Dog Violet Folklore

I found lots of dog violets on my walk yesterday. They hugged the trees and dappled shade, their delicate purple five petaled flowers and sturdy heart shaped leaves make then easy to identify.

It was once thought that, when a child's milk tooth fell out, if a child swallowed the tooth by accident, they must eat a dog violet petal or the new adult tooth would be too long and look like a canine tooth.