Differentiating between violets

The family of violas can be hard to tell apart, but I found a great ID guide published on Twitter.

I’ve had quite a lot of trouble sorting them out but seeing them in the flesh really helps.

The violas I have spotted have been growing in open ground such as short verges.

common dog-violet flower viola riviniana seaford head may 2020 — Common dog-violet flower – *Viola riviniana* – Seaford Head – May 2020

Sweet violet – Viola odorata

sweet violet sample — Sweet violet – *Viola odorata* – Seaford – Jan 2020

Identified by rich purple (or white) flower colour with rounded sepal appendages, perfume, and course round leaves.

white violets alfriston rd verge seaford mar 2020 — White violets – probably *Viola odorata* – Alfriston Rd verge – Seaford – Mar 2020

Common dog violet – Viola riviniana

I noticed this has more delicate and pointed foliage, paler, bluer flower, large pointed sepal appendages, dark veining on bottom petal, and a paler spur.

Hairy violet – Viola hirta

I was shown Hairy violet leaves when taking part in chalk grassland surveys as they are an indicator species. The leaves in July were more substantial and more pointed than Sweet violet, slightly larger and very hairy.

Hairy violet leaves Viola hirta Gayles Farm Sussex Jul 2021 — Hairy violet leaves – *Viola hirta* – Gayles Farm Sussex – Jul 2021

Hairy violet leaf reverse Viola hirta Seaford Head Aug 2021 — Reverse of Hairy violet leaf – *Viola hirta* – Seaford Head – Aug 2021

Hairy violet leaves Viola hirta Seaford Head Aug 2021 — Hairy violet leaves – *Viola hirta* – Seaford Head – Aug 2021

In April 2022 I went to Seaford Head, now confident in ID, to find some plants in flower. There had been strong winds on this exposed site, as you can see from the slight damage to the bloom.

Hairy Violet Viola hirta Seaford Head Apr 2022 — Hairy Violet – *Viola hirta* – Seaford Head – Apr 2022

Hairy Violet Viola hirta reverse Seaford Head Apr 2022 — Hairy Violet – *Viola hirta* reverse – Seaford Head – Apr 2022

In April the leaves were generally smaller and less leathery than the ones I’d been looking at in the summer.

Hairy Violet Viola hirta leaf Seaford Head Apr 2022 — Hairy Violet – *Viola hirta* leaf – Seaford Head – Apr 2022

There are of course other violas that I haven’t yet spotted or confidently identified!

I have tagged blog posts mentioning Violas or violets with Violet or Viola

http://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/tag/violet/

http://photographingwildflowers.co.uk/tag/viola/