Viola beckwithii
Viola quercetorum
Beckwith's or Great Basin violet, Beckwith's violet, Great Basin violet, sagebrush pansy, sagebrush violet
goosefoot violet, goosefoot yellow violet, oakwoods violet
1–3, decumbent, ascending, or erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous or usually puberulent, on single, short, vertical, deep-seated caudex.
1–5, spreading to erect, leafy proximally and distally, usually elongated by end of season, puberulent to canescent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6 per caudex, palmately compound, ± 2-ternate or 3-ternate, leaflets 3;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, unlobed, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute;
petiole 2–10.5 cm, usually puberulent;
blade ovate to deltate, 2.4–5 × 3.5–4.5 cm, base tapered, ultimate leaflets dissected into oblong, elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate lobes 1–7 mm wide, lobe margins entire, usually ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces usually puberulent, seldom glabrous, abaxial surface without prominent vein parallel to each margin;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules linear, apex acuminate;
petiole 2–5.7 cm, usually puberulent, rarely glabrous;
blade 1–2.7 × 1.5–3 cm.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear, membranous wings, each wing with lanceolate to ± deltate projection, margins entire or laciniate, apex usually long-acuminate or divided into narrow, filiform processes;
petiole 1.9–9.5 cm, puberulent;
blade usually grayish green to whitish, sometimes ± purple-tinted abaxially, green to grayish green adaxially, ± ovate to ± orbiculate, deltate, pandurate, or broadly brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 sparsely to densely bearded, lowest 10–16 mm, spur yellow to reddish brown, gibbous, 1–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
1.5–10.6(–15.7) cm, usually puberulent, seldom glabrous.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.1–1 mm;
petals dark reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 usually lilac, rarely white or whitish, lateral 2 bearded, with yellow patch basally, dark reddish violet-veined, lowest 10–22 mm, with yellow patch, dark reddish violet-veined, spur whitish or yellowish, tinged purple, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.
oblong-ovoid, 7–12 mm, glabrous.
ovoid to ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, puberulent.
brown, 3–4 mm.
medium brown, ± 2.7 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Viola beckwithii
Viola quercetorum
In some populations of Viola beckwithii, the three lower petals are white with a yellow area proximally (V. B. Baird 1942). Leaves have been described as palmately biternate or triternate (L. Abrams and R. S. Ferris 1923–1960, vol. 3), ternately decompound into linear segments (C. L. Hitchcock et al. 1955–1969, vol. 3), palmately three-parted then bipinnately parted into ultimate linear or spatulate segments (P. A. Munz 1959), and palmately about three times three-parted into linear or spatulate-linear segments (W. L. Jepson 1951). Some populations in northern California are nearly or completely glabrous, which M. S. Baker recognized as var. glabrata.
Viola beckwithii is reported to hybridize with V. utahensis (G. Davidse 1976). Observed pollinators of V. beckwithii in Utah include Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Anthophora ursina Cresson (Davidse).
When Cottam described Viola bonnevillensis, he suggested that it could be a hybrid between V. beckwithii and V. utahensis, and G. Davidse (1976) concurred. The type specimen of V. bonnevillensis (Cottam 7067, UT) was examined by R. J. Little. Because no similar forms are known to have been collected since 1939, it is presumed that this taxon is a hybrid.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Herbarium specimens of Viola quercetorum and V. purpurea var. purpurea can be difficult to distinguish; pressing obliterates the undulate leaf margins of V. quercetorum. In Oregon, most collections of V. quercetorum are from yellow pine forests (A. Liston, pers. comm.).
Viola quercetorum hybridizes with V. douglasii (J. Clausen 1964).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CA
OR
Flora NW
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
