Viola patrinii is a white-flowered violet native to East Asia, including Korea, northeastern China, Japan, and the Russian Far East, where it grows in wet, open meadows. It isn't native to the US, but it has recently been confirmed as an escaped plant in the Northeast, growing in suburban plantings and pavement cracks.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A stemless perennial with a rosette of upright leaves, up to about 8 in (20 cm) tall.
- Leaves
- Leaves are narrow and triangular to lance-shaped, up to about 2.4 in (6 cm) long, hairless or nearly so, on long, clearly winged leafstalks.
- Flowers
- Small white flowers with purple veins on the lower petals, a short, stubby about 0.1 in (3 mm) long, and dense tufts of hairs on the side petals.
- Fruit
- Seeds ripen in capsules and are yellow-brown to dark brown.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- wet open meadows
- shady forest edges
- Range
- Native to East Asia. The first confirmed North American records come from the northeastern United States, including a park in New York City, where it grows as an escaped plant.
- Preferred conditions
- In its home range it favors marshy to moist open ground and shaded woodland edges.
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