Viola nephrophylla
Viola clauseniana
kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle
Clausen's violet
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, 2–10, often prostrate, sometimes ascending;
stipules narrowly lanceolate, margins faintly glandular-toothed, apex acute or obtuse;
petiole 5–11 cm, glabrous;
blade unlobed, ± deltate, 3–5 × 4–5 cm, base ± truncate, margins serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex obtuse, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes sparsely pubescent abaxially.
3–25 cm, usually glabrous.
8–14 cm, glabrous.
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 eciliate or ciliate around auricles, auricles 1–2 mm;
petals light violet on both surfaces, lower 3 purple-veined, all beardless, lowest petal 8–20 mm, spur white, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.
ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous.
oblong, 8–10 mm, glabrous.
beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.
dark brown to black, 1.2–2 mm.
= 54.
= 44.
Viola nephrophylla
Viola clauseniana
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.)
Of conservation concern.
Viola clauseniana is endemic to Zion National Park, Washington County. M. S. Baker reported that its seeds were minutely roughed, a characteristic not recorded for other Viola species. Viola clauseniana was originally thought to be closely related to the acaulescent blue violets, most notably V. nephrophylla (S. L. Welsh et al. 1987; L. E. McKinney 1992). After contemplating the 2n = 44 chromosome count obtained by J. Clausen (1964), H. E. Ballard (pers. comm.) suggested that V. clauseniana might be more closely related with the stemless white violets (for example, V. blanda) than with V. nephrophylla. Viola clauseniana was considered a distinct species by N. H. Holmgren (2005d) and T. Marcussen and T. Karlsson (2010).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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PNW Herbaria, 
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