Viola sororia

Family	Violaceae
Subfamily	Violoideae
Tribe	Violeae
Scientific name	Viola sororia Willdenow
Synonyms	Viola affinis LeConte forma albiflora L. K. Henry; Viola affinis LeConte var. langloisii (Greene) Griscom; Viola alachuana Murrill; Viola asarifolia Pursh; Viola candidula Nieuwland; Viola champlainensis House; Viola columbiana House; Viola communis Pollard; Viola consobrina House; Viola consona House; Viola cordifolia (Nuttall) Schweinitz; Viola crenulata Greene; Viola cucullata Aiton var. sororia (Willdenow) Torrey & A. Gray; Viola cuspidata Greene; Viola dicksonii Greene; Viola domestica E. P. Bicknell; Viola domestica E. P. Bicknell var. communis (Pollard) Farwell; Viola dowelliana House; Viola filecetorum Greene; Viola fletcheri Greene; Viola floridana Brainerd; Viola hirsutula Brainerd; Viola illinoensis Greene; Viola langloisii Greene; Viola latiuscula Greene; Viola lucidifolia Newbro; Viola macounii Greene; Viola missouriensis Greene; Viola montivaga House; Viola nephrophylla Greene; Viola nesiotica Greene; Viola nodosa Greene; Viola novae-angliae House; Viola obliqua Aiton var. crenulata (Greene) Farwell; Viola palmata L. subsp. sororia (Willdenow) W. Stone; Viola palmata L. var. asarifolia (Pursh) House; Viola palmata L. var. sororia (Willdenow) Pollard; Viola papilionacea Pursh; Viola papilionacea Pursh forma albiflora Grover; Viola papilionacea Pursh var. domestica (E. P. Bicknell) Pollard; Viola papilionacea Pursh var. priceana (Pollard) Alexander; Viola pratincola Greene; Viola priceana Pollard; Viola rosacea Brainerd; Viola septentrionalis Greene; Viola septentrionalis Greene forma alba Victorin & J. Rousseau; Viola septentrionalis Greene forma pallida F. Seymour; Viola septentrionalis Greene var. grisea Fernald; Viola sororia Willdenow forma beckwithae House; Viola sororia Willdenow forma priceana (Pollard) Cooperrider; Viola sororia Willdenow var. missouriensis (Greene) McKinney; Viola sororia Willdenow var. novae-angliae (House) McKinney; Viola subjuncta Greene; Viola thompsoniae Chapman; Viola vagula Greene; Viola venustula Greene; Viola villosa Walter var. cordifolia Nuttall; Viola x napae House
Common name	(Japanese common name) america sumire-saishin (アメリカスミレサイシン, 亜米利加菫細辛[meaning: American viola saisin (saisin = a kind of traditional Chinese medicine)])
	(English common name) common blue violet, dooryard, sister violet, woolly blue violet
Distribution	(Japan) Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu
	(Other nations) [native] Canada, USA
Chromosomal number	2n=54
Description	Plants 4-8cm tall. Leaves 3-6cm long. Flowers purple, blue, white or spotted ca. 2-3cm across, flowering in March to May. Perrenial plants.
Reference	Viola sororia Willd.
	Viola sororia Willd.
	Viola sororia Willd.
	Skin lightening composition (US Patent Application 20060142382)
	Skin lightening composition (European Patent EP1586315)
Note	Naturalized plants.

April 2007 at open field	April 2007 at open field	April 2007 at open field

April 2007 at mountane forest edge	April 2007 at mountane forest edge	April 2007 at open field

May 2009 at Mito City Botanical Park	May 2009 at Mito City Botanical Park	May 2009 at Mito City Botanical Park

April 2010 at my home	April 2010 at my home