Taxon Report

Viola tomentosa Baker & Clausen

felt-leaved violet

Print Report

Taxon Summary

Viola tomentosa, commonly known as felt-leaved violet, is a perennial herb in the Violaceae that is found only in California. It occurs within Lower montane coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, and Upper montane coniferous forest, growing at elevations from 1435 to 2000 meters. Viola tomentosa is ranked 4.2, Plants of Limited Distribution, A Watch List; Moderately threatened in California.

Classification


Scientific Name:	Viola tomentosa Baker & Clausen
Common Name:	felt-leaved violet
Family:	Violaceae
Element Code:	PDVIO04280
USDA Plants Symbol:	VITO
Synonyms/Other Names:

Ecology and Life History


Lifeform:	perennial herb
Blooming Period: (Apr)May-Oct	(Apr)May-Oct
Elevation:	1435-2000 (4710-6560)
General Habitats:	Lower montane coniferous forest, Subalpine coniferous forest, Upper montane coniferous forest
Microhabitat:	Gravelly
Microhabitat Details:

Conservation Status


CA Rare Plant Rank:	4.2
Global Rank:	G3
State Rank:	S3
State List:	None
Fed List:	None
Other Status:
CRPR Changes:

Occurrence Data from the CNDDB


Total Occurrences:	54
Element Occurrence Ranks:
Excellent (A)	8
Good (B)	13
Fair (C)	6
Poor (D)	2
None (X)	0
Unknown (U)	25

Location


California Endemic: True
California Counties and Islands: Name (Code)
Butte (BUT), El Dorado (ELD), Nevada (NEV), Placer (PLA), Plumas (PLU), Sierra (SIE)
Quads: Name (Quad Code)
Alleghany (3912047), American House (3912161), Berry Creek (3912164), Blue Canyon (3912036), Bunker Hill (3912014), Cascade (3912162), Cisco Grove (3912035), Downieville (3912057), Duncan Peak (3912025), Goodyears Bar (3912058), Graniteville (3912046), Greek Store (3912015), Haskins Valley (3912172), Kyburz (3812073), La Porte (3912068), Leek Spring Hill (3812063), Loon Lake (3812083), Pike (3912048), Riverton (3812074), Robbs Peak (3812084), Royal Gorge (3912024), Stump Spring, Calif. (3812064), Washington (3912037), Wentworth Springs (3912013), Westville (3912026)

Threat List Data from the CNDDB


Threat List Total:	11
EOs with Threat Listed:	Total EOs	% of EOs
	32	59 %
Logging	19	35%
Road/trail construction/maint.	14	25%
ORV activity	8	14%
Recreational use (non-ORV)	7	12%
Agriculture	3	5%
Biocides	2	3%
Dam/Inundation	2	3%
Grazing	2	3%
Improper burning regime	1	1%
Foot traffic/trampling	1	1%
Vandalism/dumping/litter	1	1%

Notes



Threatened by road building, vehicles, logging, and proposed reservoir construction in national forests. See Leaflets of Western Botany 5:142 (1949) for original description, and Madroño 17(6):173-197 (1964) for taxonomic treatment.
Threats:

Taxonomy:

Selected References

Citation California Native Plant Society, Rare Plant Program. 2025. Rare Plant Inventory (online edition, v9.5.1). Website https://www.rareplants.cnps.org [accessed 30 January 2025].