Algae and Plants
61
Viola pilosa (Blume)
Order: Violales
Family: Violaceae
Common name: Smooth-leaf white
violet.
Distribution: Himalayas, from Afghanistan to Southwest China, Burma, and
Southeast Asia; West Guangxi, Guizhou,
Sichuan, Southeast Xizang, Yunnan,
Afghanistan, Bhutan, India, Indonesia,
Kashmir, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Thailand (www.eFloras.org).
Habitat: Wetlands, grasslands.
Description: It is a perennial herb
with a very short stem. Stolon is elongated, slender, glabrous, with evenly
scattered leaves. Leaves are narrower,
longer, ovate-lance shaped, pointed
to long-pointed, with thin white hairs
or almost hairless above. Flowers are
lilac to almost white, 1–1.5 cm across.
Upper petals normally have hairs at the
base. Sepals are lanceolate, 6–7.5 × ca.
2.5  mm, apex acute. Shoot of this species is edible (www.eFloras.org).
Nutritional Facts
Proximate Composition of Shoot (% DM)
Fat
CHO a
Protein
3.0
7.5
4.9
a Carbohydrate.
Minerals (% or μg/100 g DM)
P
(%)
N2
(%)
K
(%)
Na
(%)
Fe
(µg)
Mg
(µg)
Cu
(µg)
Zn
(µg)
0.43 0.78 0.35 0.02 0.66 3.35 0.04 1.26
Source: Data from Jain et al. (2011).