Common Blue Violet

Viola sororia

"Viola sororia", known commonly as the Common Blue Violet, is a stemless herbaceous perennial plant that is native to eastern North America. It is known by a number of common names including; Common Meadow Violet, Purple Violet, Woolly Blue Violet, Hooded Violet and Wood Violet.
Freckles Wood Violet - Viola sororia I saw several clusters of these violets growing on the side of a dirt road. In fact, I walked right by the first couple clusters because I thought they were just dirty white wood violets. Finally, I stopped walking to check them out and am glad I did! They were stunning!!

Habitat: Growing along a lightly traveled dirt road that cuts through a nature preserve.
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/78778/freckles_wood_violet_-_viola_sororia.html
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/78777/freckles_wood_violet_-_viola_sororia.html Common Blue Violet,Geotagged,Spring,United States,Viola sororia

Uses

Beyond its use as a common lawn and garden plant, "Viola sororia" has historically been used for food and for medicine. The flowers and leaves are edible, and some sources suggest the roots can also be eaten.

The Cherokee used it to treat colds and headaches. Rafinesque, in his "Medical Flora, a Manual of the Medical Botany of the United States of North America", wrote of "Viola sororia" being used by his American contemporaries for coughs, sore throats, and constipation.

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Taxonomy
KingdomPlantae
DivisionAngiosperms
ClassEudicots
OrderMalpighiales
FamilyViolaceae
GenusViola
SpeciesV. sororia