UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Viola purpurea

Viola palustris

marsh violet
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 perennial from slender, widespread rhizomes, with creeping stolons, the petioles and peduncles rising from the 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 cordate to reniform, 2.5-3.5 cm. broad, with coarse, rounded teeth;

petioles up to 15 cm. long;

stipules chaffy, 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 10-13 mm. long, the peduncle about the same length as the leaves;

petals white to lilac, the lower 3 purple-penciled, the lateral pair sparsely bearded;

style head glabrous, lobed.
Fruits

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

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

Viola purpurea

Viola palustris
Flowering time May-August May - July
Habitat Open, rocky, fairly dry slopes, moderate to high elevations in the mountains Moist meadows and streambanks, low to mid-elevations in the mountains
Distribution
Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Rocky Mountains.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the Rocky Mountains, northern Great Plains, northeastern North America, and Eurasia.
[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. 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. 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
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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