| Author | Spach | |
| Distribution | Scattered over much of the Coastal Plain, though most prevalent in the southern portion, especially in the Sandhills region. Ranges into the edge of the Piedmont. Exact details of the range are not well known owing to confusion about specimen identities, and biologists' unfamiliarity with it, as most specimens were collected when it was named as V. palmata or V. esculenta. Specimens from the Piedmont are not correctly identified, as determined by one of the website editors (Sorrie), and by Ballard in 2024.
This is a Southeastern species, ranging essentially in the Coastal Plains from MD to northern FL, and west to eastern TX.
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| Abundance | Uncommon to infrequent (probably) in the Sandhills and other southern Coastal Plain counties. Seemingly rare in the northern and central portions of the Coastal Plain, but more data are needed to assess the abundance in NC. The website editors suggest a State Rank of S3? | |
| Habitat | This is a wetland species, primarily found in blackwater wetlands. It occurs along small blackwater streams and associated floodplains, such as openings in bottomlands and swamps. | |
| Phenology | Blooms from late March into May, and fruits shortly after flowering. | |
| Identification | This species was included with V. palmata var. triloba in RAB (1968), and essentially those records from Coastal Plain wetland habitats were/are really this species, named as V. esculenta in many recent references. It is similar to several other acaulescent violets, as it has separate flowering stalks with violet-blue flowers, and basal leaves (only). In this species, the earliest leaves to emerge are ovate to heart-shaped, cordate at the base, and undivided; V. palmata var. triloba is similar. Both of these have divided leaves present during flowering, with the middle lobe rather wide and often elliptical to rhombic, and the side lobes (one or two on each side) much shorter and smaller. This species can be separated from V. palmata var. triloba by its glabrous to glabrate leaves, including on the petioles; the latter species has moderate to dense pubescence on the leaves, at least on the undersides and on the petioles. Also, this species is a wetland one, whereas V. palmata (both varieties) grows in upland forests. V. septemloba is somewhat similar, but that species grows in pine savannas in NC, and it has the spurred petal densely bearded on the inside, whereas V. edulis is not bearded. Also, V. septemloba usually has 5-9 lobes on the larger leaves, whereas V. edulis has 3 to occasionally 5 lobes on the larger leaves. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | Many references, such as NatureServe, conside this taxon as V. esculenta. As mentioned above, records from RAB (1968) had been included in V. palmata var. triloba. Ballard has verified that V. esculenta is a later synonym of V. edulis.
General note on Viola: In 2009-10 B.A. Sorrie (website map editor) went through the whole collection at NCU, annotating all specimens against those verified by experts in the genus. The range maps in RAB (1968) have been changed accordingly. More recently, Harvey Ballard and colleagues are in the process of revising all Eastern and Southeastern Viola, and have annotated all specimens at NCU in July 2024. They recognize additional species not in RAB or in previous editions of Weakley et al.; we will follow updated editions of Weakley et al. in recognizing them. Species range maps have been adjusted to account for identification changes. | |
| Other Common Name(s) | None | |
| State Rank | [S3?] | |
| Global Rank | [G4G5] | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
