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Viola hirsutula

Brainerd

Southern Woodland Violet

G5Secure Found in 11 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.132839
Element CodePDVIO040T0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single nation
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderViolales
FamilyViolaceae
GenusViola
Other Common Names
southern woodland violet (EN) Southern Wood Violet (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-18
Change Date2024-09-18
Edition Date2024-09-18
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Viola hirsutula is a perennial herb in a variety of woodlands in the eastern United States where it is primarily located within the Appalachian Mountain highlands and associated uplands from Connecticut and New York to Ohio and Indiana, south to Florida and Mississippi. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, succession, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Viola hirsutula occurs in the eastern United States where it is primarily located within the Appalachian Mountain highlands and associated uplands, though extends southward, from Connecticut and New York to eastern Ohio and southern Indiana, south to northern Florida and eastern Mississippi (Ballard et al. 2023, FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be over 1 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, succession, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), invasive species, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Viola hirsutula grows in sandy soils on ridgetops, slopes of dry to mesic oak and oak-pine or conifer woodlands, dry forests and clearings, moist slopes, and bottomlands (Ballard et al. 2023, FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - Mixed
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
KentuckyS5Yes
ConnecticutSHYes
New JerseyS2Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MississippiSNRYes
DelawareS4Yes
IndianaS1Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
New YorkS1Yes
OhioSNRYes
GeorgiaS4Yes
VirginiaS4Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS3Yes
FloridaSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentUnknownUnknownUnknown
4 - Transportation & service corridorsUnknownUnknownUnknown
5 - Biological resource useUnknownUnknownUnknown
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingUnknownUnknownUnknown
6 - Human intrusions & disturbanceUnknownUnknownUnknown
6.1 - Recreational activitiesUnknownUnknownUnknown
7 - Natural system modificationsUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1 - Fire & fire suppressionUnknownUnknownUnknown
7.1.2 - Suppression in fire frequency/intensityUnknownUnknownUnknown
8 - Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1 - Invasive non-native/alien species/diseasesUnknownUnknownUnknown
8.1.1 - Unspecified speciesUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (11)
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Sycamore CreekCherokee National Forest6,984
Virginia (7)
AreaForestAcres
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
JerkemtightGeorge Washington National Forest16,687
Mottesheard (VA)Jefferson National Forest2,596
Mountain Lake Addition AJefferson National Forest1,469
Peters Mountain Addition BJefferson National Forest2,909
Three RidgesGeorge Washington National Forest4,745
West Virginia (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mottesheard (WV)Jefferson National Forest3,964
References (8)
  1. Ballard, H.E. Jr., J.T. Kartesz, and M. Nishino. 2023. A taxonomic treatment of the violets (Violaceae) of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 150(1): 3-266.
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2015. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 6. Magnoliophyta: Cucurbitaceae to Droserceae. Oxford University Press, New York. 496 pp + xxiv.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  7. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  8. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.