Viola hallii
Hall's violet, wild pansy, Wild Pansy
(c) Ed Alverson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola hallii (Hall's violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by . Key features: compound dissected leaves, cream/yellow flowers, NW California endemic.
Hall's violet is a California native perennial found in northwestern California in vernally moist areas, open forests, grassy hills, and chaparral, often on serpentine or gravelly soils at elevations of 150 to 2,100 meters. Flowering from April to July, this plant produces distinctive flowers with dark red-violet upper petals and pale yellow to cream lower petals veined with dark violet. Growing 5 to 22 centimeters tall with decumbent to erect stems clustered on a deep caudex, some stems up to half subterranean. Its ternate-compound leaves have distinctive dissected leaflets, with basal leaves 2.8 to 6 centimeters wide and ovate to deltate blades divided into narrow elliptic or lanceolate segments. The lateral petals are notably bearded with club-shaped hairs, and the lowest petal reaches 5 to 18 millimeters in length.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 27 sympatric species. Key features: compound dissected leaves, cream/yellow flowers, NW California endemic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Vernally moist areas, open forest, grassy hills, flats, chaparral, often serpentine or gravelly soil
Elevation: 150-2100 m
California counties: Siskiyou, Humboldt, Tehama, Trinity, Mendocino, Nevada, Mariposa, Lake, Shasta, Colusa, Del Norte, Lassen
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Viola hallii blooms Apr-Jul.
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 hallii native to California?
Yes. Viola hallii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Viola hallii bloom?
Viola hallii blooms Apr-Jul.
Where in California does Viola hallii grow?
Viola hallii occurs in Siskiyou, Humboldt, Tehama, Trinity, Mendocino, Nevada, Mariposa, Lake and other counties, at elevations of 150-2100 m.
What plant family does Viola hallii belong to?
Viola hallii is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
What habitat does Viola hallii grow in?
Viola hallii grows in Vernally moist areas, open forest, grassy hills, flats, chaparral, often serpentine or gravelly soil.
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.