Viola sheltonii
Shelton's violet
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Family: Violaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Viola sheltonii (Shelton's violet) is a native California herb in the Violaceae family, recognized by unique ternate-compound leaf structure.
Shelton's violet is a California native perennial found in northwestern, northern Sierra Nevada, San Francisco Bay, southern coastal, Transverse, northwestern Peninsular, and Warner ranges in fir, pine, and oak woodlands at elevations of 484 to 2,500 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces deep lemon-yellow flowers with purple-brown veining, the upper petals dark brown to purple-brown and the lower petals featuring distinctive veining. Growing 2 to 10 centimeters tall with prostrate to erect stems clustered on a woody rhizome, the plant forms small compact clusters. Its distinctive leaves are ternate-compound, with reniform to semicircular blades 2 to 7 centimeters wide, featuring leaflets that are obovate and often cleft or divided into oblanceolate segments. The fruit is an oblong to ovoid capsule 6 to 8 millimeters long, containing small shiny brown seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 34 sympatric species; unique ternate-compound leaf structure
Habitat and range
Habitat: Fir, pine, or oak woodland, rich or gravelly soil
Elevation: 484-2500 m
California counties: Tuolumne, Kern, Nevada, Plumas, Glenn, Siskiyou, Trinity, Los Angeles, El Dorado, San Bernardino, Orange, Shasta, Sierra, Tulare, Fresno, Humboldt, Contra Costa, Placer, Mendocino, Modoc, Monterey, Tehama, Butte, Mono, Amador, Alameda, Yuba, Lake, San Benito, Santa Clara, Madera, Del Norte, Mariposa
Outside California: to British Columbia, Idaho, Colorado
Bloom period
Viola sheltonii 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 sheltonii native to California?
Yes. Viola sheltonii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Viola sheltonii bloom?
Viola sheltonii blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Viola sheltonii grow?
Viola sheltonii occurs in Tuolumne, Kern, Nevada, Plumas, Glenn, Siskiyou, Trinity, Los Angeles and other counties, at elevations of 484-2500 m.
What plant family does Viola sheltonii belong to?
Viola sheltonii is in the Violaceae family, genus Viola.
What habitat does Viola sheltonii grow in?
Viola sheltonii grows in Fir, pine, or oak woodland, rich 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.