Fen violet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fen violet |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Viola (plant)
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| Species: |
persicifolia
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| Synonyms | |
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Viola stagnina Kit. |
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The Fen violet (Viola persicifolia) is a special type of violet. It belongs to the Violaceae plant family. You can find this plant naturally in central and northern Europe and northern Asia. In places like the British Isles, it's quite rare. It mostly grows in a few wet, marshy areas called fens in England and near the coast of Northern Ireland.
Contents
What Does the Fen Violet Look Like?
The fen violet is a small plant. It usually grows about 10 to 30 cm (4 to 12 in) tall. It grows from a creeping stem that stays underground, called a rhizome.
Its leaves are narrow and shaped like triangles. They are about 7 to 15 mm (0.28 to 0.59 in) wide.
Fen Violet Flowers
The flowers of the fen violet appear in late spring and early summer. Each flower is about 10 to 15 mm (0.4 to 0.6 in) across. They are usually a pale bluish or yellowish-white color.
Each flower has a short, greenish or yellowish spur at the back. The petals (the colorful parts of the flower) are rounded. They look wide compared to how long they are.
Where Does the Fen Violet Grow?
This violet is found naturally in central and northern Europe and northern Asia. It likes to grow in very specific places. These places must be damp and rich in lime (a type of mineral).
You will often find it in areas with tall grasses. These include fens (wetlands with lots of peat) and limy marshes.
Why is its Habitat Special?
The fen violet is very particular about where it lives. Its seeds sprout in the spring on moist, bare patches of peaty soil that has a lot of lime. However, the young plants only grow well if the soil surface becomes drier later on.
Most seeds fall and grow very close to the parent plant. This means the seeds do not spread very far. If its habitat is disturbed, the violet might disappear from that area. But its seeds can live for a very long time. Sometimes, new plants appear many years after they were last seen.
Fen Violet in the British Isles
In the British Isles, the fen violet is very rare. It is mostly found in eastern and northern England. It also grows in damp hollows with limestone soils in western Ireland.
People are working to bring it back to new suitable areas in the Fens. This is part of a big plan called the Great Fen Project.
In Northern Ireland, it grows in a few spots. You can find it on rocky limestone lake shores around Upper Lough Erne. It also grows in turloughs. Turloughs are temporary pools that fill with water and then dry up. These are found around Fardrum, in County Fermanagh. Because it is so rare there, the fen violet is listed as a Northern Ireland Priority Species.
