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Habit Puberulent perennial from a slender, scaly rhizome, the aerial stems 5-15 mm. long; herbage usually glaucous-green, purplish-veined, often purplish throughout. Glabrous, acaulescent perennial with shallow, fleshy, spreading rhizomes.
Leaves

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.

Leaf blades deeply ovate-cordate to cordate-triangular, up to 7 cm. in width, with rounded teeth;

petioles 5-25 cm. long;

stipules linear-lanceolate, entire.

Flowers

Peduncles shorter than the leaves;

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

petals yellow, brownish-penciled, the lateral pair bearded.

Flowers solitary, 10-20 mm. long, on peduncles usually exceeding the leaves;

spur short, saccate;

petals 5, bluish-violet, the lower 3 whitish at the base, prominently bearded, the upper pair sometimes not bearded;

style glabrous.

Fruits

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

Capsule, 3-valved.

Viola purpurea

Viola affinis

Flowering time May-August May-July
Habitat Open, rocky, fairly dry slopes, moderate to high elevations in the mountains Moist places, especially in meadows and along streams.
Distribution
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Rocky Mountains.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; Yukon Territory to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[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. 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. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. ×wittrockiana
Subordinate taxa
V. purpurea ssp. venosa
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