Armed with the new BSBI Viola Book (recently published ) I though it was time to find some pure 100% Heath Dog Violets. I had noticed that the BSBI map was showing a few dots on the Norfolk coast in an area where I have been birdwatching in the past. The sand dunes just west of Holkham Pines is a great place and good for a walk. Late April is a bit early for Heath Dog Violets but on arrival on 23rd April there were several hundred plants scattered over the dunes. Not having seen violets in a dune habitat I was surprised how small the plants were, tiny leaves but almost normal size flowers.
23rd April 2017. Lower petal showing thin but very clearly defined veins. In full thickness they only continue about half way down the petal but they do continue very faintly almost to the end. No darker terminal band to the white throat. Pale yellow spur just showing and tiny leaves.
Habitat photo. Soil almost pure sand. No competition from grass yet.
This next shot shows the leaf. The largest leaf seen was only 12mm long and 7mm wide, many much smaller. Shape not typical in that only a few were seen with cordate ( heart -shaped) bases or the squared off base of more triangle shaped leaves. No basal rosette of leaves present which was easy to see on plants growing in pure sand without any other plants around them. Thick with shallow crenate edges. I was happy these were 100% V. Canina as all the plants looked the same without any variation. There again nothing is 100% in Violets.
Leaf base on right showing slightly cordate (heart shaped) base. Due to the very small size of all the leaves at this site none seemed to have the triangular shape often seen with Heath Dog Violet growing on better ground.
Peter Leonard. 26 April 2017
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