Dame's-violet - Hesperis matronalis

Alternative names
Dame's Violet also as Dame's Rocket and as Sweet Rocket
Description

Medium to tall erect plant, stems unbranched. Leaves lanceolate and short stalked. The flowers are large, white or purple, 15 to 20 mm, in broad panicles and they are fragrant.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Semi shaded, moist habitats, found in hedgerows and wood borders, on river-banks, roadsides and waste ground, usually near habitation.

When to see it

May to July.

Life History

A perennial, or sometimes biennial, herb. It is often well-naturalised, but only where there is little competition. Casual plants occur on tips and in waste places.

UK Status

Widespread throughout Britain as a casual plant and rarely persisting.

VC55 Status

Occasional casual in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 54 of the 617 tetrads.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Dame's-violet
Species group:
Wildflowers
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Brassicales
Family:
Brassicaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
18
First record:
27/05/2000 (MBNHS;Steve Woodward)
Last record:
09/06/2022 (Dejardin, Andrew)

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% of records within its species group

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