Viola
pansy, violet
37 common names
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Johnny jump-up (Viola tricolor)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Disturbed areas near cultivated setting in towns and cities, where escaping cultivation.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: April-September
Growth Duration: Annual
desert pansy (Viola trinervata)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; north-central Washington to southeastern Oregon.
Habitat: Sagebrush flats and rocky hillsides, often on lithosol, where vernally moist.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
European field pansy (Viola arvensis)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed areas where escaping from cultivation.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Annual
3-nerved violet (Viola trinervata)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; north-central Washington to southeastern Oregon.
Habitat: Sagebrush flats and rocky hillsides, often on lithosol, where vernally moist.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Alaska violet (Viola langsdorffii)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California.
Habitat: Peatlands, shores, snowmelt communities, and wet meadows, from lowlands to middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Aleutian violet (Viola langsdorffii)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California.
Habitat: Peatlands, shores, snowmelt communities, and wet meadows, from lowlands to middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Canadian violet (Viola canadensis)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, further east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Forest openings, riparian zones, and thickets from low to middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
darkwoods violet (Viola orbiculata)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Open woods, middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
dog violet (Viola riviniana)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in lowland western Washington; British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Lawns, sidewalks, wastelots, and other disturbed areas at low elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia and northwest Africa
Flowers: March-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
early blue violet (Viola adunca)
Distribution: Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Dry to moist meadows and open woods, from the lowlands to subalpine areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
evergreen violet (Viola sempervirens)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Moist woods from low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
evergreen yellow violet (Viola orbiculata)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Open woods, middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
fan violet (Viola sheltonii)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho; also in Colorado.
Habitat: Coniferous forest understory, often associated with moss-covered boulder fields with well-developed organic layer.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
Flett's violet (Viola flettii)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to the Olympic Mountains
Habitat: Alpine rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
Howell's violet (Viola howellii)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest and in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; southwestern British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Moist woods and prairies at low to moderate elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-May
Growth Duration: Perennial
kidney-leaf white violet (Viola renifolia)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in the north-central to northeastern counties in Washington; Alaska to northern Washington, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America
Habitat: Peatlands, riparian zones, swamps, seeps, and damp thickets.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
lance-leaved violet (Viola lanceolata)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; southwestern British Columbia to southwestern Oregon.
Habitat: Bogs, moist meadows, cranberry beds, and ditches.
Origin: Introduced from eastern and central North America
Flowers: May-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
LeConte violet (Viola nephrophylla)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Moist places, especially in meadows and along streams.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
marsh violet (Viola palustris)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, northeastern North America, and Eurasia.
Habitat: Moist meadows and streambanks, low to mid-elevations in the mountains
Origin: Native
Flowers: May - July
Growth Duration: Perennial
northern blue violet (Viola sororia)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in northeastern Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America.
Habitat: Dry to moist forest openings, thickets, meadows, and stream banks at middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
northern bog violet (Viola nephrophylla)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Moist places, especially in meadows and along streams.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Annual, Perennial
northern woodland violet (Viola sororia)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in northeastern Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, Great Lakes region, and northeastern North America.
Habitat: Dry to moist forest openings, thickets, meadows, and stream banks at middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Nuttall's violet (Viola nuttallii)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Britsh Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Grassland, sagebrush and juniper flats, and moist to dry openings in coniferous forests.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
Olympic violet (Viola flettii)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to the Olympic Mountains
Habitat: Alpine rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: June-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
pioneer violet (Viola glabella)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Alberta and Montana.
Habitat: Moist woods and stream banks, low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
purplish violet (Viola purpurea)
Distribution: Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Rocky Mountains.
Habitat: Open, rocky, fairly dry slopes, moderate to high elevations in the mountains
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
rain violet (Viola pluviae)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Idaho and Montana; Eurasia.
Habitat: Wet areas at low to moderate elevations, including in part to full shade.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
redwood violet (Viola sempervirens)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest and east in the Columbia River Gorge in Washington; British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Moist woods from low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
round-leaved violet (Viola orbiculata)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to Oregon, east to Alberta, Montana and Wyoming.
Habitat: Open woods, middle to high elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
rugose violet (Viola canadensis)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, further east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Forest openings, riparian zones, and thickets from low to middle elevations.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
sagebrush violet (Viola trinervata)
Distribution: Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; north-central Washington to southeastern Oregon.
Habitat: Sagebrush flats and rocky hillsides, often on lithosol, where vernally moist.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
shelton's violet (Viola sheltonii)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho; also in Colorado.
Habitat: Coniferous forest understory, often associated with moss-covered boulder fields with well-developed organic layer.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-June
Growth Duration: Perennial
small white violet (Viola macloskeyi)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington;d British Columbia to California, east to the Atlantic Coast..
Habitat: Boggy and wet ground from low to mid-elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: May-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
stream violet (Viola glabella)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Alberta and Montana.
Habitat: Moist woods and stream banks, low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Origin: Native
Flowers: March-July
Growth Duration: Perennial
sweet blue violet (Viola odorata)
Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho; also in eastern North America.
Habitat: Sheltered, disturbed areas in somewhat moist soil.
Origin: Introduced from Europe
Flowers: March-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
wild dog violet (Viola adunca)
Distribution: Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
Habitat: Dry to moist meadows and open woods, from the lowlands to subalpine areas.
Origin: Native
Flowers: April-August
Growth Duration: Perennial
wood violet (Viola riviniana)
Distribution: Occurring west of the Cascades crest in lowland western Washington; British Columbia to California.
Habitat: Lawns, sidewalks, wastelots, and other disturbed areas at low elevations.
Origin: Introduced from Eurasia and northwest Africa
Flowers: March-September
Growth Duration: Perennial
[no common name] (Viola ×wittrockiana)
Origin: Introduced