Common blue violet
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Viola sororia Wild.
Common name(s): common blue violet, Missouri violet, hooded blue violet, Florida violet, meadow violet, woolly blue violet
Links: USDA PLANTS Profile , NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
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- late April
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- in flower, late April
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- lateral petals are bearded, throat is white
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- leaves and stems also have hairs
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- early May
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- spurs at base of flowers are short and thick
Description:
– annual
-herbaceous
– generally flowers spring to mid June in ME
– generally fruits late May to July in ME
-glossy heart shaped leaves
-spreads through rhizomes
–can be confused with V. cucullata or V. selkirkii. See left sidebar of Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-shaded areas
-woods
-stream beds
-moist soils
Agriculture:
-produces nectar
-attracts butterflies and bees
-deer resistant
Natural History:
-flower is edible
Source(s):
Hansen, R.W., S.B. Hansen and E.A. Osgood. 1991. Reproductive phenologies of selected flowering plants in eastern Maine forests. ME Agric. Exp. Station Tech. Bull. 143. 17 pp.
NC Cooperative Extension. “Viola Sororia.” Viola Sororia (Common Blue Violet, Confederate Violet, Dooryard Violet, Florida Violet, Hooded Blue Violet, Hooded Violet, Meadow Violet, Missouri Violet, Purple Violet, Sister Violet, Violets, Wild Violet, Wood Violet, Woolly Blue Violet) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, NC State University, plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/viola-sororia/.