Native Grasses & Groundcovers

Native violet — Viola hederacea

Viola hederacea

Host plant for butterflies and insects Shelter for wildlife Resilient garden plant

$5.00

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Plant profile

At a glance

The essentials for finding the right garden position.

Mature size: Height: 0.05–0.15 m · Width: 0.5–1.5 m
Light: Part shade, Shade
Water: Moist, Seasonally wet
Soil: Loamy, Clay, Rocky
Drainage: Poorly drained
Vegetation type: Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins, Dry Eucalypt, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest
Plant lifespan: Perennial
Plant form: Grasses & Groundcovers

Plant ratings

A quick guide to this plant’s value for wildlife and the garden.

Bird food value
Host plant value
Pollinator value
Shelter & habitat value
Flower display
Garden resilience

About this plant

Native violet forms a low, spreading layer that brings living texture to the ground beneath and between taller plants. Small white-purple violet flowers are followed by tiny capsules among creeping leaves. Use it to soften edges, cover banks or weave through taller plants as part of a varied living ground layer.

Image credits:
Mature image: ian_mcallan via iNaturalist observation 223494506 — CC BY 4.0
Feature image: John Tann via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0

More plant details

Garden uses: Living ground layer, erosion protection, rockery edge and mixed native underplanting; especially suited to sites reflecting Wetlands / Swamps / Creek Margins, Dry Eucalypt, Wet Eucalypt, Rainforest.
Wildlife value: Viola hederacea has some pollinator value, but its flowers are less abundant, less accessible or not a major garden food resource. Viola hederacea is not primarily selected for bird food, although birds may still forage or perch in it. Viola hederacea provides useful groundcover / low shrub structure for cover, perching and movement through a layered garden.
Flowering and fruiting: Small white-purple violet flowers are followed by tiny capsules among creeping leaves.
Growth habit: Low spreading groundcover or small subshrub; indicative mature size 0.05–0.15 m × 0.5–1.5 m.
Cautions: Spreads steadily through moist soil and can enter adjoining garden beds.