violets

All violets in this subsection have yellow corollas, but not all violets with yellow corollas are in this subsection. There are three yellow violet species in Minnesota. Two of the species, smooth yellow violet (Viola eriocarpa) and downy yellow violet (Viola pubescens), belong in this section. The third yellow violet, Nuttall’s violet (Viola nuttallii), is very rare in the state, occurring in just three western counties.

Smooth yellow violet and downy yellow violet are sometimes difficult to tell apart. Until recently, several authors considered them the same, with smooth yellow violet treated as a synonym of downy yellow violet. This page was created to provide a home for sightings of a yellow violet not identified as either smooth or downy yellow violet, and not in the three western counties where Nuttall’s violet occurs. It could be named “yellow violets,” but making up a common name where one does not currently exist is generally frowned upon unless it is done formally in a peer-reviewed publication.