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Viola flettii

Flett's violet, Olympic violet

Habit Glabrous perennial from short, thick rhizomes, the stems 3-15 cm. long. Puberulent perennial from a slender, scaly rhizome, the aerial stems 5-15 mm. long; herbage usually glaucous-green, purplish-veined, often purplish throughout.
Leaves

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

stipules lanceolate, toothed.

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 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.

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 parietal.

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

Viola flettii

Viola purpurea

Flowering time June-August May-August
Habitat Alpine rock crevices and talus slopes at high elevations. Open, rocky, fairly dry slopes, moderate to high 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 chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Rocky Mountains.
[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. 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
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