The violet

The common violet, wood violet or garden violet (Viola odorata L.) is a small herbaceous perennial plant about 15 cm tall, with ground-covering habits, which normally lives in moist, shaded areas.
It has been grown since ancient times in gardens in Europe and Asia, above all for the pleasant aroma of its flowers. It was a popular choice in the gardens of Al-Andalus as can be seen in poems from the era in which violets were described as: “Butterfly wings dyed with blackberries from the garden”, “the marks of a bite on the cheek” or “breast of the well-beloved”.
Its flowers were used as an aroma in baking and as an essence for making perfumes. In the Alhambra and Generalife it flowers from the end of November to the beginning of March in the shaded squares and borders of our gardens.