Viola sagittata
An early-spring member of the Violaceae native to eastern North America, it features basal arrowhead-shaped leaves, blue to purple flowers blooming March to June, grows about 6 inches tall, thrives in full sun to partial shade with moderate moisture, and serves as groundcover or understory in wetlands, meadows, and disturbed habitats.
Common Names
Arrow-Leaved Violet, Arrowhead Violet, Arrowleaf Violet
Summary
Arrow-leaved violet is a stemless, acaulescent perennial native to eastern North America, including Missouri, that grows from a thick rhizome to form a basal rosette of long, arrowhead-shaped leaves, leaves are basal, 1.5 to 4 inches long, with sagittate or hastate bases, and the plant reaches roughly 4 to 8 inches tall, from the rosette, slender peduncles bear violet-blue flowers with five petals and a short nectar spur; lateral petals are bearded and a white patch with purple veins appears at the base of the lower petal, the species blooms in spring to early summer (April to June) and produces ellipsoid seed capsules that split to eject seeds; cleistogamous flowers may occur on some peduncles, it occurs in dry prairies, sandstone glades, and open woodland edges with dry to seasonally moist sandy or gravelly soils, and has two recognized varieties, var. sagittata and var. ovata, for cultivation, it tolerates full sun to partial shade and dry to moist-mesic soils, including sandy or gravelly textures; occasional disturbance helps reduce woody encroachment, it is valued for native wildflower gardens, prairie plantings, woodland edges, and groundcover or understory applications, and supports wildlife by providing nectar for pollinators and serving as a host plant for fritillary butterflies; it can be propagated by division or seeds, with division best in early spring or fall and seeds sown in late winter or early spring.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
4-8 inches
Spread
2-20 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 3-8
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally Full Sun, tolerates Partial Sun and Partial Shade, Sources: provided sources
Soil Type
Well-draining loamy soil
Soil Drainage
Well-draining loamy soil
Soil pH
6.5-6.5 (slightly acidic), acidic soils (pH below 7), seasonally moist to wet sandy acidic soils
Bloom Color
Blue to purple
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Medium green on the upper leaf surface and pale green on the lower surface.
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Not specified
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds and Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- Aiton
- Publication
- Hort. Kew. 3: 287 (1789)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Malpighiales
- Family
- Violaceae
- Genus
- Viola
Inferior Taxa
Viola sagittata var. ovata Viola sagittata f. umbelliflora
Synonyms
Viola sagittifolia Viola emarginata Viola sagittata var. subsagittata Viola sagittata var. sagittata Viola emarginata var. emarginata Viola secedens Viola sagittata var. secedens Viola subsagittata Viola sagittata var. emarginata Viola sagittata f. carlii Viola sagittata f. albescens Viola emarginata var. acutiloba Viola sagittata var. glabra Viola perpensa Viola dentata Viola alleghanensis Viola cestrica Viola emarginata var. simulata