Botanical Name: Viola patrinii
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species: Viola patrinii
Varietas: V. p. var. acuminata
Synonyms:
*Viola patrinii var. brevicalcarata Skvortsov
*Viola primulifolia var. glabra Nakai
Common Names: English: stemless violet, China violet
Habitat:Viola patrinii is native to E. Asia -Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Russia. It is usually found under forest shade, 1900 – 2700 metres in the Himalayas. Marshy meadows, meadows, moist places along riversides, thickets, moist and shaded places at forest margins.
Description:
Viola patrinii is a perennial, acaulescent herb .. 7-20 cm tall. Rhizome erect, dark brown, short, 4-10 mm, stout. Roots usually straight descending or slightly horizontal, black-brown, long, robust, often produced from same place on rhizome. Leaves 3-5 or more, basal; stipules green, ca. 2/3 adnate to petioles, free part linear-lanceolate, margin remotely denticulate or entire, apex acuminate; petiole long, usually 2-3 × exceeding blades, 2-12 cm, slender, usually glabrous or sparsely puberulous, narrowly or slightly broadly winged in upper part; leaf blade oblong, elliptic, narrowly ovate, or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-6 × 0.6-2 cm, thin, both surfaces glabrous or puberulous along veins, base truncate, slightly cordate, or broadly cuneate, decurrent to petiole, margin remotely and shallowly repand-crenate or sometimes subentire, apex obtuse. Flowers white, purplish veined, medium-sized; pedicels usually exceeding or subequaling leaves, slender, glabrous or sparsely puberulous, 2-bracteolate below middle; bracteoles linear. Sepals ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, apex ± acute or slightly obtuse, basal auricles short, ca. 1 mm, obtuse. Upper petals obovate, ca. 1.2 cm, base narrow, lateral ones oblong-obovate, ca. 1.2 cm, bearded, anterior one ca. 1.3 cm (spur included); spur shallowly saccate, short, robust, ca. 3 mm or slightly shorter, ca. 3 mm in diam., apex rounded. Anthers ca. 2 mm, appendage of connectives ca. 1.5 mm; spur of 2 anterior stamens short, ca. 2 mm, robust, ca. 0.6 mm in diam. Ovary narrowly ovoid, glabrous; styles clavate, slender, base slightly geniculate, slightly thickened in upper part; stigmas flat at top and triangular, narrowly margined on lateral sides, shortly beaked in front, beak obliquely ascending, with a smaller stigma hole at tip. Capsule ca. 1 cm, glabrous. Seeds yellow-brown to dark brown, ovoid-globose. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects.
Cultivation:
Prefers a cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5[200]. All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities.
Propagation:
Seed – best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Edible Uses: Young leaves and flower buds – raw or cooked. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra. A tea can be made from the leaves.
Medicinal Uses:
This species has a long history of folk use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The fresh roots are mashed and used as a poultice for abscesses. The plant is suppurative for abscesses, cancer, inflammations and ulcers.
Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.
Resources:
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Viola_patrinii
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Viola+patrinii
http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200014398
