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Viola flettii

Flett's violet, Olympic violet

pioneer violet, stream violet

Habit Glabrous perennial from short, thick rhizomes, the stems 3-15 cm. long. Puberulent perennial from widely spreading, scaly, fleshy rhizomes, the flowering stems 5-30 cm. tall, leafless the lower two-thirds.
Leaves

Leaves fleshy, petiolate, purplish-green, the blades reniform, 1.5-4 cm. broad, finely round-toothed;

stipules lanceolate, toothed.

Leaf blades ovate-cordate to reniform, abruptly pointed, the basal leaves with petioles 10-20 cm. long;

stipules membranous, ovate to obovate, 5-10 mm. long, entire.

Flowers

Flowers 1.5 cm. long, the spur very short, yellow;

petals purplish-violet, yellow at the base, the lower 3 dark-veined, the lateral pair yellow-bearded;

style head well bearded.

Flowers 8-14 mm. long, borne chiefly on the upper part of the stem, on peduncles about as long as the leaves;

spur very short;

petals clear yellow, the lower 3 with purple penciling, the lateral pair well bearded;

style head copiously bearded.

Fruits

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

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

Viola flettii

Viola glabella

Flowering time June-August March-July
Habitat Alpine rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations. Moist woods and stream banks, low to middle elevations in the mountains.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington, where endemic to the Olympic Mountains
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Alberta and Montana.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Native Native
Conservation status Review Group 1 in Washington (WANHP) Not of concern
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. arvensis, V. canadensis, 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. 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
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