Andalucia Life Fauna and Flora, Flowers of Andalucia Southern Spain

January 2006, Mediterranean White Violet, Viola alba

Mediterranean White Violet, Viola alba

Hiding in shady places and flowering from February to April, the Mediterranean white violet is a lovely find. Related to the sweet violet it has a fragrant scent and heart shaped leaves. Many of the non-scented, cultivated violas, are related to this plant that has been known since Medieval times when it was strewn on house floors to mask the smell within.

It was believed that after the first whiff a chemical in the perfume froze the olfactory sensors blunting the ability to smell anything at all. This species only grows in the western Mediterranean but is fairly common here.