UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Viola canadensis

Viola odorata

Canadian violet, rugose violet

sweet blue violet
Habit Glabrous to puberulent perennial from short, thick rhizomes, with slender stolons, 1-4 dm. tall. Low, fragrant, creeping, soft-hairy perennial with stolons that root at the nodes.
Leaves

Leaf blades large, cordate and pointed, the petioles up to 3 dm. long;

stipules lanceolate, entire, 1-2 cm. long.

Leaves tufted, cordate and rounded, petiolate, enlarging in summer.
Flowers

Flowers from the upper portion of the stem, the peduncles shorter than the leaves, the spur short;

sepals lanceolate, hairy;

petals 1.5 cm. long, white with a yellow base, the 3 lower ones with purple penciling, all purplish tinged on the back;

style head sparsely bearded.

Flowers blue-violet or white, rarely lilac, pink or yellow;

sepals blunt.
Fruits

Fruit a 3-valved capsule, ovary superior, placentation parietal, the seeds brownish.

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

Viola canadensis

Viola odorata
Flowering time May-July March-September
Habitat Forest openings, riparian zones, and thickets from low to middle elevations. Sheltered, disturbed areas in somewhat moist soil.
Distribution
Occurring east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to Oregon, east to the Rocky Mountains, further east across North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Idaho; also in eastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Introduced from Europe
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. arvensis, 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. 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
Subordinate taxa
V. canadensis var. rugulosa
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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