Violets Viola

Fire and Emergency New Zealand places mountain violet, Viola cunninghamii, in its very-low-flammability category. It gives Viola lyallii the same grade. These are two named plants with matching classifications from one source, not two independent assessments of every violet.

FireSmart BC includes Canadian white violet, Viola canadensis, in its fire-resistant plant chart but flags it as needing more research. That qualification distinguishes its support from the New Zealand classifications. The sources differ in the plants they describe and the kind of supporting evidence; their favorable findings should not be treated as interchangeable.

Viola belongs to the Violaceae family. The useful comparison is between the exact botanical names and their attributed findings. A very-low grade for mountain violet does not remove the research qualification attached to Canadian white violet or establish a rating for every other member of Viola.