Flower profile

Halberd-leaved violet

Viola hastata

Halberd-leaved violet (Viola hastata) is a flowering plant in the Violaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Halberd-leaved violet is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.

14states where USDA records it

5Bloomipedia state lists include it

6,702U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia

Quick look

Viola hastata, commonly known as the halberd-leaved yellow violet, is a perennial plant in the violet family found in the eastern United States. It blooms from March to May with yellow flowers.
From Wikipedia's article Viola hastata, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Violaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 14 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and West Virginia. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,893 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #98 among the 192 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,345 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #86 among the 182 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 934 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #102 among the 183 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (1,785 records)

Bloom time in the 5 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	March–April	1,893
Tennessee	Native	March–April	1,345
Georgia	Native	March–April	934
South Carolina	Native	March–April	400
West Virginia	Native	April–May	347

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S4, apparently secure in West Virginia.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: FL (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no edibility or poison notes on its page), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people. ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records halberd-leaved violet in 14 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Chatham, Cherokee, Clay, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Orange, Polk, Randolph, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Wake, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Carter, Cumberland, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Van Buren, Warren.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Carroll, Cherokee, Cobb, DeKalb, Elbert, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Lumpkin, Madison, Morgan, Murray, Oglethorpe, Pickens, Rabun, Stephens, Union, White.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 198 counties across 13 states; the most are in North Carolina (34), Tennessee (29), Virginia (29).

Other Viola on Bloomipedia (14): Violets, Smooth yellow violet, Bird's foot violet, Canada violet, American field pansy, Stream violet, Cream violet, Hookedspur violet, Long-spurred violet, Primrose-leaved violet.

More North Carolina flowers

Crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: July–August

American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: June–September

Striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: May–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VIHA2.
iNaturalist, Viola hastata: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Viola hastata (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Viola hastata (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Clay Gibbons via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.