Viola praemorsa
Astoria violet
(c) Zac Peterson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola praemorsa (Astoria violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family.
Astoria violet is a California native perennial herb found in coastal and near-coastal regions in moist meadows and forest margins. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces deep lemon-yellow flowers with maroon or brown upper petals and brown-purple veined lower petals, featuring distinctive lateral petals with cylindric beard hairs. Growing with prostrate to erect stems 10 to 30 centimeters tall, it emerges from woody rhizomes in clustered groups. Its basal leaves are elliptic or ovate, 2 to 8 centimeters long, with edges that range from entire to irregularly crenate or serrate, often with an oblique or truncate base. The fruit is an elliptic to oblong capsule 6 to 12 millimeters long, containing small brown seeds partially covered by an outgrowth.
Habitat and range
California counties: Humboldt, Trinity, Modoc, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Sierra, Plumas, Nevada, Lassen, Alpine, Butte, Madera
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 praemorsa native to California?
Yes. Viola praemorsa is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Viola praemorsa grow?
Viola praemorsa occurs in Humboldt, Trinity, Modoc, Siskiyou, Mariposa, Sierra, Plumas, Nevada and other counties.
What plant family does Viola praemorsa belong to?
Viola praemorsa 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.