Heartsease Viola tricolor
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- vy-OH-la TRY-kull-lur
- Description
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Sometimes called the wild pansy, this tiny herbaceous annual, biennial, or short-lived perennial wildflower was introduced to North America from Europe. It is found in lichen-dominated or meadow-like rocky outcrops, dry and sloping meadows, banks, fields, gardens, wastelands, sand fields, as well as seaside beaches. It does not have a basal rosette unlike some other violets but has an alternate leave arrangement instead. Its three-colored (hence the name) flowers can produce up to 50 seeds in each capsule making it spread easily though it is not particularly aggressive. Water this plant regularly but do not overwater.
The beautiful flowers have little flavor but are edible in small amounts. They contain saponins and could be toxic in large amounts; however, they are used as an anti-inflammatory and contain antioxidants. Other medicinal uses are for the treatment of eczema and autoimmune diseases. Topical applications are used for cradle cap, diaper rash, weeping sores, itchy skin, varicose ulcers and ringworm.
Blooms spring-summer and is usually short-lived, but freely reseeds. It is the parent plant to modern pansies. A typical flower has violet or purple upper petals, white lateral petals and a yellow lower petal. Several purple veins originate from the flowers' throat.
After blooming, the fertile flowers are replaced by seed capsules. When mature, the capsule will divide into 3 parts and the seed will be ejected.
Its leaves have a variety of shapes. The lower blades are cordate-ovate, or heart to egg shaped. The middle and upper leaves are lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, meaning resembling a lance, rounded at the end and having parallel sides.
Seasons of Interest:
Bloom: April-September
Quick ID
- Flowers zygomorphic, 2-lipped, are tri-colored: violet, blue and gold
- Leaves are ovate to lanceolate; stipules lobed
- Perennial with small 'face-like' flowers in spring-summer
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Travis Birdsell, County Extension Director and Extension Agent for Ashe County Extension
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Pink and White Garden Border Garden, Upcycled
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Viola
- Species:
- tricolor
- Family:
- Violaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Traditional medicines and dyes
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Europe and Asia
- Distribution:
- North America
- Wildlife Value:
- This plant supports Fritillary butterfly larvae. Flowers attract honeybees, bumblebees, long-tongued bees (Anaphora sp.), syrphid flies (Rhingia sp.), and butterflies
- Play Value:
- Attractive Flowers
- Attracts Pollinators
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Fragrance
- Wildlife Larval Host
- Edibility:
- Flowers are edible and have a slight minty flavor.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 10 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 3 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Herbaceous Perennial
- Wildflower
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Erect
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Fine
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- Less than 12 inches
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- 3-valved capsule which ejects seeds when dry.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Blue
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Purple/Lavender
- Variegated
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Head
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The flowers are solitary in axils and lateral, hoisted on long peduncles. They appear on aerial stems with more or less long internodes. The 5 sepals are never larger than the corolla. The 5 petals are often three colors and have purple stripes on them the bottom petal has a nectar spur. The typical flower has violet or purple upper petals, white lateral petals, and a yellow lower petal, but other color variations are possible.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Cordate
- Lanceolate
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Dentate
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaf blades are glaborus ¾-1½" long (not including their petioles). Two stipules clasp the stem and are often quite developed on the upper leaves and difficult to distinguish from true leaves.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Description:
- The stem is hairless, sometimes downy and is branched.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Meadow
- Naturalized Area
- Pond
- Slope/Bank
- Woodland
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Cottage Garden
- Edible Garden
- Fairy Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Mass Planting
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Specialized Bees
