Cyclamen-leaf violet is one of the most common wild violets in Japan, a pale purple violet with heart-shaped leaves on leafy stems. It is native to East Asia and does not grow wild in the United States.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A perennial violet. After flowering, its leafy stems angle outward and then rise, reaching about 8–12 in (20–30 cm).
- Leaves
- Rounded heart-shaped leaves grow both from the base and along the stems. Comb-like, finely cut at the leaf bases are a good clue.
- Flowers
- Pale purple flowers with a slender, purplish at the back.
- Fruit
- The fruit is a small capsule that splits open when ripe.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- woodland edges
- fields
- roadsides
- shady parks
- Range
- Native from central and southern China and Taiwan to Korea, Japan, and southern Sakhalin. It is not native to North America.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- After the spring flowers fade, it keeps making small closed flowers that never open and set seed by self-pollinating.
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