Canada Violet

Viola canadensis

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Speyeria cybele, Eubaphe mendica, Hypercompe scribonia, Speyeria aphrodite, Boloria selene, Speyeria atlantis, Speyeria idalia, Boloria bellona, Elaphria grata, Agrotis venerabilis, Boloria eunomia, Apantesis nais, Agrotis gladiaria, Udea rubigalis, Noctua pronuba
S13+S15 15 verified Eastern NA
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Andrena violae
S17 oligolectic on Viola; S10 confirmed oligolectic visitor of violet flowers
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds consumed by Ruffed Grouse, Wild Turkey, Dark-eyed Junco, Vesper Sparrow, Northern Bobwhite, California Quail, American Pipit, and Lapland Longspur. Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey also eat fleshy roots. Seeds persist into winter in capsules that explosively dehisce.
S57 S10

Proximity Score: 0
Native Status: ✅ Outaouais ✅ Ottawa ✅ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: Local
CEC Eco-Regions: 5 – Northern Forests, 5.2 – Mixed Wood Shield, 5.2.3 – Algonquin/Southern Laurentians
Rarity Notes: Globally secure (G5) with national rank N5 in Canada. Secure (S5) in Ontario; not yet ranked in Quebec (SNR). Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC. Common locally in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.
S22 S26 S62
Rarity Ranks: QC SNR – Not Ranked, ON S5 – Secure
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A shade-loving perennial of rich mesic deciduous forests, typically associated with sugar maple-beech-basswood communities. Found in deep, humus-rich soils of hardwood forest understories in Gatineau Park and the Ottawa Valley. Frequently co-occurs with Trillium grandiflorum, Erythronium americanum, Sanguinaria canadensis, and Caulophyllum thalictroides. Common locally in the Ottawa area.
S7 S10 S48 S62

Roles: Dynamic accumulator, ground cover, pollinator support
S29 dynamic accumulator; S10 rhizomatous ground cover; S10 bee/butterfly nectar+pollen
Notes: Functions as a dynamic accumulator, gathering minerals from soil and storing them in bioavailable form for use as fertilizer or mulch improvement. Suited to woodland guild understory plantings beneath sugar maple or beech canopy. Rhizomatous growth provides ground-layer coverage in shaded guild systems.
S29 S7

Category: Analgesic, Emetic
S28 Ojibwa analgesic; S29 emetic
Notes: Ojibwa (South) used a decoction of the root for pains near the bladder. Roots and leaves have traditionally been used to induce vomiting and have been poulticed for skin abrasions and boils.
S28 S29

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: Young leaves, flower buds, and flowers are edible raw or cooked. Leaves can be boiled as greens or added to soup as a thickener similar to okra. Leaves also make a tea substitute. However, Moerman records no Food category uses among Indigenous peoples, and this species is not commonly consumed.
S29 S28