Violets (lat. Viola) are the only species of the violet family (lat. Violaceae) that also occur in temperate regions. The genus includes about 500 species, of which the garden pansies and horned violets are the most popular.
Pansies and horned violets are two of the most popular varieties of violets
The violet is a perennial herb with ascending stems, serrate leaves, and flowers that are usually multicolored and later develop into capsules. The petals of the viola are edible. Violets were mentioned in herbal books as early as the 16th century as a diuretic or e.g. B. recommended for skin disorders. They were offered in pharmacies until the beginning of the 20th century.
Two of the Viola species most commonly found in gardens and as balcony plants are the garden pansies and horned violets. The garden pansy is the large-flowered variety of different viola species, such as B. Wild pansy (Viola tricolor), Altai pansy (Viola altaica), Yellow violet (Viola lutea). With the huge selection of varieties, the decision is not easy:
- classic in white, yellow or violet,
- exotic in midnight blue, wine red or bright orange,
- delicate in light pink or blue,
- spotted, striped, mottled, bordered, filled,
- with or without a black eye in the middle.
Garden pansies and horned violets are different
The most noticeable is the size difference. While the open flowers of the garden pansy have a diameter of about 5 cm, the horn violet flowers are much more delicate with a maximum of 3.5 cm. The flowers consist of five petals, with pansies having four petals facing up and one petal facing down, and horned violets having three of the petals facing up and two facing down.
Horned violets are mostly perennials. Garden pansies are usually biennial and die after flowering. Before that, they can seed themselves at the appropriate location. The horned violets are cut back and divided after flowering to keep the plants strong and long-lived. These two types of viola are easy to care for, frost-resistant and not susceptible to pests and diseases.
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In Germany, more than twenty types of violets occur naturally, e.g. Dog violets, March violets, forest violets and spur violets.