Viola beckwithii
Beckwith's violet, great basin violet, Great Basin Violet
no rights reserved · CC0
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola beckwithii (Beckwith's violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by . Key features: dissected compound leaves, two-toned flowers, montane habitat.
Beckwith's violet is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, northern High Cascades, northern Sierra Nevada, and Modoc Plateau in vernally moist places among shrubs or beneath pines at elevations of 900 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces dark red-violet and lilac flowers with distinctive yellow to orange bases, the upper petals often overlapping and the side petals adorned with cylindric beard hairs. Growing 2 to 22 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems that are partially subterranean and clustered on a deep caudex, it forms delicate clumps. Its ternate-compound leaves feature intricate, finely dissected leaflets with narrow oblong to lanceolate segments, creating a delicate, lacy appearance. The fruit is an oblong-ovoid capsule 7 to 12 millimeters long, bearing brown seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 29 sympatric species. Key features: dissected compound leaves, two-toned flowers, montane habitat
Habitat and range
Habitat: Vernally moist places among shrubs or beneath pines
Elevation: 900-2700 m
California counties: Trinity, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lake, Modoc, Humboldt, Shasta, Nevada, Kern, Lassen, Sierra, Tehama, Placer, Alpine
Outside California: to Oregon, Idaho, Utah
Bloom period
Viola beckwithii blooms Mar-May.
How to tell it apart
vs Asarum: Viola flowers sit above ground on stalks; Asarum flowers hide at ground level under heart-shaped leaves.; vs Cardamine: Viola has irregular flowers with a spur; Cardamine has 4-petaled symmetrical flowers.; vs Lycianthes: Viola flowers have a backward spur; Lycianthes has star-shaped flowers with no spur.; vs Pelargonium: Viola has a petal-derived spur; Pelargonium has a sepal-derived spur fused to the flower stalk.; vs Eschscholzia: Viola has 5 petals with one forming a spur; Eschscholzia has 4 separate fan-shaped petals.
Frequently asked questions
Is Viola beckwithii native to California?
Yes. Viola beckwithii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Viola beckwithii bloom?
Viola beckwithii blooms Mar-May.
Where in California does Viola beckwithii grow?
Viola beckwithii occurs in Trinity, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lake, Modoc, Humboldt, Shasta, Nevada and other counties, at elevations of 900-2700 m.
What plant family does Viola beckwithii belong to?
Viola beckwithii is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
What habitat does Viola beckwithii grow in?
Viola beckwithii grows in Vernally moist places among shrubs or beneath pines.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.