Viola ocellata
Western heart's ease, two-eyed violet, Two-Eyed Violet
(c) Barbara Banfield, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Barbara Banfield · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola ocellata (Western heart's ease) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by . Key features: bicolored flowers, purple-spotted petals, heart-based leaves.
Western heart's ease is a California native perennial found in northwestern, north-central coastal, and central western California bioregions in moist or vernally moist areas, thickets, yellow-pine, and redwood forests, often on serpentine at elevations of 75 to 1,280 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces distinctive white flowers with deep red-violet upper petals, yellow bases, and lateral petals featuring a large purple spot over a smaller yellow area. Growing 2 to 37 centimeters tall with ascending to erect stems emerging from a shallow rhizome, it has several stems with fleshy roots. Its leaves are simple and variable, with basal leaves 1 to 6 centimeters long, ovate to nearly kidney-shaped, and featuring crenate edges and a heart-shaped base. The fruit is a small round-ovoid capsule 5 to 8 millimeters long, containing brown-purple seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 30 sympatric species. Key features: bicolored flowers, purple-spotted petals, heart-based leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist or vernally moist areas, rocky or grassy banks, thickets, yellow-pine, redwood forest, often on serpentine
Elevation: 75-1280 m
California counties: Mendocino, Humboldt, Shasta, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Marin, Sonoma, Lake, Siskiyou, Napa, Del Norte, Monterey, Placer, Sutter
Outside California: southwestern Oregon
Bloom period
Viola ocellata blooms Mar-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 ocellata native to California?
Yes. Viola ocellata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Viola ocellata bloom?
Viola ocellata blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Viola ocellata grow?
Viola ocellata occurs in Mendocino, Humboldt, Shasta, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Trinity, Santa Cruz, Marin and other counties, at elevations of 75-1280 m.
What plant family does Viola ocellata belong to?
Viola ocellata is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
What habitat does Viola ocellata grow in?
Viola ocellata grows in Moist or vernally moist areas, rocky or grassy banks, thickets, yellow-pine, redwood forest, often on serpentine.
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.