Viola hirsutula

Common Names

Southern Woodland Violet, Southern Wood Violet, Wood Violet

Summary

Viola hirsutula, Southern Woodland Violet, is an acaulescent, rhizomatous perennial native to the eastern United States, forming low, spreading to prostrate clumps from a thick rhizome, basal leaves on petioles have a silvery-green upper surface with green or red-purple veins and are often pubescent on the blade with the lower surface purple, leaves reach up to about 55 × 45 mm and commonly have a cordate base with crenate to serrate margins, flowers are violet-blue to blue-violet with a white throat borne on short peduncles and followed by capsules, flowering occurs in spring with chasmogamous flowers and in some cycles cleistogamous fruit; in cultivation, it prefers shade and mesic to moist soils in hardwood or mixed forests typically on slopes and often in rocky sites, and is hardy in zones 5–9, seed propagation is possible though seed sources appear scarce and original stock was collected from logging trails, plants are described as slow to spread and rarely available from wildflower nurseries though can be grown from seed, cultivars include 'Purpurea' and 'Alba', this violet also serves as a host plant for fritillary butterflies and bees in native plantings.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

1-8 inches

Spread

1.5-2 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 5-9

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full shade, partial shade.

Soil Type

Dry, well-drained soil, often rocky or sandy, not highly alkaline.

Soil Drainage

Well-drained

Soil pH

Acidic to mildly acidic

Bloom Color

Blue to violet

Bloom Time

Spring

Foliage Color

Green, dark green, silvery-green, pewter-colored, purple beneath, purple veins, white-speckled foliage

Fall Foliage Color

Unknown

Leaf Lifecycle

Other

Growth Rate

Growth rate unknown

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts fritillary butterflies, Attracts bees