Common Name:

General Information

Viola patrinii is a stemless, herbaceous perennial plant growing from a short, stout rhizome; it produces clusters of 3 - 5 or more basal leaves 7 - 20cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. The dried herb is traded for medicinal purposes in local markets and exported from China to other Chinese communities around the world[].

Known Hazards

All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities[, , ]. The flowers of this species are lilac to white[].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - Siberia, Russian Far East, Mongolia, northern China, Japan, Korea

Habitat

Usually found under forest shade, at elevations from 1,900 - 2,700 metres in the Himalayas[]. Marshy meadows, meadows, moist places along riversides, thickets, moist and shaded places at forest margins; at elevations from 200 - 1,700 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.15 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a cool moist well-drained humus-rich soil in partial or dappled shade and protection from scorching winds. Tolerates sandstone and limestone soils but becomes chlorotic if the pH is too high. Prefers a pH between 6 and 6.5[].
All members of this genus have more or less edible leaves and flower buds, though those species with yellow flowers can cause diarrhoea if eaten in large quantities[, , ].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and flower buds - raw or cooked[, ]. When added to soup they thicken it in much the same way as okra[, ].

A tea can be made from the leaves[].

Medicinal

This species has a long history of folk use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases[].

The fresh roots are mashed and used as a poultice for abscesses[].

The plant is suppurative for abscesses, cancer, inflammations and ulcers[].
The plant is bruised and applied as a poultice to ulcers[]. The poultice is also prescribed in the treatment of syphilis and scrofula in India, whilst in Chinese medicine it is recommended against cancerous growths[].

The dried flowers are used as a purgative[]. They are used to treat coughs and colds[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in the autumn or just after flowering. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions, though we have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.