Growing form

Perennial (sometimes biennial) herb.
Height

40–80 cm (16–32 in.). Stem usually unbranched until inflorescence, roughly haired.
Flower

Corolla regular (actinomorphic), purple–red–white, approx. 1.5 cm (0.6 in.) wide; petals 4, approx. 15 mm (0.6 in.) long. Sepals 4. Stamens 6, of which 2 short and 4 long. Gynoecium fused, a single carpel. Inflorescence a raceme, extending in fruiting stage. Flowers with pleasant fragrance.
Leaves

Alternate, short-stalked. Basal leaf-blades ovate, usually with serrated margin, usually hairy, stem leaf-blades ovate–lanceolate, with tapering tip, occasionally with toothed margins.
Fruit

Many-seeded, slightly curved, almost cylindrical, slightly constricted between seeds, 7–10 cm long, spreading siliqua. Stalk approx. 1.5 cm (0.6 in.).
Habitat

Yards, gardens, gardens, beneath bushes, urban woods, broad-leaved forests, waste ground, rubbish tips. Ornamental, left-over and escape from old gardens.
Flowering time

June–August.

Dame’s violet is originally native to Eurasia, which is a lot further south than Finland, but it is from high altitudes and so can thrive in Finland too. It has been cultivated since the 17th century at least. Dame’s violet was used to a certain extent medicinally and to make oil, but mainly it was grown for its beauty as an ornamental.

Dame’s violet belonged to the gentry among native perennials, and there is no need to cast it aside today because it blooms unbelievably abundantly for a long time. It looks most impressive in large groups. Dame’s violet’s genus’s scientific name comes from the Greek word hesperia which means “evening”, as that is the time that its flowers open and emit their strong and violet-like fragrance. Potential pollinators cannot resist the fragrance, and it is very pleasing to people too, so it is worth planting near a window to be enjoyed to the full on warm summer evenings. Dame’s violet is especially favoured by moths e.g. owlet-moths and hawkmoths, which can be heard humming around the stands after twilight has fallen.

Dame’s violet is self-seeding and thrives on its own and spreads swiftly to open areas in gardens and to green forests and hedgerows. Escapes can mainly be found around areas with houses and gardens and allotments. It is most common in south-western mainland Finland and it grows in a number of places in southern Häme. The most northern escapes are in central Finland, although it grows further north along the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia than it does inland.

Perennial Honesty & Annual Honesty

Lunaria rediviva & Lunaria annua

NOT TRANSLATED YET. Iki- ja kesäkuuruoho muistuttavat aika paljon illakkoa. Ikikuruohon kukat ovat vaaleampia kuin yksivuotisen kesäkuuruohon. Hedelmät ovat litteitä lituja, ikikuuruoholla soikeita ja kesäkuruoholla lähes pyöreitä. Kesäkuuruoho on varhaisempi kukkija, kukkii yleensä jo toukokuussa. Molemmat lajit ovat meillä yleensä koristekasveja, jotka saattavat levitä lähiympäristöön.

→ Perennial honesty’s distribution map

→ Annual honesty’s distribution map (Kasviatlas, Helsingin yliopisto)

Illakko

Taksonomia

Lahko

Heimo

Tribus

Suku

Laji