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Howell's violet, violette de Howell

early blue violet, wavy-leaf violet, wood violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–44 cm. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 10–30 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy.
Stems

1–4, ascending to erect (sometimes later reclining to nearly prostrate), glabrous or sparsely pubescent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

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.

basal, 2–11, ascending to erect;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;

petiole 5–25 cm, glabrous or pubescent;

mid-season leaf blades incised or lobed throughout, earliest leaf blades lobed (plants homophyllous), similar to mid-season blades, blade 5–9(–16)-lobed, sinuses usually narrower, shallower toward leaf base, middle and lateral blade lobes differ in width and/or shape, middle lobes narrowly deltate to narrowly elliptic, lateral lobes narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or falcate, 1–11 × 1–12 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins entire or crenate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces usually pubescent throughout or on veins.

Peduncles

2.8–17.8 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

5–15 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

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 1–2 mm;

petals light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces, lower 3 and upper 2 sometimes purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest sometimes bearded, 15–25 mm, spur color same as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.

Capsules

ellipsoid, 7–11 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

light brown, 2.1–2.8 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 40, 80.

= 54.

Viola howellii

Viola subsinuata

Phenology Flowering Apr–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Moist, shady areas, coniferous forests, prairies, along streams Rich woods
Elevation 50–1500 m (200–4900 ft) 100–3000 m (300–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; KY; MA; MD; MI; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

L. E. McKinney (1992) described the misconceptions surrounding Viola subsinuata that many came to think of as the heterophyllous V. palmata, whereas V. subsinuata is homophyllous. As E. Brainerd (1910, 1921) pointed out, heterophylly versus homophylly is an important and steadfast character difference in acaulescent Viola species. N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) chose not to recognize V. subsinuata, suggesting that it represented a hybrid or introgressant. H. E. Ballard (2000) and A. Haines (2011) both recognized V. subsinuata as a species.

Viola subsinuata is a state historical species in Rhode Island, where it was last documented in 1941 (R. W. Enser, http://rinhs.org/wp-content/uploads/ri_rare_plants_2007.pdf).

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 134. FNA vol. 6, p. 159.
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. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, 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. 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. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Synonyms V. emarginata var. subsinuata, V. palmata var. angelliae
Name authority A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 22: 308. (1887) (Greene) Greene: Pittonia 4: 4. (1899)
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