| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Only in the Piedmont, so far as is known. Cultivated more widely and expected to escape elsewhere.
Native of Eurasia; in N.A. -- N.S. to Ont., south to NC and IL; also B.C. to CA and UT. | |
| Abundance | Very rare. | |
| Habitat | Lawn weed, campus roadside, roadside at brook. | |
| Phenology | Flowering March-April. | |
| Identification | English Violet was formerly widely cultivated, but is escapes only locally. It belongs to a large group of violets that have flowers and leaves on separate stems or stalks. Plants grow from thick rootstalks, from which it sends out stolons that take root and form rosettes of new leaves. Leaves are broadly ovate to orbiculate and cordate-based. Flowers vary from white to blue-violet, are fragrant, and have a long spur from the lowest petal. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | 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) | | |
| State Rank | SE | |
| Global Rank | GNR | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | | |
| USACE-emp | | |
