Flower profile

Primrose-leaved violet

Viola primulifolia

Primrose-leaved violet (Viola primulifolia) is a flowering plant in the Violaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly February–May across the U.S.

Native in the lower 48

Primrose-leaved violet is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–May.

31states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

3,506U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Louisiana, Mississippi

Quick look

Viola primulifolia, commonly called the primrose-leaf violet, is a species of flowering plant in the violet family. It is native to eastern North America, and possibly also to the Pacific Northwest. Its natural habitat is wet acidic areas that are usually at least semi-open.
From Wikipedia's article Viola primulifolia, 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 31 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to Louisiana and Mississippi. ^NatureServe
In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 399 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #97 among the 154 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 379 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #70 among the 154 flowers on our Mississippi list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (931 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Louisiana	Native	few records (34)	399
Mississippi	Native	January–April	379

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
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Louisiana.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MN (S2), NY (S2). (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 page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 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 primrose-leaved violet in 31 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; District of Columbia.

Louisiana counties with USDA records: Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Grant, Jackson, Jefferson Davis, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Union, Vernon, Washington, Webster, West Feliciana, Winn.

Mississippi counties with USDA records: Amite, Clarke, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jones, Lafayette, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Pearl River, Pike, Simpson, Stone, Tishomingo, Walthall, Wayne, Winston.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 565 counties across 27 states; the most are in North Carolina (74), Virginia (68), Florida (44).

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

More Louisiana flowers

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in LA: February–April

American black elderberry

Sambucus canadensis

Native

🌼 Blooms in LA: May–June

American beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Native

🌼 Blooms in LA: May–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile VIPR4.
iNaturalist, Viola primulifolia: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Viola primulifolia (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Viola primulifolia (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: no source found (marked "not well documented").
Photo: Kim via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.