Viola howellii |
Viola pedunculata |
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Howell's violet, violette de Howell |
California golden violet, johnny-jump-up, wild pansy, yellow pansy |
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Habit | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–44 cm. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–39 cm. |
Stems | 1–4, ascending to erect (sometimes later reclining to nearly prostrate), glabrous or sparsely pubescent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome. |
1–10+, decumbent, ascending, or erect, leafy proximally and distally, glabrous or puberulent, from shallow to deep-seated, enlarged rhizome with fleshy to subligneous roots. |
Leaves | basal and cauline; basal: 1–6; stipules linear-lanceolate to oblong, margins mostly entire or laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate; petiole 4–15 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; blade ovate to reniform, 1.9–6.8 × 2.1–6.4 cm, thin, base cordate, margins crenate, ciliate, apex acute to usually obtuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent; cauline similar to basal except: stipules linear-lanceolate or deltate to oblong, apex acute or long-acuminate; petiole 1–4.5 cm; blade 2–5.1 × 1.2–5.8 cm. |
cauline; stipules ovate, linear-lanceolate, or oblanceolate, sometimes leaflike, margins entire or glandular-toothed, apex acute to acuminate; petiole 2.7–7.2 cm, usually finely puberulent, sometimes glabrate; blade deltate to ovate, 1–5.5 × 1–5.5 cm, base truncate, subcordate, or attenuate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces subglabrous or sparsely puberulent. |
Peduncles | 2.8–17.8 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. |
2.9–20 cm, sparsely to densely puberulent. |
Flowers | sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals violet to soft blue-violet on both surfaces, whitish basally, lower 3 dark violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 14–23 mm, spur blue-violet to whitish, gibbous to elongated, 2.4–5 mm, usually less than 1/2 lowest petal, tip straight; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–3 mm; petals golden yellow adaxially, upper 2 reddish brown abaxially, lower 3 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 10–20 mm, spur dark reddish brown, gibbous, 2–4 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent. |
Capsules | ellipsoid, 7–11 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 5–11 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | light brown, 2.1–2.8 mm. |
dark brown or black, shiny, 2.7 mm. |
2n | = 40, 80. |
= 12. |
Viola howellii |
Viola pedunculata |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jul. | Flowering Feb–Apr. |
Habitat | Moist, shady areas, coniferous forests, prairies, along streams | Open, grassy coastal and inland slopes and hillsides, usually in full sun, chaparral, foothill and oak woodland |
Elevation | 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft) | 0–1000 m (0–3300 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; OR; WA; BC
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CA; Mexico (Baja California)
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Discussion | Viola howellii is similar to V. adunca and usually occupies moister habitats along the western side of the Cascade Mountains (H. E. Ballard 1992). The first documented record of this species in California was recently reported from Siskiyou County (R. J. Little 2010). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The stems of Viola pedunculata arise from an enlarged, subterranean, spongy or fibrous rhizome. Often, these rhizome structures are deep seated; it is unknown how they get so deeply buried. The anther appendages of V. pedunculata are hairy distally, a characteristic not known to occur in other members of the V. purpurea complex. Larvae of the federally listed Callippe silverspot butterfly [Speyeria callippe (Boisduval) callippe] feed only on Viola pedunculata. Plants with leaves reported to be smaller, thinner, deltate, mostly longer than wide, with yellow petals (versus orange for Viola pedunculata var. pedunculata), style 2.1 mm (versus 2.9 mm for var. pedunculata), from the Pinnacles region in San Benito County, California, have been called subsp. tenuifolia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 134. | FNA vol. 6, p. 144. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. pedunculata subsp. tenuifolia | |
Name authority | A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 308. (1887) | Torrey & A. Gray: Fl. N. Amer. 1: 141. (1838) |
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