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European field violet, European field-pansy, field pansy, field violet, pansy, violette des champs, wild pansy

arctic yellow violet, European field pansy, northern violet, queen Charlotte twinflower violet, twinflower violet

Habit Plants annual, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–35 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–20(–25) cm.
Stems

1–5, usually erect, sometimes prostrate or decumbent, branched, subglabrous or puberulent, clustered on taproot.

1–3+, ascending or erect, leafy proximally and distally, glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

cauline;

stipules palmately lobed, middle lobe oblanceolate, obovate, elliptic, or lanceolate, ± equaling leaf blade, proximal lobes dissected, shorter, margins ciliate, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 0.5–2.3 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade: proximal ovate to ± oblong, distal narrowly or broadly lanceolate, 0.8–3.4 × 0.3–1.9 cm, base attenuate to ± truncate, margins coarsely crenate-serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces pubescent abaxially, at least on major veins, glabrous adaxially.

basal and cauline;

basal: 2–3(–4);

stipules ovate-lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, margins entire, apex ± acute;

petiole 1.5–15 cm, glabrous;

blade broadly reniform to orbiculate, 0.5–4.6 × 0.9–6.4 cm, base cordate, margins crenate to crenate-serrate, ciliate, apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, rarely with terminal point, abaxial surface sparsely puberulent on veins, adaxial surface glabrate to ± densely puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, margins entire to erose, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 0.3–7(–10) cm;

blade sometimes ovate, 0.8–3.7 × 1–4.8 cm.

Peduncles

2–8 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

2–9 cm, usually glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 2–4 mm;

petals white to pale yellow on both surfaces, upper 2 ± violet, lower 3 with yellow basal area, often violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, ± equaling or shorter than sepals, lowest with dark yellow area basally, 7–15 mm, spur blue-violet to purple, elongated, 3–5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.

sepals with or without purple stripe on both sides of midvein, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and often upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 beardless, lowest 6–15 mm, spur yellow to yellowish green, gibbous, 2–2.5 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

± spherical, 5–9 mm, glabrous.

oblong-ovoid, 3–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Seeds

brown, 1.5–1.9 mm.

purple, sometimes streaked with light and dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 34.

Viola arvensis

Viola biflora

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Abandoned fields, roadsides, lawns
Elevation 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM; Asia (Siberia); Greenland; Europe; Africa [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; BC; YT; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

A. R. Clapham et al. (1987) noted that Viola arvensis is pollinated by insects and is often selfed; T. Marcussen and T. Karlsson (2010) stated that V. arvensis regularly self-pollinates. Roots of V. arvensis have the odor of wintergreen when crushed (A. E. Radford et al. 1968; W. J. Hayden and J. Clough 1990). Viola arvensis is not vegetatively distinguishable from V. tricolor var. tricolor.

G. Halliday (pers. comm.) reported that Viola arvensis occurs in southwestern Greenland, where it is introduced, and is ephemeral on St. Pierre and Miquelon.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Varieties 5 (2 in the flora).

Viola biflora may be the most widely distributed species of the genus in the Northern Hemisphere. Although occurring most often in mountainous areas at high elevations, it is known from Alaska near the coast at elevations of ca. 45 m (PNW Herbaria Portal 2010) and has been reported from lowland meadows in Kamchatka (V. B. Baird 1942), and is occasionally found near sea level in exposed rocky habitats on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands (R. A. Calder and R. L. Taylor 1968).

Sometimes described as high latitude, circumpolar, Viola biflora also occurs in mid latitudes north of the equator. It is not truly circumpolar; it does not occur in eastern Canada or in Greenland. The deeply cleft style head sets V. biflora apart from all other species in North America. V. B. Baird (1942) suggested that the occasional presence of two cleistogamous flowers in the axil of the same leaf may account for the name “biflora.”

H. N. Ridley (1930) said that in Europe, deer (Cervus dama Linnaeus and Rangifer tarandus Linnaeus) may play a role in the dispersal of Viola biflora; seeds have been recovered from their droppings.

Nonflowering Viola biflora can be confused with V. renifolia where their ranges overlap in Yukon, Alaska, and Colorado.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Lowest petal 6–10 mm; seeds 1.5–2 mm; sepals usually without purple stripe; Yukon, Alaska, Colorado.
var. biflora
1. Lowest petal 11–15 mm; seeds 2.5 mm; sepals usually with purple stripe; Queen Charlotte Islands, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
var. carlottae
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 121. FNA vol. 6, p. 123.
Parent taxa Violaceae > Viola Violaceae > Viola
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedata, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedata, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Subordinate taxa
V. biflora var. biflora, V. biflora var. carlottae
Synonyms Mnemion arvense, V. tricolor var. arvensis Chrysion biflorum
Name authority Murray: Prodr. Stirp. Gott., 73. (1770) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 936. (1753)
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