It’s October and it’s Native Violet flowering time! The familiar white and purple combo of Viola hederacea is visible in gardens and natural areas across the region. This pretty, low-growing and fast-spreading plant is a real landscaping staple and I don’t think it needs any further exposure, particularly as there are questions about whether plants sold as V. hederacea are actually all that species. But luckily we don’t need to engage in that debate here!

The native violet that’s been catching my eye lately is a different species, with a very different appearance and growth habit. The Showy Violet (Viola betonicifolia) is in flower right now, and looking its showy best. 

This pretty Violet is an inhabitant of local forests where it tends to grow in dappled shade beneath tall Eucalypts and other forest trees. It favours north-facing slopes and well-drained clay soils, but is pretty adaptable.

Showy Violet looks a lot like the introduced species Sweet Violet (V. odorata) that is present in many local gardens, and like Sweet Violet it forms discrete rounded clumps rather than the spreading mat of Viola hederacea. But I swear it is way prettier than Sweet Violet! And in good conditions it produces absolutely masses of flowers. The picture above shows plants at the Wollongong Botanic Garden absolutely going off.

In natural areas Showy Violet tends to have fewer leaves and flowers. But still it’s a stunning little plant. And it has a super-power. As I wrote many years ago on one of the first entries for the Growing Illawarra Natives blog, this plant can produce seeds without flowering, or at least without appearing to flower. It does this by producing small self-pollinating flowers that don't open. Very clever!