Viola hastata
Viola palmata
halberd-leaf or halberdleaf yellow violet, halberdleaf yellow violet
early blue violet, three-lobe violet, three-lobed violet, trilobed violet, wood violet
1(–2), erect, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from fleshy rhizome.
basal and cauline;
basal: 0–1;
stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex usually acuminate;
petiole 3–11.5 cm, usually glabrous;
blade sometimes gray-green abaxially, usually mottled light green adaxially, widely or narrowly hastate to ovate, 2.5–4.4 × 1.8–3.2 cm, base hastate to cordate or truncate, margins serrate or crenate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes scabrous;
cauline similar to basal except: leaves usually restricted to distal ends of naked stems;
petiole 1–2.5 cm;
blade 2–10 × 1.1–4.5 cm.
basal, 2–3, ascending to erect;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;
petiole 1–20 cm, glabrous or pubescent;
earliest leaf blades unlobed, mid-season blades 3–9-lobed, lobes sometimes appearing petiolate and sometimes further lobed;
earliest leaf blades reniform to ovate, mid-season blades with middle lobes usually ovate or elliptic to widely obovate, sometimes narrowly elliptic, narrowly ovate, lanceolate, or spatulate to narrowly obovate, lateral lobes elliptic, obdeltate, or spatulate to falcate, smaller lobes similar, 1–14 × 1–10 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins serrate or entire, usually ciliate, apex acute, rounded, blunt, or obtuse, surfaces glabrous or pubescent throughout or along veins.
1–5.3 cm, usually glabrous.
3–13 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals lemon-yellow usually on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 9.5–12 mm, spur yellow to greenish, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally, lower 3 and upper 2 sometimes purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, spur sometimes bearded, lowest 15–25 mm, spur white, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.
ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous.
ellipsoid, 5–15 mm, glabrous.
beige to bronze, 2–2.5 mm.
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.
= 12.
= 54.
Viola hastata
Viola palmata
V. B. Baird (1942) commented that Viola hastata is more closely related to V. glabella than to any eastern species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) presented evidence based on seed coat micromorphology that some plants known as Viola palmata are hybrids between plants with lobed and unlobed leaves and believed the type specimen to be hybrid in origin. He chose not to recognize the name V. palmata, choosing instead to recognize V. triloba. If the type specimen does represent a hybrid, Gil-Ad would be correct in recognizing V. triloba. Because the purity of the type specimen cannot be ascertained, we consider V. palmata the most appropriate name for this taxon. We acknowledge the presence of hybrids between lobed and unlobed plants; such hybrids obscure lines of demarcation. Some herbarium specimens may represent such hybrids; we feel most do not.
L. E. McKinney (1992) described the nomenclatural history of Viola palmata. Homophylly versus heterophylly differentiates V. palmata from V. subsinuata, the homophyllous violet most often called V. palmata. We know that the taxon described by Linnaeus was heterophyllous, with some undivided leaf blades.
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Petioles, leaf surfaces, and peduncles usually pubescent, rarely glabrous; apex of middle leaf lobe acute; plants of dry to mesic habitats. | var. palmata |
1. Petioles, leaf surfaces, and peduncles usually glabrous, rarely pubescent; apex of middle leaf lobe rounded, blunt, or obtuse; plants of wet ground. | var. heterophylla |
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