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fan violet, Shelton's violet

Habit Perennial from short, erect rhizomes, the stems up to 15 cm. long. Glabrous perennial from deep-seated rhizomes, the flowering stems 5-15 cm. tall.
Leaves

Leaf blades entire, elliptic-lanceolate, tapering to the petiole, 2-5 cm. long;

petiole 3-12 cm. long;

stipules attached to the petiole, the free portion few-toothed.

Leaf blades glaucous and somewhat purplish on the lower surface, 2-5 cm. long and broad, deeply cleft into 3 main lobes and dissected into ultimate linear segments;

stipules small, membranous, comb-like.

Flowers

Flowers with peduncles shorter than the leaves;

flowers 5-12 mm. long, yellow, the lower 3 penciled with brownish-purple, the lateral pair bearded;

style head bearded, rounded.

Flowers about 12 mm. long, yellow, the upper pair of petals brownish-backed, the lower three purplish-penciled, the lateral pair sparsely bearded;

style head sparsely bearded.

Fruits

a glabrous, 3-valved capsule, ovary superior, placentation parietal.

Fruit a 3-valved, puberulent capsule, ovary superior, placentation parietal.

Viola bakeri

Viola sheltonii

Flowering time May-July April-June
Habitat Moist to dry openings in coniferous forests. Coniferous forest understory, often associated with moss-covered boulder fields with well-developed organic layer.
Distribution
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington from Mt. Adams south; south-central Washington to California and Nevada.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Washington to California, east to Idaho; also in Colorado.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
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. 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. purpurea, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana
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