Viola nephrophylla |
Viola affinis |
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kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle |
Le Conte's violet, sand violet, violette affine |
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Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome slender, becoming thick and fleshy with age. | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome slender, becoming thick and fleshy with age. |
Leaves | basal, 4–7, ascending to erect; stipules lanceolate, margins entire or fimbriate, apex acute; petiole 2–25 cm, usually glabrous; blade usually grayish green or purplish green abaxially, unlobed, ovate, reniform, or broadly reniform to orbiculate, 1–7 × 1–7 cm, somewhat fleshy, base broadly cordate or reniform to ± truncate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse or rounded, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pubescent. |
basal, 1–6, ascending to erect; stipules lanceolate, margins entire or fimbriate, apex acute; petiole 2–10 cm, glabrous; blade green abaxially, unlobed, narrowly to broadly ovate or narrowly deltate, 1.5–10 × 1.5–10 cm, not fleshy, base cordate to broadly cordate or almost truncate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely pubescent adaxially, rarely glabrous. |
Peduncles | 3–25 cm, usually glabrous. |
3–15 cm, glabrous or pubescent. |
Flowers | sepals ovate, margins usually eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals deep bluish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and darker violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, upper 2 sometimes sparsely bearded, lowest densely bearded or beardless, 10–28 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on erect to ascending peduncles. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals lavender-violet to dull reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and darker violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 10–22 mm, usually obviously bearded, rarely beardless, spur white or same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers from prostrate to ascending peduncles. |
Capsules | ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous. |
often reddish or purplish-flecked or green, ellipsoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous or puberulent. |
Seeds | beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
= 54. |
Viola nephrophylla |
Viola affinis |
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Phenology | Flowering Jan–Sep. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Wet habitats in saturated soil in prairies, pastures, bogs, fens, sedge meadows, rocky shores of lakes and streams, limestone outcrops, gravelly calcareous stream beds | Open or wooded wet areas, meadows, stream banks, thickets, shores of lakes, seasonally dry areas. |
Elevation | 100–3000 m (300–9800 ft) | 100–2000 m (300–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; IA; ID; IL; KS; MA; ME; MI; MN; MT; ND; NE; NH; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; SD; TX; UT; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT
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CT; DC; DE; IL; IN; MA; MD; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC
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Discussion | Viola nephrophylla has the widest distribution in North America of any of the acaulescent blue violets. There is some question whether the species we now know as Viola nephrophylla fits with the protologue and type specimen(s). McKinney examined the type designated by Greene; it appears that what most botanists have called V. nephrophylla may be an undescribed taxon. N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) believed Greene’s type contained plants that were genetically impure based on seed coat micromorphology and suggested the specimens might be a mixture of both orthospecies and introgressants. Viola mccabeiana was described by M. S. Baker in 1940 from collections made in British Columbia. Later, Baker (1949b) discussed the reasons why the name V. mccabeiana needed to be abandoned. C. L. Hitchcock et al. (1955–1969, vol. 3) treated V. mccabeiana as synonymous with V. nephrophylla var. cognata. While Viola mccabeiana is recognized in Canada (L. Brouillet et al., http://data.canadensys.net/vascan/), we believe it is best included within V. nephrophylla. Viola nephrophylla reportedly hybridizes with V. cucullata (= V. ×insessa House), V. sororia var. sororia (= V. ×napae House), and V. affinis (= V. ×subaffinis House). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
L. E. McKinney (1992) considered Viola affinis, and much of what botanists had called V. nephrophylla, to be essentially the same taxon. After studying additional specimens, reviewing literature (H. E. Ballard 1994; A. Haines 2001b), and discussions with others (J. Cayouette, H. E. Ballard, A. Haines, pers. comm.), he chose to maintain these as separate taxa. Reports of V. affinis in the Gulf coastal states based on specimens or photographs are usually attributable to V. missouriensis. Viola affinis reportedly hybridizes with V. hirsutula (= V. ×consobrina House), V. cucullata (= V. ×consocia House), V. brittoniana (= V. ×davisii House), V. sororia (= V. ×filicetorum Greene [as species]), V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×hollickii House), and V. nephrophylla (= V. ×subaffinis House). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 139. | FNA vol. 6, p. 120. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. arizonica, V. austiniae, V. cognata, V. crassula, V. galacifolia, V. lunellii, V. mccabeiana, V. nephrophylla var. arizonica, V. nephrophylla var. cognata, V. peramoena, V. pratincola, V. prionosepala, V. retusa, V. subjuncta, V. vagula | V. affinis var. subarctica, V. crenulata, V. sororia subsp. affinis, V. sororia var. affinis, V. subviscosa, V. venustula |
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 3: 144. (1896) | Leconte: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 138. (1826) |
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