The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Canada violet, Canada white violet, Canadian violet, Canadian white violet, rugose violet

Missouri violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–46(–60) cm, with branching rhizomes forming colonies or not. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–50 cm; rhizomes thick, fleshy.
Stems

1–3(4), usually erect to ascending, glabrous or puberulent, from fleshy or subligneous rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–5;

stipules ± oblong, ovate, or lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes glandular, apex acuminate to cuspidate;

petiole 1.1–23 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade ovate to broadly ovate or ovate-reniform, 0.7–12.4 × 0.9–11.1(–12.3) cm, base cordate, subcordate, or truncate, margins crenate, crenulate, or serrulate, ciliate (sometimes only on proximal 1/2) or eciliate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent (often only on veins);

cauline similar to basal except: stipules also deltate, margins also erose or laciniate, apex acute, long-acuminate to cuspidate, or ± truncate, occasionally 2- or 3-fid;

petiole 0.1–6.9(–15.2) cm;

blade ovate to deltate, 1.2–7.7 × 0.8–7.8 cm, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate or crenulate to ± serrulate.

basal, 1–8, ascending to erect;

stipules linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes distally glandular, apex acute;

petiole 5–20 cm, glabrous;

blade green abaxially, unlobed, usually narrowly to broadly deltate, 1.5–12 × 1.5–10 cm, not fleshy, base cordate or broadly cordate to truncate, margins ± crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous, rarely pubescent.

Peduncles

1–6.1 cm, glabrate to puberulent, sometimes glabrous below bracteoles.

3–25 cm, usually glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins usually eciliate, auricles 0.5–1.3 mm;

petals white adaxially, upper 2 and lower 3 tinged soft reddish violet abaxially, rarely white on both surfaces, all petals usually with yellow patch basally, lower 3 usually purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 5.5–20 mm, spur white, gibbous, 1–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary or absent.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals light to dark blue-violet, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest beardless, rarely lightly bearded, 15–25 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.

Capsules

ovoid to ellipsoid, 2.5–10 mm, sometimes muriculate, glabrous or puberulent.

ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

brown to dark brown or purplish black, 1.5–2.5 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 54.

Viola canadensis

Viola missouriensis

Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Swamps, thickets, stream banks, alluvial woods
Elevation 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CO; CT; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MD; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NM; OK; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 3 (3 in the flora).

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

What many have treated as Viola affinis, especially in the southern Gulf coastal states, is likely to be V. missouriensis. N. H. Russell (1965) considered the two as likely part of a species complex inhabiting alluvial woods and wet areas and exhibiting the typical deltate leaf blade shape. L. E. McKinney (1992) considered V. missouriensis a variety of V. sororia. Viola missouriensis appears to have a closer affinity to V. affinis, as Russell suggested; current evidence suggests maintaining V. missouriensis as a separate species.

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

Key
1. Rhizomes branched
var. rugulosa
1. Rhizomes not branched
→ 2
2. Plants 11–46 cm; basal leaf blades 2.4–9.2 cm wide.
var. canadensis
2. Plants 3–14(–18) cm; basal leaf blades 0.9–3.8 cm wide.
var. scopulorum
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 125. FNA vol. 6, p. 138.
Parent taxa Violaceae > Viola Violaceae > Viola
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, 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. 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. 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. canadensis var. canadensis, V. canadensis var. rugulosa, V. canadensis var. scopulorum
Synonyms V. candidula, V. langloisii, V. lucidifolia, V. sororia var. missouriensis
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 936. (1753) Greene: Pittonia 4: 141. (1900)
Web links