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Taxon  Report  
Viola adunca  Sm.
Blue violet,   Dog violet,   Hookedspur violet,   Western dog violet
Viola adunca is a perennial herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in North America and beyond.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
bloom graphic
Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Viola
Family: Violaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: MINOR (SEEDS)

Wetlands: Equally likely to occur in wetlands and non wetlands

Habitat: streambanks, meadows

Communities: Redwood Forest, Yellow Pine Forest, Red Fir Forest, Lodgepole Forest, Subalpine Forest, Mixed Evergreen Forest, Alpine Fell-fields, wetland-riparian

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS
Information about  Viola adunca from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
This plant is available commercially.
USDA PLANTS Profile (VIAD)

Photos on Calflora

Photos on CalPhotos

Google Images

Photos on iNaturalist

ID Tips on PlantID.net

California's Coastal Prairies - Ecology. Sonoma State University: Viola adunca is the larval host plant of the endangered Myrtle?s silverspot butterfly (Speyeria zerene myrtleae ). ... survival of the butterfly ... is linked to the continued persistence of this violet.

Speyeria zerene myrtleae: XERCES SOCIETY: Formerly widespread on the San Francisco and Marin peninsulas, ... is now only known from four populations in northwestern Marin County and southwestern Sonoma County.

Speyeria zerene myrtleae: Essig Museum of Entomology: The eggs are laid only on species of Viola, possibly only Viola adunca.

Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals, including the Consortium of California Herbaria. [web application]. 2023. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 02/03/2023).