About Viola subsinuata (Greene) Greene
Viola subsinuata, commonly called the early blue violet, is a species of flowering plant in the violet family Violaceae. It is native to eastern North America, found primarily in the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes area. Its natural habitat is loamy forests, often growing over mafic or calcareous substrates. Viola subsinuata is a perennial that produces purple flowers in spring. It is superficially similar to Viola palmata, and can be distinguished by its earliest flowering leaves being divided and similar to its later leaves. This differs from V. palmata, which has undivided early leaves and divided later leaves. This species has a complicated taxonomic history, involving a great deal of nomenclatural confusion and misidentification. The exact geographic boundaries of this species remain poorly understood. A recent study indicates that Viola subsinuata likely includes cryptic taxa.
