Violet tea can be taken to sooth digestive and respiratory tract issues. It can also be used for dry asthma, bronchitis, and whooping cough. It can reliev constipation and increase urination to remove deposits and sooth urinary tract infections. Gargles made from thje syrup can reliev sore throats and coughs. Violet leaves soaked in hot weater and drained have been applied to sores and wounds as a poultice and to treat all sorts of skins conditions such as rashes, wounds, and eczema.

Violet Tea

Violet tea can be made by pouring boiling water over a handful of leaves and letting it cool. This violet tea is said to give restful sleep, moderate anger, and be a mild laxative.

Good luck foraging for violet this spring! It is an early edible to forage in the spring months.

Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!

References

MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.

Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018

Thayer, Samuel. Incredible Wild Edibles - 36 plants that can change your life. Forager's Harvest. 2017.