Flower profile

Smooth yellow violet

Viola eriocarpa

Smooth yellow violet (Viola eriocarpa) is a flowering plant in the Violaceae family, blooming mostly April–May across the U.S.

Smooth yellow violet is a flowering plant. It's on our flower lists for 2 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in April–May.

–states where USDA records it

2Bloomipedia state lists include it

15,613U.S. sightings*

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

On our lists for: Illinois, Kentucky

Quick look

Viola eriocarpa, the smooth yellow violet, is a species of flowering plant in the family Violaceae. It is native to Canada and the United States east of the Rockies. A perennial of forests, it prefers very rich soils. It is extremely difficult to distinguish from Viola pubescens unless both are examined together.
From Wikipedia's article Viola eriocarpa, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Violaceae family. ^iNaturalist
NatureServe lists it as native to Illinois and Kentucky. ^NatureServe
In Illinois, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–May. ^iNaturalist
In Kentucky, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,991 research-grade sightings of it in Illinois, ranking #95 among the 180 flowers on our Illinois list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 903 research-grade sightings of it in Kentucky, ranking #67 among the 178 flowers on our Kentucky list. ^iNaturalist

When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (2,450 records)

Bloom time in the 2 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Illinois	Native	April–May	1,991
Kentucky	Native	March–April	903

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: T5 See NatureServe for what T5 means. ^NatureServe
Illinois: Not listed Not on Illinois List of Endangered and Threatened Flora (17 Ill. Adm. Code 1050), per the Endangered Species Protection Board's 2025 checklist. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Illinois. ^{IL E&T checklist 2025}
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: SC (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)) 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.