Viola hirta
Rough Violet (Viola hirta )
The Rough violets or wire-haired Violet (Viola hirta ) is a plant from the family of Violet Family ( Violaceae ). It is common in the temperate regions of Asia and Europe.
Description
The plants are about 3 to 10 ( 25) inches high and grow without underground runners. The leaves are at the base slightly cordate, with a shallow, wide bay and 1.5 to 10 inches long and 1-6 inches wide ( ratio length / width: 1.5 - to 2 -fold). Like the 3 to 12 cm long flower stems are hairy upstanding and forth like this at the base of the stem axis, ie are basal. The fringes of the side leaves are much shorter than the stipules are broad. The bracts of the flower stems are below its middle.
Rough violets bloom from March to May with 12 to 22 millimeters long, strong blue-violet colored, scentless flowers that have an upwardly curved, 3-5 mm long spur, which is darker than the crown. The petals are all emarginate.
Ecology
The Rough Violet is a rosette plant without foothills. The hairiness of the plant and the deep rooting can be interpreted as an adaptation to dry habitats. Bloom time is from March to May
The seeds are eaten by ants, as they have a nutritious appendix. The animals they transport over long distances and thus help the plant with their propagation.
Occurrence
The species grows as deep roots in light oak and pine dry forests, in sunny to partially shaded fringes of shrubberies and Semi-arid Brome grass. They preferred more nutrient -and base- rich (but low in nitrogen ), mostly calcareous clay loam or loess. There are colonized in Central Europe altitudes of the plane up to middle mountain areas ( in Austria up to 1400 m above sea level). At higher altitudes, and limestone areas the Rough Violet comes quite often before, in the North German lowlands, for example, it is rare or absent. The total distribution is Eurasian- sub-Mediterranean; the area of the species extends over large parts of Europe and the Caucasus to Central Asia ( Siberia, north-west China).
Synonyms
- Viola R. hirsuta
- Viola odorata hirta (L.) Čelak.
- Viola hirta brevifimbriata W. Becker
- Viola hirta longifimbriata W. Becker P.P. max.