common blue violet
Viola sororia · Violaceae
common blue violet (Viola sororia) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Violaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 4 and warmer, down to about -28°F.
At a glance
| Type | forb-herb USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 0.3 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Water need | high USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–7.8 USDA |
| Bloom | April–May USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 4 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | ground-cover Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. USDA rates it as having needs consistently moist ground. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 7.8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 4.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 0.3 ft, making it a low, mat-forming plant. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of April through May. Flowers are purple.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 10 to 36 inches of annual precipitation. The low end of that band is genuinely arid, so it has a wide tolerance for dry country. It needs at least 75 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 6 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed, cuttings and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period. Its seed spreads at a slow rate. It spreads vegetatively at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated low. Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Ground cover. In a layered planting this is the lowest layer — it shades soil, holds moisture, and suppresses weeds. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Viola
- small white violet Viola macloskeyi
- downy yellow violet Viola pubescens
Similar role and hardiness
- thrift seapink Armeria maritima
- alpine aster Aster alpinus
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis
- Japanese pachysandra Pachysandra terminalis
- longbeak buttercup Ranunculus longirostris
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol VISO, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Type, vegetative spread rate, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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