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Macloskey's or northern white or small white or smooth white or wild white violet, Macloskey's violet, northern white violet, small white violet, smooth white violet, violette pâle

bog white violet, Howell's violet, lance-leaf or bog white violet, lance-leaf violet, strap-leaf violet, violette lancéolée, white bog violet

Habit Plants perennial, acaulescent, stoloniferous, 2–10 cm; stolons pale, often rooting and leafy at nodes; rhizome slender, fleshy. Plants perennial, acaulescent, stoloniferous, 5–30 cm; stolons pale, often rooting and leafy at nodes; rhizome slender, fleshy.
Leaves

basal, 2–6, ascending to erect;

stipules ovate to linear-lanceolate, margins entire or glandular-toothed, apex acute;

petiole 1–10 cm, strigose;

blade unlobed, reniform to ovate, 1–6.5 × 1–5.5 cm, base broadly or shallowly cordate, margins ± entire or shallowly crenate, eciliate, apex rounded to acute, surfaces usually glabrous, abaxial surfaces sometimes puberulent on proximal 1/2.

basal, 2–6(–9), ascending to erect;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire or irregularly lacerate (at least distally), apex acute;

petiole 2–12 cm, glabrous or pubescent;

blade unlobed, lanceolate or narrowly elliptic to nearly linear, 2.5–12 × 0.7–2.5 cm, longer than wide, base attenuate, margins serrate, mostly eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous.

Peduncles

2.5–11(–21) cm, usually glabrous, sometimes villous.

2–17 cm, usually pubescent.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–2 mm;

petals white on both surfaces, lower 3 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, rarely beardless, lowest 6–12 mm, spur white, gibbous, 1–2.5 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on ascending peduncles.

sepals ovate to lanceolate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals white on both surfaces, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 purple-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded or beardless, lowest 7–12 mm, spur white, gibbous, 1–2 mm;

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

Capsules

ovoid, 5–9 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige to bronze, 1–1.5 mm.

beige to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Viola macloskeyi

Viola lanceolata

Phenology Flowering Mar–Sep. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Bogs, wet meadows, seeps, lake margins, stream banks, floodplains, swampy woods, mesic roadside depressions, often among mosses Open to semi-open wet areas, bogs, meadows, pond and lake shores, stream banks, seasonally inundated depressions
Elevation 0–3600 m (0–11800 ft) 0–2000 m (0–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; SPM
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from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola macloskeyi was described by Banks in 1824 as V. rotundifolia var. pallens, from specimens collected by Banks in Labrador. E. Brainerd made the combination V. pallens in 1905 and later (1924) detailed its troublesome nomenclatural history.

Viola macloskeyi was described in 1895 by F. E. Lloyd based on specimens collected at the base of Mount Hood, Oregon. M. S. Baker (1953) placed V. macloskeyi as a subspecies of V. pallens. He later (1953b) corrected that change based on priority and thus the taxon became known as V. macloskeyi subsp. pallens. N. H. Russell (1955) maintained that status, separating subspp. macloskeyi and pallens on the wider, spreading basal leaf lobes of subsp. pallens. McKinney, after examining specimens of both taxa, including types, concluded that the differences have been exaggerated and fall within the range of variation of a single species.

Viola macloskeyi occurs in small colonies; individual plants are interconnected by stolons.

In parts of its range, Viola macloskeyi often shares habitat with V. renifolia; it may be difficult to distinguish the two. The stolons of V. macloskeyi are useful for identification during summer months; V. renifolia plants lack stolons. Patterns of indument can be useful; V. renifolia is usually hairy and V. macloskeyi is usually glabrous (petioles sometimes pubescent).

Viola macloskeyi reportedly hybridizes with V. primulifolia var. primulifolia (= V. ×mollicula House).

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

Viola lanceolata occurs in small colonies; individual plants are interconnected by stolons.

Viola lanceolata subsp. vittata was recognized by N. H. Russell (1955) based on its linear leaf blade shape. The range in leaf blade shape appears to have no distinct line of demarcation. Some believe that leaf shape differences and near restriction to the coastal plain support recognition at some level. Studies are necessary to resolve this issue.

J. H. Shultze (1946) reported that Viola lanceolata was introduced into Washington in the early 1900s primarily from Cape Cod and Wisconsin as a result of importation of cranberry vines. In British Columbia, it is known from Lulu Island, where it was introduced from eastern North America (G. W. Douglas et al. 1998–2002, vol. 5).

Viola lanceolata reportedly hybridizes with V. primulifolia var. primulifolia (= V. ×modesta House) and V. macloskeyi (= V. ×sublanceolata House).

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 137. FNA vol. 6, p. 135.
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. lobata, 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. 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
Synonyms V. blanda subsp. macloskeyi, V. blanda var. macloskeyi, V. macloskeyi subsp. pallens, V. macloskeyi var. pallens, V. pallens, V. pallens subsp. macloskeyi, V. pallens var. subreptans, V. rotundifolia var. pallens V. lanceolata subsp. vittata, V. lanceolata var. vittata, V. vittata
Name authority F. E. Lloyd: Erythea 3: 74. (1895) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 934. (1753)
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