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Downy Yellow Violet

Viola pubescens

Downy yellow violet is an upright woodland violet with soft-haired stems and clear yellow flowers, a cheerful spring bloomer for dry to moist shade. Violet leaves and flower buds are widely eaten raw or cooked, though the caution recorded for yellow-flowered violets applies here — their flowers can cause diarrhea in quantity.

Family

Violaceae

Type

wildflower

Lifespan

perennial

Height

0.5–1 ft

Spacing

0.5–1 ft apart

Light

part shade

Soil moisture

dry

Soil pH

acidic, neutral

Bloom

May, June

Bloom colors

orange, yellow

Wildlife value

butterflies, larval host

Caterpillar hosts

~29 butterfly & moth species

Landscape uses

naturalizing

Native states

AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY