Viola lobata
Pine violet, yellow wood violet, Yellow Wood Violet
(c) Max Miley, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola lobata (Pine violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by . Key features: purple leafless stem base, divided leaves at top, yellow flowers.
Pine violet is a California native perennial found in montane and subalpine habitats at elevations from 1,000 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces deep lemon-yellow flowers with distinctive dark red-brown markings on the upper petals and bearded lateral petals. Growing 5 to 46 centimeters tall with erect stems emerging from thick horizontal or vertical rhizomes, often with purple-tinged stems. Its leaves are notably variable, ranging from deltate to reniform, with blades 3.5 to 8.5 centimeters long, featuring a cordate base and edges that can be entire or irregularly serrate. The fruit is an elliptic-ovate capsule 6 to 16 millimeters long, containing shiny pale brown seeds with distinctive brown blotches.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 34 sympatric species. Key features: purple leafless stem base, divided leaves at top, yellow flowers
Habitat and range
California counties: Del Norte, Trinity, Plumas, Yuba, Siskiyou, Placer, Fresno, Mariposa, Lake, Napa, Tuolumne, San Diego, Tulare, El Dorado, Butte, Nevada, Tehama, Sonoma, Madera, Calaveras, Amador, Sierra, Monterey, Mendocino, Humboldt, Shasta, Merced, San Benito, Marin, Lassen, Sacramento
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 lobata native to California?
Yes. Viola lobata is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Viola lobata grow?
Viola lobata occurs in Del Norte, Trinity, Plumas, Yuba, Siskiyou, Placer, Fresno, Mariposa and other counties.
What plant family does Viola lobata belong to?
Viola lobata is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
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.