What is this tiny purple flower

14 years ago

I apologize for the poor image quality, and realize it may make this impossible to ID. I was trying to stand on a steep hill, and the flower is so small that my camera would not focus on it.

I found this plant blooming about two weeks ago in the flitered shade of a young serviceberry. It looks very much like wild violet, and I thought it was one, but the leaf shape seems a little different to me.

The flower, as you can see, is very small. Purple with a bit of yellow in the center. I could not tell if it was 4 or 5 petals because it was already wilting when I got the picture. There was a better quality plant, but my husband weeded it out before I could get a pic.

I hope it's not something nasty, because it's already gone to seed.

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Comments (6)

romando
14 years ago
the backside of the flower-turning-to-seedpod certainly looks like a violet...... how big is the bloom itself? I once had a species violet-- can't remember the name now-- whose bloom was only about as big as a pencil eraser. Seriously. Good luck!

p.s. I'd be tickled for a few seeds, if you're willing to share!
soitgoes
Original Author
14 years ago
Whatever it is, it looked more like a tiny version of the violets I have in the house, than it did like the nasty ones that take over your lawn.

It is lovely, and it just peeked out from behind some rocks we have around the serviceberry on a hillside. The foliage and flower were both beautiful. I'd say the flower is maybe a half-inch across or so.

Of course, I had a lovely little flower last year, and it turned out to be Pennsylvania smartweed, and now I have smartweed seedlings EVERYWHERE this year. LOL
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All suggestions above = members of Commelinaceae. I think Carol nailed it, Murdannia nudiflora. So excited, I've hoped to spot this plant for years! http://nassau.ifas.ufl.edu/horticulture/gardentalk/weeds.html https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Murdannia_nudiflora_W_IMG_1344.jpg TYVM to all!
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bronwynspetalpatch
14 years ago
its looks like a violet, but not the folliage... hmmm....
smartweed can be so beautiful... until it invades a spot you dont want it to. But its easy to pull right?! I love it, let it stay and then pull when Its scraggly
giantslug
14 years ago
Looks like Arrow-leaved Violet, Viola sagittata
lycopus
14 years ago
Giantslug has it and the sandy soil would fit the habitat requirements. I would go out of my way to cultivate this plant.
soitgoes
Original Author
14 years ago
Arrow-leaved violoet: I think that's it. There are still three tiny ones left, after the one my husband accidentally killed. Two did not flower.

I looked it up, and one wildflower page has this to say: "Habitat: dry woods, clearings, rocky areas." Which pretty much describes our hillside.

The serviceberry draws a lot of birds when it is in fruit, so we get plenty of volunteers under it. Most of them are not desirable, but it looks like this time we have a winner. It can stay right where it is, and if it thrives I will try to move one or two plants next year.