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Close-up of the cheerful yellow flower of native canary violet (Viola praemorsa). One of 100+ species of Pacific Northwest native plants available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.
Yellow flower and abundant, fleshy leaves of native canary violet (Viola praemorsa). One of 100+ species of Pacific Northwest native plants available at Sparrowhawk Native Plants, Native Plant Nursery in Portland, Oregon.

Canary Violet

Viola praemorsa

Canary violet's cheerful yellow flowers will brighten your partly sunny forest edges and understory gardens while attracting and supporting native pollinators. In early spring, a thick mound of fleshy, ovate to lance-shaped leaves emerges followed by one solitary flower per plant, perched as delicately as a bird atop a narrow, leafless stalk. Like its cousin, streambank violet, look closely at the bottom petals and you’ll see the fine dark purple guidelines leading pollinators to their nectar source. 

  • Plant type/canopy layer: perennial, deciduous, herbaceous plant
  • Size at maturity: 4-12” tall, 6-12” wide
  • Light requirements: part sun / part shade
  • Moisture requirements: moist to dry soil
  • Bloom Time: April - August
  • Growth rate/ease: medium growth rate, moderately easy to grow
  • Wildlife support: flowers attract and provide nectar to adult butterflies, bees and other insect pollinators; overall plant attracts and supports beneficial and other pest eating insects and is a caterpillar host plant and larval food source for native butterflies and moths
  • Native habitat/range: grows in moist to dry open woods, grassy slopes, meadows, and oak savannas at mid to high elevations across western North America from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada; to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado. Portland Plant List - yes.  
  • Special features & uses: groundcover; landscape uses include pollinator gardens, raingardens, woodland gardens

Gardening with Canary Violet: This chipper little gem enjoys mostly sun to partial shady areas with moist to dry soils and grows excellently in the canopy of taller shrubs and trees. Like many plants that tolerate a range of sun and moisture conditions, the more sun it's getting, the more moisture it will require and, conversely, it can handle more dryness in less sunny areas. Canary violet boasts a relatively long bloom time, making it visually appealing as well as an excellent pollinator resource for many weeks of the growing season.

Photo Credit 1: "Canary Violet - Viola praemorsa" by YellowstoneNPS is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

Photo Credit 2: "Yellow montane violet (Viola praemorsa)" by Broadwaymoon22 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.