Viola douglasii
Viola affinis
Douglas' golden violet, Douglas' or Douglas' golden violet, Douglas' violet, Douglas' yellow violet, golden violet
Le Conte's violet, sand violet, violette affine
1–3, decumbent or ascending to erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous or puberulent, from single, short, vertical, deep-seated caudex.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6, bipinnately compound, leaflets 3–5;
stipules adnate to petiole forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, unlobed, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute to acuminate;
petiole 5–6.8 cm, glabrous or puberulent;
blade ovate, 3.5–5 × 2.4–3.5 cm, base tapered, leaflets 3–5-lobed, lobes linear, narrowly elliptic, or oblong, 1–2.5(–5) mm wide, margins entire, usually densely ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to linear-lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, apex acute;
petiole 0.9–4 cm;
blade 1.1–4.1 × 1–3.6 cm.
basal, 1–6, ascending to erect;
stipules lanceolate, margins entire or fimbriate, apex acute;
petiole 2–10 cm, glabrous;
blade green abaxially, unlobed, narrowly to broadly ovate or narrowly deltate, 1.5–10 × 1.5–10 cm, not fleshy, base cordate to broadly cordate or almost truncate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely pubescent adaxially, rarely glabrous.
2–12.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
3–15 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate, auricles 0.5–1.5 mm;
petals light golden yellow adaxially, upper 2 dark brown to ± black abaxially, lower 3 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 8–21 mm, spur dark greenish to dark brown, gibbous, 1.5–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;
petals lavender-violet to dull reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and darker violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 10–22 mm, usually obviously bearded, rarely beardless, spur white or same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers from prostrate to ascending peduncles.
spherical to oblong, 5–12 mm, glabrous.
often reddish or purplish-flecked or green, ellipsoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous or puberulent.
light brown, 2.8–3.3 mm.
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.
= 24, 48.
= 54.
Viola douglasii
Viola affinis
Viola douglasii is tetraploid (n = 12) south of, and octoploid (n = 24) north of, San Francisco Bay, California. It forms sterile hybrids with V. quercetorum (J. Clausen 1964). V. B. Baird (1936) described V. douglasii × purpurea, which Clausen later said was actually V. quercetorum, not described at the time of Baird’s publication.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
L. E. McKinney (1992) considered Viola affinis, and much of what botanists had called V. nephrophylla, to be essentially the same taxon. After studying additional specimens, reviewing literature (H. E. Ballard 1994; A. Haines 2001b), and discussions with others (J. Cayouette, H. E. Ballard, A. Haines, pers. comm.), he chose to maintain these as separate taxa. Reports of V. affinis in the Gulf coastal states based on specimens or photographs are usually attributable to V. missouriensis.
Viola affinis reportedly hybridizes with V. hirsutula (= V. ×consobrina House), V. cucullata (= V. ×consocia House), V. brittoniana (= V. ×davisii House), V. sororia (= V. ×filicetorum Greene [as species]), V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×hollickii House), and V. nephrophylla (= V. ×subaffinis House).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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