Plants of
South Australia
Viola hederacea
Violaceae
Ivy-leaf Violet
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Adelaide
Arkaroola
Ceduna
Coober Pedy
Hawker
Innamincka
Marla
Marree
Mount Gambier
Oodnadatta
Renmark
Wudinna
Keith
Yunta
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Botanical art

Kath Alcock paintings: 3

Prior names

Erpetion hederaceum

Erpetion hederaceum, nom.inval. (isonym)

Etymology

Viola from Latin for violet; referring to the violet genus. Hederacea from the Latin 'hedera' meaning ivy; referring to the leave of this species being similar to ivy.

Distribution and status

Found on Kangaroo Island, Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in sheltered and moist habitat. Also found in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Native. Uncommon in South Australia. Common in the other states.
Herbarium regions: Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, South Eastern, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)

Plant description

Perennial stoloniferous herb, glabrous or more or less pubescent with short erect stems. Leaves tufted, glabrous or more or less pubescent, reniform to suborbicular, margins entire to crenate to coarsely sinuate-dentate, the base cordate to truncate to more or less cuneate. Flowers violet and white on a long stalk with petals twice the length of the sepals. Flowering between October and January. Fruits are ovoid capsule to 6 mm long. Seeds are dark brown to black ovoid seed to 1.8 mm long and 1 mm wide. Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.

Seed collection and propagation

Collect seeds between December and February. Collect capsules that are maturing, drying and turning pale brown with dark seeds inside. Keep an eye on the capsules as they can ripen and split open quickly. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.