All plants /Ground /Common Blue Violet
Common Blue Violet
Viola sororia, violet family. Common in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Flowers and young leaves
- How
- Raw in salads; flowers candied or as syrup
- When
- Early spring
- Where
- Shady lawns, woods edges
- Value
- Vitamins A and C
Caution: Eat the leaves and FLOWERS of true violets only. Skip the roots and seeds, and never confuse with unrelated yellow-flowered plants sometimes called violets. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
Heart-shaped leaves and five-petaled blue-purple flowers low in the spring lawn. A gentle, cheerful edible.
Uses
Toss leaves and flowers into salads, candy the blooms for cakes, or steep them into a jewel-colored violet syrup.
Photo: Cbaile19, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.