Violet. the flowers are supposedly edible.

Yes, the flowers are extremely inconspicuous - when they aren't present. (LOL)

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 15:48

Common blue violet, Viola sororia (or one of its kin or hybrids):

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=m820

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/cm_violet.htm

Definitely violets; yes they are hard to get out once they have developed the fleshy white roots. A steak knife and trowel are my tools of choice.

DavidRT, the pictured plant has many cleistogamous blooms.

Thanks, but would not meet the lay definition of flower, or in bloom. It's like an argument I had somewhere else where someone said a plant was "mature" whenever it was planted, as long as it was starting to flower. "Mature" is meant in a lay sense to be a full-grown landscape plant. Not one that is merely flowering.

That being said, I didn't know they had this type of self-pollination. I'd always assumed when I'd seen those curled up flowers (Yes, I've been pulling violets for decades) that they were either the buds, or the seed pods forming later. I think Asarums do something similar where the flower gets pulled down near the soil after pollination...or am I thinking of something else? In any case, it's terrifying to know they could even take over an insect-less world, but mine have no trouble getting pollinated.

This post was edited by davidrt28 on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 15:54

'....the flowers are supposedly edible....' Not just supposedly.

Here is a link that might be useful: Eating Violets

The "normal" flowers come in early spring, and are much more showy -- though for only 2-3 weeks here.

As far as "low-growing" goes -- that all depends on the amount of light available. In my sunny lawn, they remain mostly below the mower. Under the double whammy of my 2 ancient cherries and the south neighbor's 50-60'+ tall Leyland cypress hedge, they easily reach 8-10".

one of the reasons its so hard to get rid of ...

is that it blooms and seeds in spring ...

then blooms and seeds in fall .. as you plant surely shows ...

and.. multiplies thru division ...

but i am not sure it is rhizomatous .. and your pic doesnt show such ... no undergrounds stems seeking new space to send up a new plant ... but i am too lazy to look it up to be sure..

so i ask our friends here ... if i got that part right ...???

once you remove them.. mulch heavily ... to bury the billions of seeds.. that are probably already in your soil ... many weed seeds require sun directly on them ....

ken

ken, I wasn't sure if those qualified as rhizomes either.

Quoting GW's definition:
"Any prostrate or subterranean stem, usually rooting at the nodes and becoming erect at the apex."

That fits. But unlike some other plants, certainly V. sororia doesn't actively try to take over the world by means of its rhizomes.

Both of my links above mention rhizomes (and MObot, at least, should know what they're talking about). The Illinois Wildflowers site, though, offers "Definitons of Botanical Terminology," where they define "rhizomataceous" (rather than "rhizome"):

"Rhizomatous: A rhizomatous root system has shallow underground runners (rhizomes) that can produce new plantlets some distance away from the mother plant."

Now, my V. sororias probably could start new plants from pieces of cut rhizomes planted somewhere else -- but they don't send out rhizomes as a form of active conquest. That's what the seeds are for.

Thank you all for the thoughtful replies. Here is a better picture showing the rhizomes. I think my previous post caused some confusion. This plant is not currently in flower. When it did flower this spring, it had small barely noticeable mostly white flowers, mostly hidden under the leaves. Anyway, you all no doubt nailed the genus, Viola. Thanks! I love this forum. Any thoughts on the species? Is sororias ever white?

Definitely Viola. It is blooming, though agreed, not a stereotypical appearance for the word flower. Your pic shows cleistogamous blooms.

Here is another non-stereotypical flower, Peperomia verticillata (a house plant in non-tropical climates.)