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Douglas' golden violet, Douglas' or Douglas' golden violet, Douglas' violet, Douglas' yellow violet, golden violet

darkwoods violet, evergreen yellow violet, round-leaf or round-leaf wood or western round-leaf or evergreen violet, round-leaf violet, violette orbiculaire

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–20 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–9 cm.
Stems

1–3, decumbent or ascending to erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous or puberulent, from single, short, vertical, deep-seated caudex.

1–5, prostrate or erect, leafy proximally and distally, usually glabrous, from current and/or previous year’s growth, on usually vertical, fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

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 and cauline;

basal: 3–11;

stipules deltate to lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 2.1–10.5 cm, glabrous or pubescent;

blade usually orbiculate to broadly ovate, sometimes reniform, 1.4–5.3 × 1.4–5.3 cm, base cordate, margins crenate to serrulate-crenulate, eciliate or sparingly ciliate, apex usually obtuse, rarely acute, abaxial surface usually glabrous, adaxial surface sparsely pubescent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate to ovate, margins usually entire, ciliate;

petiole 0.7–1 cm, glabrous or pubescent;

blade 1.2–2 × 1.1–1.4 cm.

Peduncles

2–12.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent.

2.7–5.6 cm, glabrous.

Flowers

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 narrow to broadly lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1.5 mm;

upper 2 and lateral 2 petals deep lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 usually bearded, lowest 8–17 mm, spur usually yellow, sometimes whitish, gibbous, 1.5–2.5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

spherical to oblong, 5–12 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

light brown, 2.8–3.3 mm.

light to dark brown, sometimes mottled with white, 2–2.3 mm.

2n

= 24, 48.

= 24.

Viola douglasii

Viola orbiculata

Phenology Flowering Feb–Jul. Flowering May–Aug.
Habitat Vernally moist grassy slopes and flats, often serpentine soil (except Oregon) Alpine and montane slopes, moist montane coniferous forests, canyons, meadows, lake margins
Elevation 20–2300 m (100–7500 ft) 700–1700 m (2300–5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
ID; MT; OR; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

During winter, the basal leaves of Viola orbiculata are appressed to the ground under the weight of snow. The leaves overwinter and are often partly or entirely green after the snow has melted. Mature plants possess 3–11 basal leaves, some derived from previous years and others from the current year’s growth. Occasional plants are found with short, thin stems rooted at the tip and producing a rosette of leaves and stems, showing the close relationship with V. sempervirens.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 129. FNA vol. 6, p. 141.
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. cuneata, 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. 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
Synonyms V. chrysantha V. sarmentosa var. orbiculata, V. sempervirens var. orbiculata
Name authority Steudel: Nomencl. Bot. ed. 2, 2. 771. (1841) (A. Gary) Geyer ex B. D. Jackson: in B. D. Jackson et al., Index Kew. 2(4): 1208. (1895)
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