Violas 2016

[Robert]

Yes, I know the first two photographs are Violas of the weedy - seedy nature.     They are among the first plants to bloom in the early spring and are more or less well behaved in the garden. When they seed into container plants they are a major pest and I am always vigilant that they do not take over a container.

I like fragrance in the garden, so the blossoms of Viola odorata are very welcome.



Viola odorata



One of many weedy - seedy types that I tolerate.



Viola adunca - one of our local native species. It is very easily grown and always looks nice. This plant is well budded and will be blooming soon.



A seed pan of Viola purpurea germinating. This is another of our local species. It can be tricky to grow well. In nature it is a dry-land Viola and summer dormant. In cultivation I find that it needs to be kept sightly moist during the summer to do well.

There is also a considerable amount of variation within this species. There are a number of distinct varieties. It chromosome number is 2n=12,24 which matches well with a number of our other native species. Natural hybrids are possible and sometimes seen in the wild.



Tiny seedlings of Viola douglasii. Another dry-land species that often grows in full sun under extremely xeric conditions. This species too responds well to a limited amount of irrigation when dormant during the summer. It is a stunning species when in bloom and as far as I am concerned worth all the effort to grow well.

[Robert]

A seedling of Viola chelmea ssp. vratnicensis courtesy a generous formist.    A little blurry. 

A number of other interesting species are coming along now:
V. ambigua, V. rubella, V. carillaris, and V. rupestris all courtesy of formist. Thank you (all). 

[Gerdk]

Robert, enjoy your odoratas, which are of course earlier than ours. But so I  was remembered
to show a pic of V. jaubertiana (inside the greenhouse) which was flowering since 2 months here.

I add a photo of  germinating V. purpurea with the unusually arranged cotyledons. Do you know
a reason why they aren't situated opposite to eachother?

Gerd

[Robert]

But so I  was remembered to show a pic of V. jaubertiana (inside the greenhouse) which was flowering since 2 months here.

Gerd

Very sweet!

I add a photo of  germinating V. purpurea with the unusually arranged cotyledons. Do you know
a reason why they aren't situated opposite to eachother?

Gerd

Yes, the cotyledons are unusual. I do not know why, but certainly something to ponder and look into.

Another question I have concerns a suspected natural hybrid V. bakeri x purpurea I found this past summer. This cross is within the realm of possibilities (but perhaps unlikely), however it does leave me questioning. The plants grow within one of my focus study areas, and fairly easily accessed (once the snow melts) - but no photographs until maybe late June, but more likely July.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, V. odorata grows in several locations near me, both blue and white versions. Lovely to come across them in woodlands, mainly on magnesian limestone.

[Hoy]

I have no odorata at home but lots of it at my summer-house. Seems I should move some home! I remember my grandma's garden with sweet violets along the fence

[ian mcdonald]

I have read that V. odorata has a chemical in the flower which inhibits a persons sense of smell, so that you can smell the scent then the fragrance is lost for a while.

[Robert]

Ian,

We have the white form of Viola odorata in our garden too.

I have read that V. odorata has a chemical in the flower which inhibits a persons sense of smell, so that you can smell the scent then the fragrance is lost for a while.

Your comment about fragrance is very interesting.

Some of our local history surrounding V. odorata:

About 100 years ago, there was a large cutting flower industry based on V. odorata here in California. The center of activity was along the Pacific Coast from the San Francisco area south to about Monterrey, California. Bundles of fresh flowers were cut and sold on the streets of the cities, mostly San Francisco. This part of the cut flower industry lasted for quite a few years before dying-out as other cut flowers replaced V. odorata. Not long ago, there was an effort to revive V. odorata as a cut flower. This did not prove to be profitable, however a few growers have continued with V. odorata as a high end specialty.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, bunches of sweet violet used to be sold on the streets of London. I expect this tradition has been lost.

[Cfred72]

Luis Mariano sang a song called "Love is a bouquet of violets", French song.
Cela colle bien avec cette journée de la Saint Valentin

[Robert]

Viola chelmea ssp. vratnicensis grown from seed supplied by a generous forumist. 

[Gerdk]

(Attachment Link)
Viola chelmea ssp. vratnicensis grown from seed supplied by a generous forumist. 

Robert, this is quite fast - you raised the rare white flowering variety! Congratulations!

Gerd

[Robert]

Robert, this is quite fast - you raised the rare white flowering variety! Congratulations!

Gerd

Gerd,

I guess that I was quite fortunate. Only one seed germinated for me.

Here in California, this species seems robust. When I have more I will give it a try out in the open garden. It will also be interesting to see what percentage come true to the white form from a self pollination.

At our public library there is a copy of the Flora of Greece. I did notice that it is listed in this book. Unfortunately, I did not write out its description. I did do a quick internet search .edu but did not come up with much.

[Gerdk]

Gerd,
I guess that I was quite fortunate. Only one seed germinated for me.

Here in California, this species seems robust. When I have more I will give it a try out in the open garden. It will also be interesting to see what percentage come true to the white form from a self pollination.

At our public library there is a copy of the Flora of Greece. I did notice that it is listed in this book. Unfortunately, I did not write out its description. I did do a quick internet search .edu but did not come up with much.

Robert,
Viola chelmea ssp. vratnicensis(vratnicensis derived from Mt. Vratnik above Senj/Croatia) doesn't occour in Greece. It comes from
Croatia and Montenegro - your plant originally grows on Mt. Orjen in Montenegro. Please have a look at the following links!
If you open the link for Orjen in German you'll find much more information than in English - the German Version inspired me to
visit the range and I did not regret it.

Gerd

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orjen
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_chelmea

[Robert]

Gerd,

Thank you for offering the correct information regarding this species.

While living in Vienna, my frau never learned any technical terms in German, but I will have her take a look at things anyway. She is currently writing a bilingual book on birds - Spanish and English. For her the Spanish is easy except for the technical wording. This is a huge challenge.