Viola riviniana

Viola riviniana, the common dog-violet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae, native to Eurasia and Africa.^[1] It is also called wood violet^[1] and dog violet.^[1] It inhabits woodland edges, grassland and shady hedge banks. It is found in all soils except those which are acid or very wet.

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

Growing to 10 cm (3.9 in) tall and 50 cm (20 in) broad, this prostrate perennial has dark green, heart-shaped leaves and produces multiple violet coloured flowers in May and June.^[2]

Viola riviniana was voted the county flower of Lincolnshire in 2002, following a poll by the wild plant conservation charity Plantlife.^[3]

Distribution

Common in Ireland^[4] and all the British Isles.^[5]

Wildlife value

It is the food plant of the pearl bordered fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary, silver-washed fritillary and high brown fritillary butterflies.

It is a known host of the pathogenic fungus Puccinia violae.^[6]

Similar species

• Viola odorata (sweet violet) – fragrant; all the leaves are located at the base of the plant; stipules are gland-tipped
• Viola canina (heath dog violet) – clear blue flowers; narrower leaves; smaller teeth on the stipules
• Viola palustris (marsh violet) – found in wet places; leaves are kidney-shaped; grows from underground creeping stems; dark-veined flowers; stipules without teeth
• Viola labradorica (alpine violet) – V. riviniana is sometimes sold by nurseries as V. labradorica

Hybrids

This species hybridises with early dog-violet (V. reichenbachiana) to produce Viola × bavarica.