When these plants are in bloom, identification is made easier. Ground ivy usually flowers in April through June, Common mallow can flower from May through September and common violets bloom in early spring.

As with most plants, flowers are difficult to find when we need to identify them. Though the leaves of these plants may look very similar, upon closer inspection, the leaves of the individual plants can aide in the correct identification of the plant in question. Notice the overall shape of the leaves. Ground ivy kidney shaped to round, common mallow's leaves are also circular, and common violet's leaf is heart shaped and pointed at the apex.

The common violet heart shaped leaf is one of the best identification features of this plant. Common violet leaves often times are cupped shaped as shown below.

Below, the ground ivy leaf margin is broad and rounded, whereas the common mallow leaf margin is narrower and toothed.

Another place to look is the back side or underside of the leaf. There are noticeable differences in the veination between ground ivy and common mallow. Both are palmately veined, but the veins on common mallow radiate in straight lines from the stem, whereas the ground ivy veins are more branched.

The stems of ground ivy and common mallow also differ. Ground ivy, a memeber of the Mint family, has square stems and common mallow, a memeber of the Mallow family, has round stems.

If there is still confusion, look at the rooting structures of both plants. Ground ivy spreads by its square stems that root at the nodes. Common mallow, though can spread by stems rooting at the nodes, there is also a straight taproot always present.

Ground ivy

Common mallow