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| This was a small one spotted by a dirt road during one of last year's Wild Harvest Tours. |
Common Name: Birdfoot Violet
Other Common Names: Bird’s-foot Violet, Bird-foot Violet
Botanical Family: Violaceae (The Violet Family)
Botanical Latin Name: Viola pedata
Description & Habitat:
Birdfoot Violet is best described as a low-growing perennial that can get about 10” tall with flowers that are roughly the size of those found on cultivated annual Violas or some varieties of Pansies. Typically the flower is the best identification feature because you might spot it from further away as they are dark to pale purple with a white and yellow center. The leaves of this plant are often about ¾ to 2” in length and are deeply cut into 3 to 5 segments that are heavily lobed. The leaf is lobed enough that it is often thought to resemble a bird’s foot hence the plant’s common name. These native perennials are herbaceous and may go dormant at certain times of the year in North Carolina. They prefer dry upland forested sites and can be found sometimes by the side of dirt roads. Unlike other Violets these plants do not reproduce vegetatively and spread only by seed. Their flowers are very visible in the spring in the partial to full shade environments they prefer. which will aid you in locating them. This plant in the past has been known by the botanical Latin names Viola pedanta var. concolor, V.p. var. lineariloba and, V.p. var ranunculifolia
When & What to Harvest: Since this is a slow-growing herb it is wise to only take what you need and even then it might be wiser to forage on other related Violet species which reproduce faster. With that said, this perennial’s flowers and young leaves are edible raw or cooked and can be added to soups to thicken the broth in the same way one might use Okra. You can make tea from the leaves and the flowers can be candied, a poultice of the leaces can be used to relieve headaches and in the past infusions of this plant have been used to treat dysentery, coughs and the symptoms of a cold. One should take care not to use the flowers of this plant if they are yellow, as this mutation can cause gastrointestinal distress if consumed in large amounts.
Non-Dangerous Lookalikes: As far as I know there is nothing that looks like this.
Related Dangerous Species: None, the Violet family are relatively safe.
Recipe: A basic Syrup recipe using Violet flowers.
Ingredients:
2 Cups of loosely packed Violet flowers with all the green parts removed.
3 Cups of water
1 Cup of granulated Sugar
½ Teaspoon of Lemon juice
Instructions:
1. Heat 1 cup of water to boiling.
2. Put flowers in a bowl or container that will not be damaged by heat.
3. Pour boiling water over the flowers.
4. stir the flower-water mix to ensure all flowers are properly submerged.
5. Cover the container and let it sit at room temperature for up to 2 days.
6. In a pan add the two cups of water and the sugar and heat until the sugar dissolves.
7. Gently pour the violet-water into the sugar-water mix; you may need a strainer for this.
8. Add the lemon juice.
9. Allow to cool and then transfer to a bottle and then refrigerate.
Additional Information: (If applicable)
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=vipe
You can get seeds and live plants here:
https://www.prairiemoon.com/viola-pedata-birds-foot-violet
With all that garden goodness covered this is the part of the blog where I have to advertise for the Fayetteville City Market. Now I know you readers probably don’t much like advertisements, but my booth at the City Market helps to cover the costs of running the test garden and literally maintains the Research & Development budget that is used to bring you the information that has made up the backbone of this blog. In addition to being able to process card payments we now take CashApp payments so your payment options for my product have tripled. With that said; if you want to get some GMO-free, Organic fruit, herbs, flowers and perennials, come on down to the Fayetteville City Market on 325 Maxwell Street in downtown Fayetteville between the hours of 9:00 am and 1:00 pm on Saturdays. Even in bad weather the market goes on though you might have to look for me under the ‘arches’ of the Transportation Museum’s front entryway.
For those of you wondering what plants are going to be at the market this weekend here is the list.
Fresh Foods:
Soup Kit – Parsnip
Soup Kit – Turnip
Turnips
Parsnips
Onions
Celery
Potatoes
Garlic Bulbs
Oyster Mushrooms
Soil Amendment Products:
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 18 Gallon Tote*
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 3 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Live Mushroom Compost – 1 Gallon Bag
Carolina Gold, Enhanced Potting Soil – 1 Gallon Bag
Houseplants:
Abutilon
Aloe, American
Begonia, Sindbad
Cuban Oregano, Large Leaf
Hoan Ngoc
Pothos, Cebu Blue
Rose Campion
Selaginella
Solanum uleanum
Sorrel, Raspberry Dressing
Swiss Cheese Plant
*The 18 gallon tote is by special order only and is delivered to any address within the Fayetteville city area.
How to stay in Contact with Us!
All you need to keep up with all our activities is to have a Nextdoor account and to look for the ‘Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville’ group and ask to join! You don’t have to live in Fayetteville to join us! Feel free to ask all your garden questions of our knowledgeable membership and post your cool garden pictures.
Sustainable Neighbors of Fayetteville
Also please take a gander at the YouTube version of this blog:
The Videos: Look Here
>Newest videos (-): [The channel is on Hiatus until 2025]
Meetings are still going on! Our next (unofficial) meeting is January 4th at the Fayetteville City Market at 325 Franklin Street between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
