Common name:
Early dog-violet
Family:
Scientific name:
Viola reichenbachiana
Main flower color:
Range:
England, Ireland and Wales
Height:
Up to 15 cm
Habitat:
Woodland, hedgebanks, especially on chalky soils
Flowers:
Up to 20 mm across; five purple petals, the lower with a white, veined patch at the base, the two side petals fringed with white hairs lower down, and a spur which is straight, unnotched and darker in colour than the petals. The five green sepals have short appendages at the base. The upper petals tend to be two or three times as long as wide, and are erect, or angled backwards. Flowers are attached by hairless pedicels
Leaves:
Hairless or sparsely hairy, heart-shaped, lined by shallow, rounded teeth; on long stalks, with a pair of narrow stipules at the base. Leaves are present as a basal rosette, and also along the flowering stems
Season:
March to May
Rarity:
★★★★★
