Viola cucullata

"Purple violet" redirects here. For the RAL color, see Purple violet (RAL).

Viola cucullata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Violaceae
Genus:	Viola
Species:	V. cucullata
Binomial name
Viola cucullata Aiton

Viola cucullata, the hooded blue violet, marsh blue violet or purple violet, is a species of the genus Viola native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Georgia. ^[1] It is a recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ^[2]

Description

The purple violet is a low-growing perennial herbaceous plant up to 20 cm (8 in) tall. The leaves form a basal cluster; they are simple, up to 10 cm (4 in) broad, with an entire margin and a long petiole. The flowers are violet, dark blue and occasionally white. with five petals. The fruit is a capsule 10–15 mm (3⁄8–5⁄8 in) long, which splits into three sections at maturity to release the numerous small seeds. ^[3] Its habitats include wet meadows, prairies, and fields. ^[4]

• 
  A white purple violet.
• 
  A closeup of a purple violet flower.

Symbolism

The purple violet is the provincial flower of New Brunswick. ^[5]

The purple violet is the national flower of New Brunswick’s province. The purple violet is the official flower of the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma. [6] 

The purple violet is also one of the official flowers of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "Viola cucullata". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 12 January 2018.
2. "See RHS lists of top AGM garden-worthy plants, fruit & veg / RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
3. "Viola cucullata". Northern Ontario Plant Database.
4. "Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - The University of Texas at Austin". www.wildflower.org.
5. Blanchan (2005). Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.{{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
6. "Our Story • Tri State". Tri Sigma. Retrieved 2024-06-16.