Violet for ID, please

[Pete Collins]

I saw my first Violets of the year this morning. But as usual, I've no idea which sort of Violet!

[JennyS]

Most likely Sweet Violet, Viola odorata as that is usually the earliest flowering and can be either violet or white in colour

[Hedge Witch]

I thought the same, but it's also the weirdest violet I've ever seen, or it's an unusual angle. It appears to have a strange hairy tongue - maybe that's the stem?

[Pete Collins]

Thanks JennyS.

Sorry Hedge Witch, it's not a good photo, it shows the back of the flower. I thought the 'spur' was useful in identifying which Violet it is.

[Hedge Witch]

LOL That explains it then, thanks Pete

[KeenTeen17]

agreed with sweet violet. In my neck of the woods, white is the commonest form of this plant. The way to ID is to smell it.

[davidbr]

Yes, it's Sweet Violet (Viola odorata) - the white ones are dead easy, because I've never seen/heard of a white-flowered form of any other violet species

The leaves of Sweet Violet are usually fairly distinctive, but the easy way to tell is to look at the sepals (green bits underneath the petals). In V. odorata they're blunt-tipped, distinguishing it from the dog-violets.

[Pete Collins]

Thanks KeenTeen17 and davidbr.

I saw a lot more today, as I walked in and around the Chess valley (Bucks/Herts border).

[Tiggrx]

Yes a sweet violet. There are two white varieties - var. dumetorum has hairs in the throat of the flower and var. imberbis has no hairs (and can also be non-white).

Davidbr - I have a white form of Common Dog-violet in the garden and suspect white forms of most species could occur

[Pete Collins]

Thanks Tiggrx.