How are violets the ultimate survivors?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
December 6, 2001
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Violets (Viola spp.) are crafty plants and have an assortment of methods whereby they will not be driven from their ground. The sooner a gardener understands this, the easier it is to get along with violets.
In spring and early summer, violets hold their scented flowers above their leaves. These flowers have a spur that serves nectar to the willing insect. At first, the flowers may be nodding (face downward) to attract a crawling insect.
If that tactic fails, the violet turns its face upward to offer the treat to a flying insect. Someone is certain to take the violet up on the offer. The insect will carry off pollen to the next flower it visits. These are the chasmogamous [kas mog' a mus] or open-marriage flowers.
Chasmogamous flowers are a hedge against an uncertain future. The violet may get cross-pollinated by its own species or it may be hybridized (get pollen from another violet species). These hybrids backcrossing with their parents' species will carry new genes that make those descendents more likely to survive a change in the environment.
For example, a damp woods violet crosses with a sunny meadow violet. The hybrid then backcrosses with the damp woods violet. Something then kills many of the trees. The woods violets carrying a few genes from the meadow species will be more likely to survive the sudden increase of sunlight in their domain.
Later in the summer, the violet blooms with flowers near the ground. These flowers never open and usually remain green. The anthers shed their pollen directly onto the pistil. There is some rearranging of the chromosomes, but the seeds will grow into plants much like the parent.
These are the cleistogamous [kli stog' a mus] or closed-marriage flowers. Seeds from cleistogamous flowers usually fall close to the parent plant.
Violets form a seed capsule. In many species, the capsule matures, dries, and splits open. The force of the splitting flings the tiny seeds several feet from the parent. But in case all the seeds should fail, many violets send out runners. The violets clone themselves to colonize the available ground.
Once violets are in the garden, they will always be in the garden. But they are so much nicer than mowing.
The Edge of the Prairie has posted beautiful photographs of wild violets. To view some of these charming guests who come to stay, click on the link:
http://www.bigeastern.com/eotp/ep_vpeda.htm
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What are swamp lanterns? Renfield's Garden - February 23, 2005
Were the hearts eased? Herbal Folklore - March 15, 2004
Why were there no earthworms in Canada? Renfield's Garden - March 27, 2002
What is orris root? Herbal Folklore - September 23, 2002
How does the yellow prairie violet use ants? Renfield's Garden - July 16, 2003
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Michigan Bulb -$20 off—>Click here.
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