The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

alpine violet, American dog or Labrador or alpine violet, American dog violet, dog violet, Labrador violet, violette du Labrador

Cascades early blue violet, common periwinkle, early blue violet, hook-spur violet, hookedspur violet, large periwinkle, sand violet, western dog violet, wild dog violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–20 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 1.8–30(–35) cm.
Stems

1–5, erect (later reclining), glabrous, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

1–5, erect, ascending, or decumbent, sometimes later reclining to nearly prostrate, glabrous or puberulent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–5;

stipules mostly lanceolate-linear, margins usually laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex acute;

petiole 1–9.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade reniform or ovate to deltate, 1.4–5.5 × 1.8–5.3 cm, base cordate, not decurrent on petiole, margins crenate or serrate, mostly eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent adaxially near margin;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate to ovate, margins ± entire or laciniate, projections often gland-tipped, apex acuminate;

petiole 0.5–3.6 cm, glabrous;

blade narrowly ovate to orbiculate, 1.8–2.9 × 1.5–3.1 cm, base deeply cordate to truncate, margins regularly crenate, apex obtuse to broadly rounded or apiculate.

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–4;

stipules linear to linear-lanceolate, margins entire or laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.5–13.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade usually ovate or ovate-deltate to ovate-orbiculate, sometimes ± reniform or oblong, 0.5–6.9 × 0.4–5 cm, base cordate, subcordate, truncate, or attenuate, usually decurrent on petiole, margins crenate to crenulate or entire, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely to densely puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipule margins lacerate to laciniate;

petiole 0.5–6.5 cm;

blade 0.6–5.5 × 0.4–4.7 cm.

Peduncles

5–9 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

1.7–13.8 cm, glabrous or puberulent.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles not enlarged in fruit, 1–1.5 mm;

petals usually lavender-violet to violet on both surfaces, rarely white, lower 3 white basally, darker violet-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 9–16 mm, spur white to pinkish violet, elongated, 4–8 mm, tip usually straight, sometimes curved up;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers unknown.

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles not enlarged in fruit, 0.5–2 mm;

petals light- to deep- to lavender-violet on both surfaces, rarely white, lower 3 usually white basally, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 (and sometimes upper 2) bearded, lowest 7–17(–23) mm, spur purple to violet or white, elongated, 5–7 mm, tip straight or pointed, curved up or lateral;

style head sparsely to densely bearded, sometimes beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–7 mm, glabrous.

short-ovoid, 6–11 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige to bronze, 1.5–2 mm.

dark brown to olive-black, 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 20.

Viola labradorica

Viola adunca

Phenology Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Rich, mesic to wet woods, swamps, bogs
Elevation 50–3000 m (200–9800 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IL; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM; Greenland
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NM; NV; NY; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

H. E. Ballard (1994) made a compelling case for including Viola conspersa within V. labradorica, which is followed here. Ballard (1992) did not recognize V. labradorica as occurring in Colorado. Several western herbaria have collections identified as V. labradorica (ASC, CS, KHD, RM, RMBL; http://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/index.pho). Labels on some collections at KHD imply that V. labradorica is considered synonymous with V. adunca var. bellidifolia.

Viola labradorica reportedly hybridizes with V. adunca, V. rostrata (= V. ×malteana House), and V. striata (= V. ×eclipes H. E. Ballard), and less frequently with V. walteri var. appalachiensis and var. walteri.

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

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Viola adunca is polymorphic with over 50 named taxa. G. D. McPherson and J. G. Packer (1974) reported that diploid, triploid, and tetraploid races of V. adunca occur in Canada and northwestern United States. They found that diploid and tetraploid chromosome races can be distinguished morphologically based on style beards and on the size of guard cells and pollen grains and recommended taxonomic recognition of both races. In diploid races, the style projections are more or less cylindrical and about one-sixth the width of the style; in tetraploid races they are short-conical or globular, and about one-tenth or less than the width of the style beard.

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

Key
1. Plants (4–)4.5–30(–35) cm; basal blades 1.3–6.9 × 1.2–5 cm; peduncles 3–13.8 cm; 0–3600 m; widespread in North America.
var. adunca
1. Plants 1.8–4.5(–6.5) cm; basal blades 0.5–1.7 × 0.4–1.4 cm; peduncles 1.7–5 cm; 2500–3800 m; restricted to Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia).
var. bellidifolia
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 135. FNA vol. 6, p. 119.
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. howellii, V. japonica, 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. 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. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Subordinate taxa
V. adunca var. adunca, V. adunca var. bellidifolia
Synonyms V. adunca var. minor, V. canina var. muhlenbergii, V. conspersa, V. leucopetala, V. muhlenbergiana, V. muhlenbergiana var. minor, V. muhlenbergii Lophion aduncum, V. canina var. adunca
Name authority Schrank: Denkschr. Kõnigl.-Baier. Bot. Ges. Regensburg 1(2): 12. (1818) Smith: in A. Rees, Cycl. 37: Viola no. 63
Web links