The meaning of the violet changes depending on the color of the flower and the person the flower is sent to. Blue violet flowers symbolizes love and faithfulness, white violets represent purity and chastity, and yellow violets symbolize high worth and goodness.
On Sunday’s post, I invited you all along on a wildflower hunt and then asked you about your favorite wildflowers. I was a little surprised that several of you claimed the common violet as a favorite. I’m right there with you all. I think they are beautiful and I enjoy seeing them turn our yard purple in the spring even though I know not every person likes seeing violets among the grass in their lawns.
So, for those of you who are violet fans, I went out on the internet to see what I could find out about the common purple violet and the yellow and white ones I found when I went wildflower hunting down by the creek. That’s where those yellow and white varieties love to grow and bloom.
The violet up top is the common blue violet and yes, sometimes they are more purple than blue. This is the one that will grow almost anywhere including in a rocky creek bed.
Common violet flower meanings include innocence, everlasting love, modesty, spiritual wisdom, faithfulness, mysticism, and remembrance. There are several legends about the violets. One with a Christian background is that violets symbolize the Virgin Mary’s humility and the flowers blossomed when the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a baby even though she was a virgin.
The Downy-Yellow Violet is a native wildflower that likes to grow in rich soil in wooded areas. It likes part sun to part shade in loose soils with organic matter.
Pale Violet is a native wildflower found in moist to wet areas of low woods, right where I went wildflower hunting on Sunday. It self-seeds and prefers light shade to partial sun and rich loamy soil. It blooms from May to June and the blooms are long-lasting.
The leaves and flowers of the common blue violet, along with many other species, are edible and medicinal. Violets contain high amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A. The edible violet plant can be used to make syrups, brew teas, and in baked desserts. Flowers can be added to salads and soups as garnish.
Some Interesting Trivia about Violets
~The violet is the state flower of Rhode Island, Illinois, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
~The violet was Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s signature flower. He used the flower to cover his wife’s grave when Josephine died in 1814. In addition, some of Bonaparte’s supporters were known to use violet flowers to assess if subjects were loyal to the emperor by asking them if they liked the flowers.
~In Victorian times, violet flowers were often symbolic of good humility and fortune. Some even believed that carrying violets might keep evil spirits at bay, while another traditional belief was that wearing violets on top of one’s head would alleviate inebriation.
~Violets contain a chemical substance that may interfere with a person’s scent receptors. After a period of time, the nose may become affected by the chemical substance, and the person can no longer detect the scent of a violet. While some violets do have a sweet scent, others don’t. The common blue violet is one that doesn’t.
~There are thought to be around 500 species of violets today that belong to the genus Viola. Several of the species are also known as pansies. While I didn’t know that, I did know pansies were edible since I once ate them in a salad at a bed and breakfast.
~Ancient Greeks used violets in wine, food, and medicine. The plant was seen as the symbol of fertility and love, and as such was used in love potions. It was also thought to ward off headaches and dizzy spells.
~Violets also are the official birth flower for February.
Giveaway
I hope you enjoyed finding out more about the violet the same as I did. You still have time to enter my giveaway for a choice of one of my autographed books for yourself or for a friend, if you’re the winner. Deadline to enter is midnight EST Saturday, April 24, 2021. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, and if you commented Sunday and you comment again on this post, you’ll get a second entry.
So, which facts about violets did you find surprising or interesting? Have you ever tried violets in a salad?
Comments 43
I did know that violets were my birthday month flower, but all the rest of your research was new to me. We have a few here and there in our yard, just the purple ones. Thanks for keeping us informed about new topics.
Author
Well then, you were ahead of me, Kathy, since I didn’t even know they had birthday month flowers. Violets is a nice one to have. Glad you enjoyed reading about violets. I had fun learning about them too.
Your information on violets was very interesting. I live in eastern PA and we also have a white violet with a blue center that is common here. I love to press the purple ones in a flower press and use them to make cards and bookmarks later. I know some people make violet jelly in our area. It is a beautiful color with a floral taste.
Author
Glad to hear from someone who has actually tasted violet jelly, Joy. I’ve seen bookmarks and cards with pressed violets in them. They are always very pretty. I posted the link to this on Facebook and someone there sent me the white and blue violets you have in PA. Don’t think that was you, but it was someone in PA. They were lovely.
I’ve always loved violets. As children, my friends and I would go out and pick big bouquets in spring. The most interesting fact to me was that there are so many varieties. It’s also interesting to read that some are scented. I’ve always been so annoyed when reading a novel it says someone smells like violets. I even went out in the yard once and sniffed some. No scent! I felt justified in my annoyance. Lol
Author
I’m with you on that, Lee. I thought if they are scented why can’t I smell the carpet of purple out in my yard? But those common ones aren’t scented. I did read that the violet scent is extracted and used in many perfumes and lotions. So I guess we just weren’t finding the right violets to sniff.
I still sometimes pick a small bouquet and put them in a tiny vase. Makes a sweet spring pick-me-up bouquet.
Yes, The purple ones are my favorite. I find it interesting that they meant humility. We all need some of that! My 2 year old granddaughter loves to pick the violets in our yard. For that matter she likes to pick the dandelions also. The yellow violets are very pretty. We have had a beautiful spring here in Tennessee!
Author
Good to hear you’re having a beautiful spring in the Volunteer state, Janice. It’s pretty here too but it was chilly last week. Some of the leaves on my poplar tree were burnt by the frost. I can’t imagine anything much cuter than a 2 year old with a handful of violets or dandelions. 🙂
And yes, a little more humility and a lot more kindness would make our world better.
I have never seen yellow or white violets before.
Author
Well, now you know that they are out there, Linda. I was surprised yesterday when I was walking in hayfield to see one of the white violets out there among the grasses.
Love violets and enjoyed finding out so many new things about them. If violet jelly is like clover blossom jelly you must add lemon juice to get the pretty color. Cooked clover blossoms make a nasty green color juice that changes immediately when adding lemon juice, to the beautiful color of the clover blossom and then tastes much the same as honey. I miss my Spring walks ever so much since I need a walker to get out and about now. I truly appreciate going on your Sunday morning strolls with you and Frankie and Marley. Thank you so much for taking me along.
Author
That’s interesting to know, Martha, about the clover blossom jelly. I wasn’t planning on making any but it sound good. I do well to make blackberry jam in the summer time, but it sounds like something my mother might have tried. I’m guessing you’d have to pick a bunch of clover blossoms.
I love having you along on my Sunday morning walks. Makes taking the dogs out so much more fun to have you all along with us. If you were actually here, Frankie would be trying to lick your face. He does love people.
I knew pansies was edible, but I have never tried any. I love my blue and white violets that come up every spring, they are so pretty, even though their seed spreads to all my other flower pots and have to be picked out or either I just accept that I have another pot of violets.
Author
Another pot of violets isn’t altogether a bad thing, Connie. I do pull them out of the flowerbed but I don’t worry about them at all out in the yard or about them not coming back after I pull them. They are hardy little flowers.
I may munch on one sometime to see if they have any taste. I don’t remember the pansies tasting like anything much.
I knew violets were edible, and I knew they have great medicinal properties (Did you know they’re believed to be cyst dissolvers?). I’ve never eaten them before, though. The fact I found most interes in your post was the smell-inhibiting chemical that they contain! 🤯
Author
I don’t know if that smell-inhibiting chemical is in all of the varieties or only some of them, Jennifer. I’ll have to check into that more. But it is interesting.
What I read about their medicinal properties didn’t mention cyst dissolvers. That’s interesting too. The site I read said they were used similar to aspirin to relieve inflammation and aches. However, large dose of violet preparation can cause vomiting and digestive disorders. Too much of a good thing, I guess. Another place said they used to make wine from them and that it was thought to keep people from getting too drunk.
Here’s more about what the site said about the smell-inhibiting chemical. The blooms contain ionine, a chemical that temporarily desensitizes the sense of smell. Just as you take in the first whiff of aroma, your nose briefly dysfunctions, and the scent is gone! Some say it is sweet; others say it’s lovely. The scent, however you describe it, is a popular addition to breath fresheners, perfumes, oils, and lotions.
I adore the fragrance of violets! I’ve only smelled blue/purple ones. They are so cute popping up hither and yon. A niece calls the yellow variety, Johnny Jump-Up. I have a few more this year than previously and feel blessed for them. Violet used to be a popular ladies’ name.
Author
I was thinking while I was doing the post last night that I need an Aunt Violet in one of my stories. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone named Violet but I have seen it in stories.
What I read about the violets say the common blue violet, the one I have in my yard, doesn’t have a scent. And I’ve never sniffed the white or yellow ones down by the creek. The Johnny Jump-Up is a little different from the yellow violet I have in the picture. But they are cute flowers. I just looked them up on the internet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of those growing wild around here.
Whoops!! You are SO right re: JJ-ups vs Yellows!
Aunt Violet…lol! I’ll be noticing!
Thanks! 😀
I didn’t know that violets could mess up your sense of smell! I have never eaten them, but remember picking them when I was little for a family friend who made violet jelly (we had to pick a lot of them!). I’m sure they shared the jelly, but I don’t remember eating it either. Thanks for having this giveaway!
Author
I can’t imagine how many violet blooms you’d have to pick to have enough to make jelly, but if they were as plentiful as they are in my yard, you might have gotten it done pretty quickly with enough pickers, Angela. I wonder if the jelly is purple. The redbud jelly I saw online last week was a beautiful red color. I would think that would take a lot of redbud blooms too.
I need to take a sniff of violets to see if I can smell them.
I’ve never tried violets in a salad, but I may try them sometime.
Author
They would make it prettier anyway, Diana, and they are supposed to be packed with Vitamin C. Some wild food experts say to bypass the yellow ones and stick with the blue/purple and white ones.
I didn’t know that they were the flower for the birth month of February.My youngest daughter was born in February. I love violets .I love most flowers.
Author
I didn’t know about those birth month flowers either, Lisa. I guessed aster for mine in September and I was right although the site I saw listed two for every months. Here’s the link if you’re interested in checking it out. https://www.bloomandwild.com/birth-month-flowers-guide-whats-my-birth-flower My other birth month flower was morning glory. While I like the ones I planted one year to grow up a trellis and the wild ones are okay out in the field, I never like them in the garden on the tobacco patch. 🙂
I didn’t know the violet plant was edible, but I don’t think I’ll put it in my salad anytime soon! However, if I ever get lost in forest at least I’ll know I can eat them! 😀
Author
I didn’t either, Elizabeth, until I decided to share some information about violets with all of you. The things I learn to satisfy our curiosity and find words for these blog posts. 🙂 I wasn’t planning to chop up any on my salad either, and I think if we have to depend on them for sustenance, we’re going to have to pick a lot of blooms and leaves. But it does go to show that the Lord supplied us with our need for nutrients way before we had stores where we could buy food and vitamins.
Violets are one of my favorite flowers, in part because my birthday is in February. I’m always happy to see them popping up in my yard. They’re abundant this year, but yesterday’s snow might have changed that. I’ve never tried them in a salad, but I will now.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures and information, Ann. I always enjoy your posts. 😊
Author
You know, I don’t even know what flower is my birthday flower, Lavon. I’ll have to look that up. I have a September birthday so I’m guessing something like aster that blooms late in the year. I don’t think the snow hurt the violets at all or the frost last night. They’re tough little plants. Something like dandelions in that way and who knew that you could eat them both. Glad you enjoyed my violets and info.
I would be willing to give violets in a salad a try! Psalm 34:8
Author
Always good to adventuresome, Emily. Love the verse you referenced. “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8
I have never had violets in a salad, but, I’ve heard that they are good. This was a very interesting article with beautiful pictures. It answered a lot of my wondering questions! Thanks for always sharing your articles and pictures with us!
Author
Glad you enjoyed reading about violets, Linda. I might have to munch on one when I go walking later today. But I wasn’t impressed with the pansies in my salad that time.
While I’ve never tried violets in my food, I have tried “chrysanthemum pot”, a soup prepared by one of our creative friends. Mother used to have several violet plants indoors that she pampered and loved. Hers were the blue variety (purple), but I think I remember some pink (Maybe they were just light violet.) blooms too. I can’t remember if she had white ones as well. I was not aware of the meaning associated with the different colored blooms.
Author
African violets, the kind most people grow indoors in a pot, are not the same as wild violets, Suzanne, and are not edible at all. But I do love those potted violets in the house. I tried to find some at flower shops this year and none of them had them when I was trying to get them before Christmas. They do come in various colors. I used to have some but I somehow killed them all. I don’t have a green thumb. A plant has to be tough to survive in my house. LOL. I’ve never heard of chrysanthemum pot. So how did it taste? Flowery?
We moved in September and are discovering what is in our flower beds. We have a whole lot of violets in our yards. We have dark purple ones and white with purple edges. My husband even got more seeds to plant around the trees along the back fence.
He did some research so we did know that they are called Viola and Pansies are in the same family. I love spring flowers!
Author
I love spring flowers too, Paula. I see a lot of those little white ones with the purple edges but haven’t noticed any this year so far. Lots of the purple ones though. With all the violets available, we can always snack on them if food supplies get iffy. 🙂
I found a violet in the backyard that was white so I dug it up and put t in my flower bed. When it bloomed the following spring, it was purple. That was rather disappointing.
Author
I didn’t see this part of your note at first. I guess that was disappointing. You were expecting something different.
How many miles did you walk to find all those violets? Just kidding! I love all the different flowers & colors that God shares with us.
Author
As I just told Amy, Betty, I don’t have to walk far at all to find purple or blue violets. The others take a little more effort and the common blue violet picture was down there along the creek too. So maybe a couple of miles. Are you impressed now? 🙂
We see many purple ones in the yard, but I have yet to see a yellow one. My husband always comments on them when he sees one while we’re walking. I love all the beautiful blooms!
Author
The yellow ones are harder to find. In fact I had to slip and slide down a steep cliff side, walk along a creek to find these, Amy. LOL. But the purple ones, I can just go out my front door and there they are. I love that you and your husband look for flowers while you’re walking together.