Pansy (Viola tricolor)

Pansy (Viola tricolor)


Description
Pansy is an annual plant, that sometimes resists over the winter, and can bloom in the second year. It has a short stem of 20-30 cm, green in color, hollow, covered with short hairs, pointing down. The leaves are oval, elongated, rarely entered on the edges, with short petioles. At the point of union with the stem they are surrounded by other deeply divided leaflets. The flowers have long peduncles, on which there are two short, alternate bracts, placed under the flowers or lower. The flower has 5 elongated sepals, covered on the sides with long hairs (cilia), 5 petals of which the lower one is spurred. The upper petals are dark purple, rarely light violet or white, the side ones are white, yellow or violet-blue and the lower petal at the base is always yellow, with 5-7 stripes dark in color, often pale purple on the edges. It blooms from May to August. It grows in wet meadows and grasslands from the hill region.


Harvest
Harvest the entire plant without roots, during blossom.


Drying Mode
The plants are dried in thin layers, in shady and well ventilated places. They can be dried artificially at a temperature of 50 degrees C. From 5-6 kg of fresh herb you can obtain 1 kg of dried product.


Uses
It is used as a depurative and an expectorant for cough. Internally: cholagogue, expectorant, depurative, laxative, anti-allergy.




Source: www.sanatateverde.blogspot.com