Halberd-leaf Yellow Violet

Viola hastata

Found in acidic coves, moderately dry oak forests, bluff forests, bases of rock ledges. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 4–10 inches
Light: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Will it fit your yard?

Viola hastata — flower photograph — (c) Michael J. Papay, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: Spring

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 33 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 114 animals.

Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Sitta pusilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Warbler
Wilsonia canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Hooded Warbler
Wilsonia citrina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Magnolia Warbler
Dendroica magnolia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Bobwhite
Colinus virginianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Parula
Parula americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Prairie Warbler
Dendroica discolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

29CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Viola

Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
Argynnis aphroditeAphrodite Fritillary, Great Spangled Fritillary
Argynnis cybeleGreat Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary
Argynnis dianaVariegated Fritillary
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Boloria bellonaSilver-Bordered Fritillary, Meadow Fritillary

Show all 29

Boloria myrinaAtlantis Fritillary, Silver-Bordered Fritillary
Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
Eubaphe mendicaThe Beggar
Eupsilia vinulentaStraight-Toothed Sallow
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart
Herpetogramma aquilonalis

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

16BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Viola

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Viola

Andrena violae

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Viola

Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Violaceae
Hardiness: Zones 5a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Flower color · “Yellow or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 5a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “4–10 inches” · Tennessee Smart Yards (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs) · Published Tennessee growing guidance; exact cached scientific heading
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, Tennessee Smart Yards, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Halberd Leaf Yellow Violet

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Halberd-leaf Yellow Violet

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Viola