Wild violet (Common blue violet)

common blue violet (wild violet)                    Vioila sororia Willd.
 

Family: Violaceae (violet)                             
Life cycle: Perennial, reproducing by seed and short rhizomes
Native status: Native
Habitat: lawns, wooded areas                     

General description: Leaves emerge from a basal crown, up to 4.5 in long and 3.5 in wide with petioles. Leaf shape variable, ranging from heart to egg shaped; rounded teeth on margins, hairless. Flowers are blue to purple with 5 showy petals. Rhizomes are short, think and branched.

Key ID traits: Heart-shaped leaves developing from crown, typically found in dense colonies due to spreading by short rhizomes.

Similar species: Several similar violet species are found in Iowa, but common blue violet is best adapted to lawns. Field pansy is a winter annual with a similar appearance occasionally found in no-till fields.

clump of wild violet
Wild violet is usually found in clumps.  Leaves are heart shaped with dentate margins.  Flowers are usually blue or purple, but white biotypes can be found.