Viola purpurea
Goosefoot violet
(c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola purpurea (Goosefoot violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by Complex species with many subspecies and 30+ sympatric species.
Goosefoot violet is a California native perennial found in foothill woodland and lower montane conifer forest habitats. Flowering from March to May, this plant produces deep lemon-yellow flowers with occasional red-purple markings on the upper petals, and distinctive dark brown veining on the lower petals. Growing with prostrate to erect stems clustered from woody underground rhizomes, it reaches 10 to 20 centimeters tall with multiple stems emerging from a single caudex. Its leaves are variable, ranging from lanceolate to round, with blades 8 to 53 millimeters long, often featuring 3 to 4 prominent lobes on each leaf edge. The fruit is an ovoid capsule 4 to 12 millimeters long, containing light to dark brown mottled seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: Complex species with many subspecies and 30+ sympatric species
Habitat and range
California counties: Fresno, San Bernardino, Modoc, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Tehama, Calaveras, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Lake, Napa, Mendocino, Orange, El Dorado, Riverside, Inyo, Monterey, Tulare, Ventura, Mariposa, Placer, Mono, Butte, Nevada, Sierra, Shasta, Lassen, Siskiyou, Alpine, Tuolumne, Madera, Yuba, Sonoma, Santa Clara, Trinity, Marin, Contra Costa, Amador
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 purpurea native to California?
Yes. Viola purpurea is native to California (recorded as native).
Where in California does Viola purpurea grow?
Viola purpurea occurs in Fresno, San Bernardino, Modoc, San Luis Obispo, Los Angeles, Tehama, Calaveras, Kern and other counties.
What plant family does Viola purpurea belong to?
Viola purpurea 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.