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northern two-eyed or wedge-leaf violet, northern two-eyed violet, wedge-leaf violet

evergreen violet, redwood violet, redwoods violet, trailing yellow violet, violette toujours verte

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–25 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, stoloniferous, 10–30 cm; stolons green or reddish, leafy, sometimes rooting at nodes, becoming lignified in age.
Stems

1–3, usually erect, sometimes prostrate or ascending, glabrous, from shallow, fleshy rhizome or deep-seated caudex with fleshy roots.

1–5, prostrate, spreading, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from current and/or previous year’s growth, on usually vertical, fleshy rhizome, rooting and forming rosettes at or near tip; rooted rosettes often develop into an erect, fleshy caudex from which new stems are produced.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 2–6;

stipules lanceolate, margins entire or gland-toothed, apex acute;

petiole 4.5–9.8 cm, glabrous;

blade purple-veined, orbiculate-ovate to deltate, 1–4 × 2.7–3.8 cm, usually shiny, leathery, base cuneate, margins serrate, eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate to ovate, margins entire or erose to lacerate, with or without gland-tipped processes, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.5–20 cm;

blade usually rhombic, sometimes orbiculate, 0.9–2.6 × 0.7–1.8 cm, margins crenate to ± serrate, apex acute to obtuse.

evergreen, basal and cauline;

basal: 1–6(–10);

stipules deltate to ovate or linear-lanceolate, margins entire or glandular-toothed, apex acute to long-acuminate;

petiole 2–16 cm, glabrous;

blade often purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, orbiculate to ovate, 1–4.5 × 2–3.9 cm, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate, eciliate, apex blunt to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or with scattered bristles on one or both surfaces;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules deltate to lanceolate, margins entire or sparingly toothed;

petiole 0.3–3 cm;

blade 1.2–2.2 × 1.2–2 cm.

Peduncles

1–10.5 cm, glabrous.

5–10 cm, glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep reddish violet abaxially, white adaxially, upper 2 sometimes with purple patch basally, lateral 2 with purple patch basally beyond smaller yellow area, usually bearded, sometimes beardless, lowest purple-veined with yellow area basally, 8–14 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 1–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

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

petals lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 8–17 mm, spur yellow or whitish, gibbous, 1–2.5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

± spherical, 5–9 mm, glabrous.

mottled with purple, spherical to ovoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

deep brown-purple, 2.1–3 mm.

brown, tinged purple, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 24, 48.

Viola cuneata

Viola sempervirens

Phenology Flowering Mar–Sep. Flowering Jan–Jul.
Habitat Open pine or oak forests, often serpentine soil Redwood forests, other coastal forests, Douglas fir, other coniferous forests
Elevation 600–2200 m (2000–7200 ft) 30–1400 m (100–4600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola cuneata often occurs on serpentine-derived soil and is closely related to V. flettii, V. hallii, and V. ocellata (V. B. Baird 1942). Originally described as beardless by Watson, the lateral petals of flowers in the same population can be prominently bearded or essentially beardless. The cauline blades of Viola cuneata are often vertical, especially early in season.

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

In California, Viola sempervirens occurs in shaded redwood forests and other coastal forest habitats. In Oregon and Washington, it occurs in Douglas fir and other coniferous forests, where it can form mats (clones) one meter or more in diameter; its prostrate, spreading growth habit is similar to V. walteri. The leafy stems of V. sempervirens are similar to the leafy stolons of V. odorata.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 129. FNA vol. 6, p. 157.
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. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, 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. 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. 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
Synonyms V. sarmentosa, V. sempervirens subsp. orbiculoides
Name authority S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 14: 290. (1879) Greene: Pittonia 4: 8. (1899)
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