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

kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle

Viola hallii

Hall's violet, Oregon violet, wild pansy

Habit Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome slender, becoming thick and fleshy with age. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–22 cm.
Stems

1–3, decumbent or ascending to erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous, clustered on single, short, vertical, deep-seated caudex.

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 and cauline;

basal: 1–4, palmately compound, ± 2-ternate or 3-ternate, leaflets 3;

stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, unlobed, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute;

petiole 5–8 cm, glabrous;

blade ovate to deltate, 2.8–6 × 2.6–6.5 cm, ± coriaceous, base tapered, ultimate lobes narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 1–7 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules usually lanceolate, sometimes broadly ovate, ± leaflike, margins toothed;

petiole 1.3–6 cm;

blade 2–4.8 × 1.2–5.5 cm.

Peduncles

3–25 cm, usually glabrous.

2.5–11 cm, glabrous.

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, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals: upper 2 almost black abaxially, dark reddish violet adaxially, lower 3 pale yellow, cream, or ± white, lateral 2 bearded, with deep yellow to orange patch basally, dark reddish violet-veined, lowest with deep yellow to orange patch basally, dark reddish violet-veined, 5–18 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.

Capsules

ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 4–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.

light brown, shiny, 3.2–3.5 mm.

2n

= 54.

= 60, 72.

Viola nephrophylla

Viola hallii

Phenology Flowering Jan–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jul.
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 forests, grassy hills, chaparral, frequently serpentine or gravelly soil
Elevation 100–3000 m (300–9800 ft) 500–2100 m (1600–6900 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Viola hallii was discovered on the grounds of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, by Elihu Hall, a professor at that institution (V. B. Baird 1942). Leaves of V. hallii are similar to V. beckwithii.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 139. FNA vol. 6, p. 133.
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. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, 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. 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
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
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 3: 144. (1896) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 8: 377. (1872)
Web links