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moose horn violet, pine violet, yellow wood violet

arctic yellow violet, European field pansy, northern violet, queen Charlotte twinflower violet, twinflower violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–46 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–20(–25) cm.
Stems

1–3, erect, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or puberulent, from subligneous rhizome.

1–3+, ascending or erect, leafy proximally and distally, glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 0–2, unlobed or palmately 3–11-lobed;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins ± entire or serrate, apex acute;

petiole 5–27 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade sometimes glaucous, deltate to reniform, 3.5–8.5 × 4.5–13.5 cm, base cordate, truncate, or attenuate, margins on unlobed leaves coarsely dentate-serrate, margins on lobed leaves usually entire, sometimes few-toothed, ciliate (sometimes only proximal 1/2) or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: distal on naked stems, unlobed and divided leaves can occur on same plant, if divided, palmately 3–12-lobed;

stipules sometimes large and ± leaflike, margins entire, lacerate, or laciniate, sometimes with gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.2–8.8 cm;

blade reniform to reniform-cordate, ± ovate, deltate, or rhombic, 1.5–5.5 × 1.4–10 cm, base cordate, subcordate, truncate, or attenuate, margins entire, crenate-serrate, or dentate, or coarsely lacerate to deeply serrate, often entire distally, ciliate or rarely eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, often long-tapered, mucronulate.

basal and cauline;

basal: 2–3(–4);

stipules ovate-lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, margins entire, apex ± acute;

petiole 1.5–15 cm, glabrous;

blade broadly reniform to orbiculate, 0.5–4.6 × 0.9–6.4 cm, base cordate, margins crenate to crenate-serrate, ciliate, apex obtuse, rounded, or truncate, rarely with terminal point, abaxial surface sparsely puberulent on veins, adaxial surface glabrate to ± densely puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate, ovate, or oblong, margins entire to erose, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 0.3–7(–10) cm;

blade sometimes ovate, 0.8–3.7 × 1–4.8 cm.

Peduncles

2–13 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

2–9 cm, usually glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.1–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, usually upper 2 and sometimes lateral 2 brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined basally, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 8–19 mm, spur yellow to greenish, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

sepals with or without purple stripe on both sides of midvein, narrowly lanceolate to oblong, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and often upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 beardless, lowest 6–15 mm, spur yellow to yellowish green, gibbous, 2–2.5 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

ellipsoid-ovoid, 6–16 mm, glabrous.

oblong-ovoid, 3–6 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Seeds

light brown, blotched or streaked with brown, shiny, 2.1–2.7 mm.

purple, sometimes streaked with light and dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 12.

Viola lobata

Viola biflora

Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; nw Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; CO; BC; YT; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

V. B. Baird (1942) noted that Viola lobata was more closely related to V. tripartita than to any western Viola.

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

Varieties 5 (2 in the flora).

Viola biflora may be the most widely distributed species of the genus in the Northern Hemisphere. Although occurring most often in mountainous areas at high elevations, it is known from Alaska near the coast at elevations of ca. 45 m (PNW Herbaria Portal 2010) and has been reported from lowland meadows in Kamchatka (V. B. Baird 1942), and is occasionally found near sea level in exposed rocky habitats on the west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands (R. A. Calder and R. L. Taylor 1968).

Sometimes described as high latitude, circumpolar, Viola biflora also occurs in mid latitudes north of the equator. It is not truly circumpolar; it does not occur in eastern Canada or in Greenland. The deeply cleft style head sets V. biflora apart from all other species in North America. V. B. Baird (1942) suggested that the occasional presence of two cleistogamous flowers in the axil of the same leaf may account for the name “biflora.”

H. N. Ridley (1930) said that in Europe, deer (Cervus dama Linnaeus and Rangifer tarandus Linnaeus) may play a role in the dispersal of Viola biflora; seeds have been recovered from their droppings.

Nonflowering Viola biflora can be confused with V. renifolia where their ranges overlap in Yukon, Alaska, and Colorado.

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

Key
1. Cauline leaf blades usually deeply divided, seldom unlobed, reniform, ± ovate, or deltate, if divided, palmately 3–12-lobed, lobe margins usually entire.
var. lobata
1. Cauline leaf blades unlobed, deltate to rhombic, ovate, or reniform-cordate, margins ± serrate, crenate-serrate, or dentate to deeply serrate or coarsely lacerate, often entire distally.
var. integrifolia
1. Lowest petal 6–10 mm; seeds 1.5–2 mm; sepals usually without purple stripe; Yukon, Alaska, Colorado.
var. biflora
1. Lowest petal 11–15 mm; seeds 2.5 mm; sepals usually with purple stripe; Queen Charlotte Islands, Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
var. carlottae
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 137. FNA vol. 6, p. 123.
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. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, 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. 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. lobata var. integrifolia, V. lobata var. lobata
V. biflora var. biflora, V. biflora var. carlottae
Synonyms Chrysion biflorum
Name authority Bentham: Pl. Hartw., 298. (1849) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 936. (1753)
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