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Violet

Viola odorata and related Viola spp.

Violets are sweet, perfumed spring flowers with a delicate flavor and a deep purple-blue color. They are a small, distinctly seasonal accent rather than a main ingredient.1

More parts of the plant

Common blue violet leaves are edible as well as the flowers; the roots are not. With edible flowers, identification and growing conditions matter: UMaine cautions against flowers from florists, nurseries, roadsides, or plants treated with pesticides not approved for food crops.23

The flower’s blue-purple is produced by anthocyanins, the same broad pigment group found in blueberries, blackberries, and red-purple grapes.4

Footnotes

  1. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, “Edible Flowers: Pretty in Your Garden and a Culinary Delight,” accessed July 17, 2026. ↩

  2. University of Maine Cooperative Extension, “Edible Flowers: Pretty in Your Garden and a Culinary Delight,” accessed July 17, 2026. ↩

  3. University of Illinois Extension, “Embracing the Common Blue Violet,” 2017. ↩

  4. University of Illinois Extension, “How Do Plants Decide What Color to Wear?,” 2017. ↩