Stems 6 to 18 inches high, usually several or many together from a perennial root, smooth or nearly so. Leaves broadly ovate, heart-shaped, pointed at the apex, the margins toothed. Basal leaves numerous on long petioles. Flowers in the axils of the stem leaves, often appearing throughout the season from May to July, whitish with a bright-yellow eye, the upper petals more or less tinged with violet on the outside, the lower petal striped with fine, dark lines.

In upland and mountainous forests, New Brunswick to Saskatchewan, south to South Carolina and Alabama.

Memoir 15 N. Y. State Museum

Plate 141

Canada Violet - Viola canadensis

The Pale or Striped Violet (Viola striata Aiton) possesses less ascending and more angular stems than V. canadensis, 6 to 12 inches high when in flower; the flowers white or cream-colored, densely bearded in the center. In low and shaded places, New York to Minnesota, south to Georgia.