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Common Name: Water Violet

General Information

Hottonia palustris is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.90 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

North and central Europe, including Britain, south to northern Italy, east to Siberia.

Habitat

Ponds and ditches[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.90 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects, cleistogamous
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A vigorous water plant, either rooting in the mud a few centimetres below water level, or floating in the water[].
Plants overwinter by means of winter resting buds which sink to the bottom of the pond until the following spring[].
Plants are useful oxygenators of the water[].
The flowers have a delicate mossy scent rather like the primrose or the fading perfume of the violet[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in pots of soil standing in water and only just cover the seed[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division or cuttings in the spring. Just throw them into the water or place them into the submerged marginal mud[].