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Common Blue Violet

Viola sororia var. missouriensis

Other common name(s):

Missouri Violet

Family:

Violaceae (Violet Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Cross Timbers, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Carbonate Cross Timbers, Eastern Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie, Limestone Cut Plain, Western Cross Timbers
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, Northern Post Oak Savanna, Northern Prairie Outliers, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands, Edwards Plateau Woodland
Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands, Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Groundcover

Height

0.5
to
0.75
ft.

Spread

0.25
to
0.5
ft.

Leaf Retention

Semi Evergreen

Lifespan

Annual

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Rich, Moist

Light Requirement

Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Medium

Native Habitat

Woodland, Wetland or Riparian

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

White, Pink, Blue, Purple

Bloom Season

Spring

Seasonal Interest

Seeds, Larval Host, Flowers

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds

Maintenance

Easy to grow. Reseeds profusely. Thin plants if they become overgrown. It prefers well-drained woodland shade garden. Propagation: Seed, rhizomes.

Comments

Blooms February-April. It can colonize via rhizomes to send up numerous glowing purple blossoms in early spring. Violets are a sign that spring has arrived, and this is often one of the most common violets found within its range. Will go dormant during drought. Larval Host: Variegated Fritillary
Previous Scientific Name(s): Viola missouriensis

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 111. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=VIMI3. 5) https://portal.torcherbaria.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxon=Viola+sororia+var.+missouriensis&formsubmit=Search+Terms. 6) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=24014&locationType=County&mapType=Normal, 7) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=541753#null, 8) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.

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State Office Phone: 830.997.9272

State Office Address:
Native Plant Society of Texas
PO Box 3017
Fredericksburg, TX 78624

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