Viola glabella
Viola prionantha
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
Japanese violet
1–3, erect or prostrate, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or finely puberulent, on caudex from fleshy rhizome.
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, 6–22, ascending to erect;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins remotely denticulate, apex acuminate;
petiole 1–13 cm, narrowly winged distally, glabrous or puberulent;
blade unlobed, oblong-ovate, ovate-lanceolate, or narrowly ovate, 1–4.5(–10) × 0.6–2(–4) cm, base usually truncate, sometimes ± cordate or broadly cuneate, margins crenulate, ciliate or eciliate, apex obtuse or ± acute, surfaces glabrous or puberulent.
2–8 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
2.5–6 cm, glabrous, bracteoles near middle.
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 or ovate-lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;
petals light violet or purple on both surfaces, rarely all white, lower 3 dark violet-veined, lateral 2 beardless or sparsely bearded, lowest 14–25 mm, spur pale to dark violet, elongated, 6–9 mm, tip hooked up;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers present.
ovoid to ellipsoid, 7–13 mm, glabrous.
narrowly ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous.
light to dark brown, shiny, 2–2.2 mm.
dark brown, ca. 2 mm.
= 24.
= 48.
Viola glabella
Viola prionantha
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.)
In 1952, plants of Viola initially identified as V. patrinii were collected and reported by C. T. Rogerson to be established in lawns on the campus of Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, where they are still found. S. B. Rolfsmeier recently determined that these plants are V. prionantha. R. B. Kaul reported that V. prionantha occurs along roadsides in Kansas and is also established in the floodplain of the North Platte River in Nebraska, where it was first collected by him in 1992.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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