Viola arvensis
Viola egglestonii
European field violet, European field-pansy, field pansy, field violet, pansy, violette des champs, wild pansy
cedar glade or glade violet, glade violet
1–5, usually erect, sometimes prostrate or decumbent, branched, subglabrous or puberulent, clustered on taproot.
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, 3, prostrate to ascending;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;
petiole 1.5–7 cm, usually glabrous;
earliest leaf blades ± deltate or 3-lobed, mid-season blades 5–9-lobed, 1–9 × 1–10 cm, base truncate to cuneate, middle lobe lanceolate or spatulate to narrowly ovate, lateral lobes lanceolate or spatulate to falcate, margins serrate, sometimes with deltate or falcate appendages or teeth, ciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.
2–8 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
2–15 cm, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.
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 lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 white basally, lower 3 darker violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 10–15 mm, spur usually lilac, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate peduncles.
± spherical, 5–9 mm, glabrous.
ellipsoid, 11–14 mm, glabrous.
brown, 1.5–1.9 mm.
beige, mottled to bronze, 2–3 mm.
= 34.
= 54.
Viola arvensis
Viola egglestonii
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.)
N. H. Russell (1965) was the first to consider Viola egglestonii similar to V. septemloba. After analyzing leaf-blade lobing patterns, L. E. McKinney considered it a subspecies of V. septemloba. Although similarities exist between these taxa, we maintain them as distinct species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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