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pioneer violet, smooth yellow violet, stream or smooth yellow or yellow wood or wood or smooth yellow woodland violet, stream violet, violette glabre, yellow wood violet

primrose-leaf violet, western bog violet, western white bog violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–38 cm. Plants perennial, acaulescent, stoloniferous, (3–)5–20(–36) cm; stolons pale, often rooting and leafy at nodes; rhizome thick or slender, fleshy.
Stems

1–3, erect or prostrate, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or finely puberulent, on caudex from fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 0–4(–7);

stipules ovate to obovate, margins entire, crenate, or serrate, usually glandular, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 7–27.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade usually reniform to ovate, sometimes orbiculate, 3.3–8.5 × 2–9.3 cm, base cordate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or finely puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: usually restricted to distal ends of naked stems;

stipules ovate to oblong, margins erose or subserrate, often glandular, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.2–2.9 cm, glabrous or finely puberulent;

blade ovate to deltate, 1.4–5.7 × 0.8–4.7 cm, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate to ± serrate, ciliate (sometimes limited to proximal half), apex acute.

basal, 4–8, prostrate to ascending;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins ± crenate-serrate, sometimes glandular, apex acute;

petiole (1–)3–13(–29) cm, glabrous or pubescent;

blade unlobed, elliptic to narrowly or broadly ovate, (1.5–)3–7(–9) × 1–3(–3.5) cm, longer than wide, base broadly cordate to attenuate, rarely ± truncate, margins crenulate to serrulate, sometimes glandular, mostly eciliate, apex acute to rounded, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Peduncles

2–8 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

(3–)6–18(–28) cm, glabrous.

Flowers

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

petals deep lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 6–18 mm, spur yellow to greenish, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

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

petals white on both surfaces, lower 3 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded or beardless, lowest 9–14(–16) mm, spur white, gibbous, 1–2 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers present or absent.

Capsules

ovoid to ellipsoid, 7–13 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, (5–)8–9 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

light to dark brown, shiny, 2–2.2 mm.

beige to bronze, 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Viola glabella

Viola primulifolia

Phenology Flowering Mar–Aug.
Habitat Damp, wet, or shady places in forests, stream banks
Elevation 0–2600 m (0–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MS; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola glabella is similar in overall appearance to V. pubescens. The cauline leaves are sometimes described as appearing only near the apex of the stem (P. A. Munz 1959), but often a leaf occurs from a node on the stem below the apex.

Viola californica was described from collections made in Humboldt and Trinity counties, California, and may have arisen as a hybrid between V. glabella and V. lobata var. integrifolia. It is apparently limited to Abies concolor forests above 1520 m (M. S. Baker 1953). Study of V. californica is needed to determine if taxonomic recognition is warranted.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Viola primulifolia occurs in small colonies; individual plants are interconnected by stolons.

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

Key
1. Leaf blades elliptic to widely ovate, base broadly cordate to attenuate, surfaces sparsely pubescent, rarely glabrous; cleistogamous flowers present; c, e United States.
var. primulifolia
1. Leaf blades elliptic to narrowly ovate, base usually attenuate, rarely ± truncate, surfaces glabrous, rarely pubescent; cleistogamous flowers absent; nw California, sw Oregon.
var. occidentalis
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 131. FNA vol. 6, p. 148.
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. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, 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. 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. primulifolia var. occidentalis, V. primulifolia var. primulifolia
Synonyms V. californica, V. canadensis var. sitchensis, V. glabella var. remotifolia
Name authority Nuttall: in J. Torrey and A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 142. (1838) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 934. (1753)
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