Viola palmata
An acaulescent eastern North American violet forming a basal rosette with palmately lobed leaves, bearing blue-violet flowers on ascending stalks in mid to late spring and later producing small self-fertile cleistogamous flowers, with a rhizomatous habit.
Common Names
Wood Violet, Three-Lobed Violet, Cleft Violet, Palmate-leaved Violet
Summary
Viola palmata, commonly called wood violet or palmate-leaf violet, is a perennial violet native to eastern North America, it is acaulescent with basal leaves arising from a thick rhizome, and leaves are palmately lobed with forms ranging from undivided to deeply lobed, foliage may be pubescent on leaf surfaces and petioles, flowers are blue to violet on long peduncles, and cleistogamous flowers arise on shorter peduncles, the plant typically reaches about 6-50 cm tall and lacks an aboveground stem, habitat includes upland forests, dry-mesic woodlands, rocky slopes, streambanks, and disturbed ground, with a preference for base-rich soils and partial sun, and the plant spreads by reseeding itself, in cultivation, it suits native wildflower gardens and naturalistic plantings, and in spring provides nectar for pollinators, edible leaves and flowers are noted, with leaves usable as a spring potherb and flowers used in jelly or candied treats, it can hybridize with related violets in some contexts
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
12-14 inches
Spread
4-7 inches
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial sun, partial shade
Soil Type
Rich, moist upland soil
Soil Drainage
There is no single ideal drainage for Viola palmata; var. palmata favors dry to mesic, well-drained to moderately moist soils, var. heterophylla prefers wet, poorly drained soils, and overall it favors mesic to dry conditions in loamy or rocky soil.
Soil pH
Slightly acidic to circumneutral
Bloom Color
Blue to purple
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Perennial
Seasons of Interest
Spring
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees and butterflies, attracts flies, attracts ants, attracts birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.
- Publication
- Sp. Pl. : 933 (1753)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Malpighiales
- Family
- Violaceae
- Genus
- Viola
Inferior Taxa
Viola palmata var. heterophylla
Synonyms
Viola ornithodes Viola falcata Viola edulis Viola viarum Viola congener Viola lovelliana Viola stoneana Viola triloba Viola triloba var. dilatata Viola palmata var. palmata Viola palmata var. triloba Viola palmata var. dilatata Viola asarifolia Viola palmata var. asarifolia Viola cucullata var. congener Viola cucullata var. palmata Viola palmata var. variegata Viola palmata var. obliqua Viola vespertilionis