Suomi
Svenska
Dwarf Marsh Violet
Viola epipsila
Identify the Dwarf Marsh Violet from a photo and log your finds with Florapass.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google Play.
Dwarf Marsh Violet is a small, delicate violet of damp woods and fens. It usually has just a couple of heart-shaped leaves and pale bluish-purple, slightly drooping flowers in early summer. Look for it along streams, wet meadows and boggy ground.
Did you know?
- Often hybridises with Marsh Violet, which can blur the differences.
- Usually has only two leaves rising from the base.
About the species
Identification
Low perennial, 5–15 cm. Leaves and thin flower stalk rise from the base; leaves usually two, broad heart-shaped and a little longer than wide, with tiny teeth and a few short hairs underneath; at least one leaf has a clear pointed tip. On the flower stalk, the small leaf-like bits sit above halfway. Flowers droop slightly, pale bluish-purple, about 1.5–2 cm across; the lowest petal has a small pouch at the back. Fruit is a small dry pod that splits into three. Differs from Marsh Violet by the pointed leaf tip and the leaf-like bits placed above the middle; hybrids are common. Flowers in Finland in May–June.
Plant group
Herbaceous plants
Habitat
mire
Flowering
May–Jun
About the habitat
Prefers damp, shady places: stream banks, swampy woods, wet meadows, spring areas, and various fens and bogs. Occurs across Finland; scarce in the south, common elsewhere.
Sources
Photo: Игорь Загребин, CC0 1.0 https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/6274092449
Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Sisävedet: rantaniityt, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38332
Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korpiorvokki
