Violaceae

Viola adunca

Early Blue Violet

Branched stem from hairy rhizomes. Round to oval leaves to 2 in. long. Pale to deep violet flowers with a white patch, purple veins at the base of lower 3 petals. Veins are visible to bees in the ultraviolet as nectar guides. The 2 side petals have white beards at the base and hooked spurs at the tips. Seeds are explosively thrown some distance when pods burst open. Grows in damp streambanks, meadows near trees, at all elevations. Adunca means "hooked."

• Rarity: Common
• Flowering Time: Mid Spring
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: stemless to 4 inches
• Habitat: Meadow, Coastal, Subalpine, Moist Riverbanks
• Found In: Olympic Np, Mt. Rainier Np, N Cascades Np
• Native: Yes