Burke: Viola arvensis vs. Viola purpurea

	Viola arvensis	Viola purpurea
	European field pansy
Habit	Puberulent, freely-branched annual, 1-3 dm. tall.	Puberulent perennial from a slender, scaly rhizome, the aerial stems 5-15 mm. long; herbage usually glaucous-green, purplish-veined, often purplish throughout.
Leaves	Leaf blades ovate to lanceolate, coarsely round-toothed, 1-3 cm. long, about equaling the petioles; stipules very large, laciniate into 5-9 segments, usually with one leaf-like segment nearly as large as the main blade.	Leaf blades rather thick and fleshy, orbicular to lanceolate, cordate to wedge-shaped at the base, sub-entire to wavy-margined or toothed; petioles 2-6 cm. long; stipules lanceolate, entire to few-toothed.
Flowers	Flowers long-pedunculate, solitary in the leaf axils, whitish or light yellow with a tinge of blue, the spur short; sepals lanceolate, about as long as the petals; style head copiously short-hairy.	Peduncles shorter than the leaves; flowers 5-12 mm. long, spur very short; petals yellow, brownish-penciled, the lateral pair bearded.
Fruits	Fruit a 3-valved capsule, ovary superior, placentation parieta	Fruit a 3-valved, puberulent capsule, ovary superior, placentation parietal.

	Viola arvensis	Viola purpurea
Flowering time	March-June	May-August
Habitat	Fields, roadsides, wastelots, and other disturbed areas where escaping from cultivation.	Open, rocky, fairly dry slopes, moderate to high elevations in the mountains
Distribution	Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Rocky Mountains. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Europe	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	V. adunca, V. canadensis, V. flettii, V. glabella, V. howellii, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. macloskeyi, V. nephrophylla, V. nuttallii, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palustris, V. pluviae, V. purpurea, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana	V. adunca, V. arvensis, V. canadensis, V. flettii, V. glabella, V. howellii, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. macloskeyi, V. nephrophylla, V. nuttallii, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palustris, V. pluviae, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana
Subordinate taxa		V. purpurea ssp. venosa
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Viola arvensis

Viola purpurea

European field pansy

Habit

Puberulent, freely-branched annual, 1-3 dm. tall.

Puberulent perennial from a slender, scaly rhizome, the aerial stems 5-15 mm. long; herbage usually glaucous-green, purplish-veined, often purplish throughout.

Leaves

Leaf blades ovate to lanceolate, coarsely round-toothed, 1-3 cm. long, about equaling the petioles;

stipules very large, laciniate into 5-9 segments, usually with one leaf-like segment nearly as large as the main blade.

Leaf blades rather thick and fleshy, orbicular to lanceolate, cordate to wedge-shaped at the base, sub-entire to wavy-margined or toothed;

petioles 2-6 cm. long;

stipules lanceolate, entire to few-toothed.

Flowers

Flowers long-pedunculate, solitary in the leaf axils, whitish or light yellow with a tinge of blue, the spur short;

sepals lanceolate, about as long as the petals;

style head copiously short-hairy.

Peduncles shorter than the leaves;

flowers 5-12 mm. long, spur very short;