Viola Canadensis
Christy Hetzel
"The Canada Violet"
The Violet's charms I praise indeed,
so modest 'tis and fair,
and smells so sweet
- Goethe *
Class Magnoliapsidae
Order Parietals Family Violaceae
Sub-family Flacourtiineae
Genus viola
Species canadensis
Identification
According to Rickett, the stems of the canadensis are 6 to 18 inches high. The leaves are broad and oval-or heart-shaped, they point at the tip and the edges are serated. The flower appears in the axil of the stem and the color ranges from white to barely tinged with violet. The lowest petal is yellow at the base and can be marked with lines ranging in color from brown to purple.
AREA |
STATUS | REFERENCES |
| North America
Continental United States; Canada |
Yes | Rickett, 1966 |
| Eastern North America
United States east of the Mississippi; Ontario and eastern Canada |
Yes | Rickett, 1966 |
| Southern United States
AL AR DE DC FL GA KY MD NC SC TN VA WV |
Yes | Rickett, 1966 |
| Coastal Plain | ? | |
| Piedmont | ? | |
| Blue Ridge Mountains | ? | |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Yes | |
| Ridge and Valley | ? | |
| Cumberland Plateau | ? | |
| Central Arch | ? | |
| Georgia | Yes | GA Plant List |
| Clarke County, GA | Yes | Clarke Plant List |
| Sams Farm | Probably | Christy Hetzel |
| Old Field | Probably | Christy Hetzel |
| Wetland | Probably not | Christy Hetzel |
| Woods | Probably | Christy Hetzel |
Natural History
Viola Canadensis likes to grow in moist soils of forests and meadows. It can be found in the woods from Newfoundland Saskatchewan and south to Maryland, also reaching to South Carolina, Alabama, Iowa, New Mexico and Arizona. In the South, it blooms from April to September.
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