Viola arcuata — identification & habitat

Curved-stemmed violet is a small Asian violet found in moist lawns and planting beds in parts of the eastern United States. It has broad, kidney-shaped leaves and small white to pale violet flowers with purple lines on the lower petal.

Appearance

Appearance: This low can reach about 14 in (35 cm), with branching stems that recline and may root near the base before turning upward. Its leaves are unusually broad for their length, with a kidney-shaped to rounded triangular outline and shallow teeth.
Growth form: A slender and stems that root where they touch the ground allow it to form loose patches.
Flowers: The flowers are no more than about 0.3 in (8 mm) wide, white to pale violet, with dense purple lines on the lower petal.
Flowering time: Plants documented in the U.S. have been seen flowering from March to May.
Fruit: The fruit is a small that opens to release seeds.

Look-alikes

Cream violetViola striata

Curved-stemmed violet has broader, more kidney-shaped stem leaves and stems that recline and often root where their lower parts touch the ground. Cream violet (Viola striata) has proportionally narrower leaves and does not take root this way at the base.

Why they get mixed upBoth can have pale flowers, short projections behind the flowers, and leafy above-ground stems in moist eastern U.S. sites.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: well-watered lawns
planting beds
moist grassy places
Range: Native to Asia, it has been documented as an introduced plant in New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina.
Preferred conditions: U.S. plants have been found in moist, regularly watered turf and landscaped beds.
Flowering: Flowers May
Flowers May

Life cycle

Reproduction: After the open spring flowers, the plant also makes that stay closed and self-pollinate.

Name and classification

About the name: It has also been called Viola verecunda. Some botanists include it in Viola hamiltoniana.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed

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