← Bedfellow

Small White Violet

Viola macloskeyi

Small white violet is a tiny creeping violet of wet montane meadows and seeps, dotting the ground with white blooms beside snowmelt streams. Young leaves and flower buds are edible raw or cooked, thickening soups much like okra; a tea can be made from the leaves.

Family

Violaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.5–0.5 ft

Spacing

0.5–1 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

moist, wet

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June, July, August

Bloom colors

white

Wildlife value

butterflies, pollinators, mammals, songbirds, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~29 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

border, naturalizing, rain garden

Native states

AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY