Viola betonicifolia aka Viola Betonicifolia

Viola betonicifolia is a small plant that lives for years. It belongs to the violet family, Violaceae. Its native range spans eastern Afghanistan to Japan. It also grows in eastern and southeastern Australia. Useful Tropical Plants lists more places within its native range. These are Indonesia, the Philippines, and New Guinea. It grows in warm temperate zones and the tropics. In the tropics, it often grows on higher ground. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

The plant forms a clump from a thick main root. It has no stem above ground, and its form varies. Its listed garden height is about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres]. The wider reported range is 0.16–1.3 feet [0.05–0.4 metres]. Its leaves can look like spoons or have a hastate shape. Hastate means the leaves have lobes near their base that point out. The leaves can stay green all year. Cold winters or drought can kill the growth above ground. The rootstock stays alive in the soil below.

The flowers range from pale purple to violet. Insects move pollen between flowers, but the plant can pollinate itself. It also makes cleistogamous flowers, which stay shut and pollinate themselves. The source also shows a seed capsule that has opened. In gardens that suit it, plants can shed seed with ease. This can lead to many new seedlings. Keep this in mind when choosing where to grow it. People grow it in gardens for its small size and flowers. They also grow it as a leaf crop.

Wild plants grow in damp woods and more open forest. They grow on grassy slopes and at forest edges, too. They also grow in fields, by roads, and in thickets. Plants can grow well on cleared ground without heavy grazing. Sow seed just as it ripens in pots with light shade. Move seedlings to their own pots when large enough to handle. You can also split plants at any time of year. Keep the split plants moist as they take root. Small pieces do better with time in pots before planting out.

People gather this plant for food and folk medicine. They cook its leaves as a green vegetable. Folk uses of the flowers include helping urine flow and loosening mucus. People have used flower syrup for coughs, colds, asthma, and hoarseness. These records show folk uses. They do not prove that these treatments help.