common blue violet

(Viola sororia)

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Wetland Indicator Status

Great Plains

FAC - Facultative

Midwest

FAC - Facultative

Northcentral & Northeast

FAC - Facultative

 
common blue violet
 
 
Description

Common blue violet is a stemless violet. It is an erect, perennial forb that rises from an underground stem (rhizome). It can be 3 to 12 tall but in Minnesota it is usually no more than 8 in height. The rhizome is short, stout, and horizontal or oblique. It sometimes branches to form colonies. It does not produce above-ground creeping runners (stolons).

There is no central stem. A rosette of basal leaves rise directly from the rhizome on up to 6 long leaf stalks (petioles). The petioles are strongly ascending, hairy, and have a single groove on the upper (dorsal) side. At the base of each petiole is a pair of leaf-like appendages (stipules). The stipules are green, less than long, and separate completely from the petiole. Leaf blades are held at an angle to the petiole. They are broadly egg-shaped to kidney-shaped, rounded or angled at the tip, and heart-shaped at the base. Most are as wide as they are long and most are broadly angled at the tip. They are unlobed except for the heart-shaped base. The sinus at the base of the blade is relatively broad and the lobes do not touch. Summer leaves are 2 to 5 wide. The hairiness of the leaves varies between populations, from nearly hairless to conspicuously covered with spreading hairs. The upper surface may be hairy or hairless. The lower surface is usually hairy at least at the base. The margins are toothed with rounded to slightly sharp teeth.

One to several leafless flower stalks (scapes) rise from the rootstock at the middle of the rosette. The scape is erect, leafless, usually hairy, and topped with a solitary flower. It is abruptly curved downward near the top. It is usually about 4 long, shorter than the petioles, and the flowers are usually overtopped by the leaves.

Two types of flowers are produced: open, cross-pollinated (chasmogamous) flowers are produced in the spring; and closed, self-fertilizing (cleistogamous) flowers are produced in the summer.

Cross-pollinated flowers are ¾ to 1 3 16 long and wide. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 1 style. The sepals are green and shorter than the petals. The petals are usually medium violet, sometimes purplish or purple, and white at the base. The two upper petals are erect or bent backward. The two lateral petals are spreading, white at the base, and have a tuft of white hairs (beard) near the throat. The lower petal is as long as the lateral petals but is not bearded. It has conspicuous dark violet or dark purple veins near the throat and a hooked, rounded spur at the base. The 5 stamens are orange and have very short filaments. They do not protrude from the throat of the corolla and are concealed by the beards of the petals. The flowers are not fragrant.

Self-pollinating flowers are inconspicuous. They occur on shorter scapes that may be arched or lie flat on the ground.

The fruit is an egg-shaped to ellipse-shaped, ¼ to long, hairless capsule with many brown seeds. The capsule protrudes noticeably beyond the persistent sepals.

 

Height

3 to 8

 

Flower Color

Violet or purple

 

Similar Species

Northern bog violet (Viola nephrophylla) lower petal is bearded.

Habitat

Moist to wet. Woods, meadows.

Ecology

Flowering

April to June

 

Pests and Diseases

 

Use

 

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

1/16/2025    
     

Nativity

Native

     

Occurrence

Widespread and very common

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae (green algae and land plants)

Subkingdom

Viridiplantae (green plants)

Infrakingdom

Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)

Superdivision

Embryophyta (land plants)

Division

Tracheophyta (vascular plants)

Subdivision

Spermatophytina (seed plants) / Angiospermae (flowering plants)

Class

Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)

Superorder

Rosanae

Order

Malpighiales (nances, willows, and allies)

Family

Violaceae (violet)

Subfamily

Violoideae

Tribe

Violeae

Genus

Viola (violets)

Subgenus

Viola (pansies and violets)

Section

Nosphinium

Subsection

Borealiamericanae (eastern American blue violets)

   

Subordinate Taxa

Northern bog violet
Authorities do not agree on the subordinate taxa of Viola sororia. Some authorities, including GRIN and ITIS, list four varieties. In this classification, common blue violet is Viola sororia var. sororia and northern bog violet is Viola sororia var. affinis. Others, including USDA PLANTS, NCBI, Gleason & Cronquist, and Voss, do not recognize any varieties. In this classification, common blue violet is Viola sororia and northern bog violet is Viola nephrophylla. The Minnesota DNR (MNTaxa) follows the latter classification, as does MinnesotaSeasons.com.

Confederate violet
There is a common color variation of common blue violet. The petals are mostly bright white or very pale, the throat is deep violet, and the veins are deep violet. Most sources treat this as a naturally occurring bicolored form, and use the name Viola sororia f. priceana. Some sources treat it as a variety and use the name Viola sororia var. priceana.

confederate violet (Viola sororia f. priceana)
   

Synonyms

Viola chalcosperma

Viola × champlainensis

Viola floridana

Viola × insessa

Viola langloisii

Viola langloisii var. pedatiloba

Viola latiuscula

Viola × melissifolia

Viola × montivaga

Viola × napae

Viola palmata var. sororia

Viola papilionacea

Viola papilionacea var. priceana

Viola priceana

Viola rosacea

Viola septentrionalis

Viola septentrionalis var. septentrionalis

Viola sororia var. affinis

Viola sororia var. priceana

Viola × subaffinis

   

Common Names

bayou violet

blue prairie violet

butterfly violet

dooryard violet

downy blue violet

hairy wood violet

hooded blue violet

meadow violet

sister violet

violet

wood violet

woolly blue violet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bearded

Bearing one or more tufts of hairs.

 

Cleistogamous

Automatically self-pollinating. Refers to bud-like flowers that do not open but automatically self-pollinate, or to plants with such flowers.

 

Petiole

On plants: The stalk of a leaf blade or a compound leaf that attaches it to the stem. On ants and wasps: The constricted first one or two segments of the rear part of the body.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Scape

An erect, leafless stalk growing from the rootstock and supporting a flower or a flower cluster.

 

Stipule

A small, leaf-like appendage at the base of a leaf stalk or flower stalk.

 

Stolon

An above-ground, creeping stem that grows along the ground and produces roots and sometimes new plants at its nodes. A runner.

Visitor Photos
 

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Dan W. Andree

Meadow Fritillary on Common Blue Violet...

This is from a couple years ago one of a couple meadow fritillary I seen. It was during Spring in Norman Co. I just made this from video I shot of it.

Meadow Fritillary are small probably the smallest of the fritillary species I have seen. I seen a couple small variegated but also seen a some variegated that were a bit larger than the meadow.

  meadow fritillary

Some Great Spangled are similar in size to some Regals. I think some female regals are just a little larger than the great spangled. While most male regals are smaller than female regals I have encountered a couple male regals nearly the same size as a good sized female regal but most are smaller. I have mistaken female regals seen in a distance for a monarch and vice versa. However close up they are very different. The saying by some the regal is kinda like a monarch dipped in chocolate. To some maybe, but I don’t see it just both uniquely beautiful in their own ways. Regals are rarer.

Luciearl

common blue violet

At the time I took this photo, I didn't realize there are several types of blue colored violets. I assume it is common blue violet.

Bill Reynolds

common blue violet
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
common blue violet    

Plant

   
     
common blue violet   common blue violet
 

Inflorescence

 

 

 

 

Inflorescence

 

 

     
common blue violet   common blue violet

Flower

 

Flower

     
common blue violet   common blue violet

Flower

 

Flower

     
common blue violet   common blue violet

Spur

 

Spur

     
common blue violet    

Leaves

 

 

 

Camera

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slideshows

Viola sororia COMMON BLUE VIOLET
Frank Mayfield

Viola sororia COMMON BLUE VIOLET

Wood Violet
Joshua Mayer

Wood Violet

 

slideshow

Visitor Videos
 

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Other Videos

MyNature Apps; Identifying Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia
MyNatureApps

About

Uploaded on May 14, 2011

Identifying Common Blue Violet, Viola sororia www.mynatureapps.com

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

Report a sighting of this plant.

 

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Be sure to include a location.

Dan W. Andree
Spring 2023

Location: Norman Co. Mn.

This is from a couple years ago one of a couple meadow fritillary I seen. It was during Spring in Norman Co. I just made this from video I shot of it. Meadow Fritillary are small probably the smallest of the fritillary species I have seen. I seen a couple small variegated but also seen a some variegated that were a bit larger than the meadow.

meadow fritillary
 

Some Great Spangled are similar in size to some Regals. I think some female regals are just a little larger than the great spangled. While most male regals are smaller than female regals I have encountered a couple male regals nearly the same size as a good sized female regal but most are smaller. I have mistaken female regals seen in a distance for a monarch and vice versa. However close up they are very different. The saying by some the regal is kinda like a monarch dipped in chocolate. To some maybe, but I don’t see it just both uniquely beautiful in their own ways. Regals are rarer.

Luciearl
5/9/2016

Location: Cass County

At the time I took this photo, I didn't realize there are several types of blue colored violets. I assume it is common blue violet.

common blue violet
Bill Reynolds
6/1/2014

Location: Pennington County

common blue violet
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Binoculars

 

Created: 5/4/2006

Last Updated:

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