Violets
True Violets
Violets are one of the cheeriest little flowers to
grace the landscape. Viola is a genus of flowering plants in the violet
family Violaceae. It is the largest genus in the family, containing
between 525 and 600 species. Most species are found in the temperate
Northern Hemisphere; however, some are also found in widely divergent
areas such as Hawaii, Australasia, and the Andes. True violets are
different from African violets which are natives of East Africa.
True violets have been cultivated since at least 500
B.C. Their uses were more than ornamental, with flavoring and medicinal
applications high on the list. Today, we are fortunate to have a
plethora of different types of violets readily available at most
nurseries and garden centers. Violas encompass the
violets,
pansies and
sweet violets, which are descended from
wild sweet violets from Europe.
