In nature, there are a lot of diverseforms of wild violets, which differ from garden and indoor plants in size, color of leaves and flowers. One of the representatives of the Violet family is the violet canine, whose photo is in front of you.
Violet canine: botanical description of the plant
The plant is interesting, though not too rushesin the eyes. It is a perennial 5-30 cm tall. Rhizome short. Flowers, like other violets, are five-membered. The petals are light purple or pale blue. On one stalk there are several of them. Flowering continues from early spring to June. There are cases when the violet canine re-blooms at the very end of summer.
Stem leaves with petioles, naked, sometimes withthe base is slightly pubescent. Basal foliage begins to grow only after flowering. Leaves ovate or lanceolate, obtuse. Stipules fringed. Stems numerous, erect or ascending, without basal rosettes. The whole plant is slightly hairy, sometimes bare.
Violet canine is a plant – myrmecophilus.After all, its seeds are taken away by ants (“Mirmekos” in Greek) for long distances. The fruit ripens in June, when cracking the twisted sash scatter seeds, which are equipped with a special little body that attracts ants.
Violet can be considered self-pollinating.This is a group of plants whose seed development occurs without an obvious flower, that is, it does not open. In violet ordinary flowers bloom in spring, but there are those that are not visible at all.
Violet canine: places of growth
Like many other kinds of violets, for this wildplants are a favorite place of growth are forest and marginal biotopes. Its flowering can be observed in May, being at the edge of the forest or even in an open place along the banks of reservoirs.
Violet dog prefers to grow in the meadow, drysandy slope, in the meadows, along the roadsides, near the reservoirs. Suitable for it are mineral-rich soils of thickets of shrubs and deciduous forests. Most often, this violet is found in non-chernozem areas.
The area of violet canine
The geography of the genus is very wide.Violets can grow in areas with a temperate climate, in the subtropics, in the tropics. Having such a large range, all violets are very similar when choosing habitats. In our forests a species grows, very similar to a fragrant violet - a violet canine. Its general distribution is the Atlantic Europe, the countries of Central Europe and Scandinavia, the Caucasus, the Northern Mediterranean. This plant is found everywhere in the European part of Russia, in Western and Eastern Siberia. The area of canine violets are also Belarus, Ukraine, some regions of Asia.
The meaning and application of violet canine
Violet dog is often used in ornamental gardening. It decorates flower beds, borders, mixborders. It is planted on a rocky hills.
Violet canine as a fodder crop is not particularly valuable. The main useful properties of the plant are used in medical practice and ornamental gardening.
The plant is rich in essential oils, salicylicacid. It has anthocyanins and traces of alkaloids. All this made violet a canine medicinal plant. The roots, stems and leaves of the plant, which are widely used by folk healers, have healing properties. In Western European countries, herb decoction is used as an expectorant. Herbalists of Belarus consider it useful to drink herbal tea for heart diseases.
Violet canine (photo plants seebelow) is used in folk medicine as a laxative and diuretic, as well as anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent. Water infusion effectively acts in the treatment of diseases of the throat and bronchi, its use is recommended for tumors. Preparations from the roots are used as a strong emetic. For skin itchiness and ulcers, aromatic violet oil is used.
Nature gives us a lot of medicinal plants, violet canine is also on this huge list. We can only learn about those or other useful properties and use them for health.
