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Viola palmata
Early Blue Violet
Wood Violet
Florida native
A perennial wildflower of sandhills and flatwoods throughout much of Florida, except for the central east coast and south peninsula. The range includes much of the eastern United States.
The leaves of this violet are all basal, on long stalks and palmately divided into three or more lobes. The flowers are blue to violet, often with white centers, with dark blue veins, and occasionally mostly white. The five petals are up to 2.5 cm (1 in.) across and are on long stalks. Early blue violets can also have self-pollinating flowers that do not open on reclining stalks. Flowering is in April and May through much of the range, but as early as March in Florida. The fruit is an ovoid, purple-brown mottled capsule containing brown seeds.
Viola palmata is a member of the Violaceae - Violet family.
Other species of the Viola genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Viola hastata - HALBERDLEAF YELLOW VIOLET
Viola lanceolata - BOG WHITE VIOLET
Viola sororia - COMMON BLUE VIOLET
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 07, 2016
