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Flowers by Colour
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Dog Violet - Western Isles - Wild Flowers - Wildflowers & Flora - Hebrides Flowers
Common Dog Violets - lovely purple wildflowers seen all over the Western Isles. Easy to identify - these bright purple flowers with 5 petals are so pretty - they flower from May through to July in the Hebrides.


Western Isles Wildflowers - Wild flowers of The Hebrides
common dog violet wildflowers
Common Dog Violet - Viola Riviniana
Bosta -Isle of Lewis May 2009

 
Western Isles Wildflowers - Dog Violet
The common dog violet - a really beautiful dainty little purple wildflower - seen on the Western isles. In late spring - early summer - these largish, blue-violet Violets show their heads

Here in the Western isles - you can also see the Marsh Violet and the Heath Violet.

The Marsh Violet has no leaves on the flower stem and is usually a really pale blue violet colour - almost white and the leaves are rounded at the ends and is common in the boggy wet areas.

  
ragwort-wildlowers-western isles
Dog Violet - Western Isles Wildflowers

Five Petals - Flowers
The flower of the common dog violet is unscented and there is always only one flower on the stem - five petals with a curved spur - notched at the tip and a lovely rich purple colour. The plant grows to a height of 150mm - it flowers on the Islands between May and July. Individual flowers are small but in such profusion that the plant is conspicuous from some distance.

Name
The common dog violet's name is derived supposedly from the fact that it has no scent at all - meaning it was only suitable for dogs. It is sometimes called wood violet - probably due the fact that it thrives in the woodlands.

Flowers since 500BC
True violets have been known for centuries - indeed they have been cultivated as far back as 500BC - and the Ancient Greeks used violets in herbal medicine and as sweeteners


Symbol of Fertility
The Ancient Greeks thought violets were a symbol of fertility using then in love potions.

Cancer Cure
Old folk lore says that an infusion of violet leaves is an old gypsy remedy for cancer

 

 
Western Isles Wildflowers - Flora & Flowers of The Outer Hebrides - Hebridean Wild Flowers
Common Dog Violet - Wildflowers - Isle of Lewis - Isle of Harris