COMMON NAME (English/German): Violet/Veilchen
LATIN NAME: Viola odorata
TYPE OF PLANT: low-growing perennial
LEGENDS/HISTORY: Violets sprang where Orpheus slept. In France during troubadour time, violets were given as a poetry prize. In southern Germany in the Middle Ages, the finding of the first spring violet was celebrated with dancing.
SYMBOLISM: modesty, devotion; also the symbol for Athens, Napoleon.
MAGICKAL deities: Io, Orpheus
MEDICINAL: Antiseptic and expectorant properties. Contains vitamins A and C.
CULTIVATION: Propagate from division or runner in late winter to early spring, setting one foot apart. If transplanting a violet plant from the wild, try to match the original environment. They self-sow and also spread by runners, which should be cut off to allow the crown to flourish.
HARVESTING AND STORAGE: They lose their odor quickly and will also lose their color if not dried slowly and well. Store out of light.
ETC.: Good in potpourri and nosegays.
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