Family: Violaceae
Origin, Description & Uses
Viola banksii is native to eastern Queensland and eastern Victoria, Australia, where it grows primarily in subtropical environments. It is a low-growing, spreading perennial herb with small, violet-like flowers and is commonly cultivated as an ornamental groundcover. It is also known as Australian violet and may be grown in gardens for its attractive flowers and ability to form a dense groundcover.
Risks & Threats
Viola banksii is potentially naturalizing in Hawaiʻi and possesses traits that are cause for concern because it can spread beyond cultivation and establish in suitable habitats. As a naturalizing ornamental, it could detrimentally impact tropical island ecosystems by competing with native or other desirable vegetation. Choose a low-risk or native alternative when available, and manage or prevent its use in areas where it is not yet widely established to minimize further spread and potential negative impacts.
High Risk Traits:
- Broad climate suitability (subtropical to Mediterranean)
- Native/naturalized in tropical or subtropical regions
- Naturalized beyond native range (Victoria, New Zealand, Hawaii)
- Garden/amenity/disturbance weed
- Congeneric weedy (14+ Viola species are weeds)
- Shade tolerant
- Tolerates wide range of soils
- Forms dense groundcover; excludes other vegetation
- Spreads vegetatively by stolons
- Self-compatible
- Dispersed unintentionally (dumped garden waste)
- Tolerates mutilation, cultivation, and fire
Low Risk Traits:
- No spines, thorns, or burrs
- Not a fire hazard
- Rarely sets seed in cultivation
- Not wind dispersed
- Not bird dispersed
- Not dispersed externally by animals
- Not dispersed through gut passage
- Not a produce contaminant
- Not an agricultural/forestry/horticultural weed
- Not a host for pests/pathogens of concern
