''Viola canadensis'' is a flowering plant in the

Violaceae Violaceae is a family of flowering plants established in 1802, consisting of about 1000 species in about 25 genera. It takes its name from the genus ''Viola'', the violets and pansies. Older classifications such as the Cronquist system placed ...

family. It is commonly known as Canadian white violet, Canada violet, tall white violet, or white violet. It is widespread across much of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, from

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, south as far as

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It is a perennial herb and the Latin specific epithet ''canadensis'' means of Canada. ''Viola canadensis'' bears white blooms with yellow bases and sometimes streaks of purple. The

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

are purple tinged on the backside. The leaves are

heart-shaped The heart symbol is an ideograph used to express the idea of the "heart" in its metaphorical or symbolic sense. Represented by an anatomically inaccurate shape, the heart symbol is often used to represent the center of emotion, including affe ...

, with coarse, rounded teeth. ;Subspecies and varieties *''Viola canadensis'' var. ''canadensis'' *''Viola canadensis'' subsp. ''canadensis'' *''Viola canadensis'' var. ''rugulosa'' (Greene) C.L. Hitchc. *''Viola canadensis'' subsp. ''scopulorum'' (A. Gray) House

Conservation status in the United States

It is listed as endangered in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

, and

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

, as threatened in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

, and having a historical range in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

Uses

The leaves and blossoms are edible. The latter can be used to make jelly. The South

Ojibwa The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains. According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...

use a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. Dec ...

of the root for pains near the bladder.Hoffman, W.J., 1891, The Midewiwin or 'Grand Medicine Society' of the Ojibwa, SI-BAE Annual Report #7, page 201

References

External links

United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Viola canadensis'' var. ''canadensis''United States Department of Agriculture Plants Profile: ''Viola canadensis'' var. ''rugulosa''photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in New Mexico in 1897, isotype of ''Viola neo-mexicana/Viola neomexicana'', syn of ''Viola canadensis''
canadensis Edible plants Flora of Subarctic America Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Flora of Western Canada Flora of Eastern Canada Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of New Mexico Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Violaceae-stub