Viola bakeri
Viola sheltonii
Baker's violet, yellow prairie violet
cut-leaf violet, fan violet, Shelton's violet
1–4, usually erect, sometimes prostrate or decumbent, leafy proximally and distally, usually puberulent, from usually vertical, subligneous rhizome.
1–3, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from short, often vertical, deep-seated or usually shallow, subligneous rhizome.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–4;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute to acuminate;
petiole 1–15.4 cm, glabrous or puberulent;
blade lanceolate, oblanceolate, or elliptic, rarely ovate, 1.8–8.8 × 0.7–3.9 cm, thin, base attenuate, often oblique, margins usually entire, sometimes with a few sharp teeth or crenulate, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent on margins or veins;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins entire or lacerate, sometimes with glandular projections, apex with 2–3 projections;
petiole 1.5–7.5 cm;
blade 1.9–6.7 × 0.5–1.6 cm.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–3, palmately compound, leaflets 3;
stipules lanceolate-ovate, margins laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate;
petiole 8.6–21 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent;
blade reniform or ovate to ± orbiculate, 2–7 × 2–11 cm, coriaceous, base tapered, each leaflet cleft or dissected into 3 ± obovate lobes, each lobe further divided into 2–3 oblanceolate, pandurate, spatulate, oblong, lanceolate, or elliptic, lobes 2–10 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to lanceolate, margin projections gland-tipped or eglandular, apex long-acuminate;
petiole 5.5–12 cm;
blade 1.2–6.3 × 1.2–10.5 cm.
1.5–11.6 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
5–19 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 often brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown- to brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 6–14 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 1–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 dark brown to brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded or beardless, lowest 7–18 mm, spur yellowish with brownish purple specks, gibbous, 1–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
spherical to ovoid, 5–10 mm, usually glabrous, rarely finely puberulent.
oblong to ovoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous or puberulent.
light to medium brown or dark red-brown, 2.6–3.1 mm, elaiosome not covering funiculus.
brownish, shiny, ca. 2.5 mm.
= 48.
= 12.
Viola bakeri
Viola sheltonii
M. S. Baker (1957) wrote that Viola bakeri flowers were often without a brownish tinge on the back. Subsequent collections have shown that the upper two petals of V. bakeri are often brownish purple abaxially and thus this characteristic cannot be used to distinguish V. bakeri from V. praemorsa, as previously done (P. A. Munz 1959; C. L. Hitchcock et al. 1955–1969, vol. 3).
Greene wrote in his description of Viola bakeri that the whole plant was glabrous; he did not mention leaf margins. M. S. Baker (1957) examined the type specimen at UC and apparently was the first to document that its leaf margins are entire. He also noted that under magnification the leaves are ciliate and more or less puberulent. D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) stated that margins were always entire and ciliate and more or less pubescent throughout. Some collections of V. bakeri
from California have leaves with a sharp point or two on the margin, or crenulations on some portion of the basal or cauline blade margins.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
The cleistogamous flowers of Viola sheltonii are borne on long, prostrate peduncles usually buried in duff around the plant. Mature cleistogamous capsules are usually hidden and the dehisced seeds remain close to the parent plant. Some populations of V. sheltonii produce only cleistogamous flowers (D. Klaber 1976).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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