Scientific name: Viola odorata L.
Common name: Sweet Violet
Description
Habit: A tufted perennial.
Stems: Leaves and flowers from central tuft, no overground stems apparent; with long and creeping stolons.
Leaves: Basal, stalked, with stipules, undivided, round to heart-shaped, crenate, hairy.
Flowers: Deep violet or white, zygomorphic, hermaphrodite, fragrant, solitary on erect flower stalks, arising from basal rosette; sepals 5, free, equal, with short extension below the insertion; petals 5, free, unequal, the lower petal with backwards directed purple spur that encloses nectar-secreting spurs of 2 lower stamens; stamens 5; ovary 1-celled, style 1.
Fruits: A hairy, spherical capsule, with numerous seeds.
Habitat: Woods and hedges.Distribution: Rare.
Native status: Native
Of conservation interest: No