Viola nephrophylla |
Viola japonica |
|
---|---|---|
kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle |
Japanese violet |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome slender, becoming thick and fleshy with age. | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–10 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. |
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, ca. 5, ascending to erect; stipules ± oblong, 2-fid, proximal margins entire, distal ± serrate, apex acuminate; petiole narrowly winged distally, 1–14 cm, usually glabrous; blade unlobed, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, 3–8 × 3–5.5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate, usually eciliate, apex acute or ± obtuse, surfaces sparsely puberulent. |
Peduncles | 3–25 cm, usually glabrous. |
3–6 cm, glabrous or pubescent, bracteoles near middle. |
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 broadly lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 6–8 mm; petals light violet or whitish violet on both surfaces, lowest 3 occasionally white basally, often dark violet-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded or beardless, lowest 17–20 mm, spur pale to dark violet, elongated, 5–10 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers present. |
Capsules | ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 8–10 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
unknown. |
Gardens | and ruderal areas; 10–50 m; introduced; Mass.; Asia (China, Japan, Korea). |
|
2n | = 54. |
= 48.Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Viola nephrophylla |
Viola japonica |
|
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 | Gardens and ruderal areas |
Elevation | 100–3000 m (300–9800 ft) | 10–50 m (0–200 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
|
MA; Asia (China, Japan, Korea) [Introduced in North America] |
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.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 139. | FNA vol. 6, p. 134. |
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 | |
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 3: 144. (1896) | Langsdorff ex Gingins: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 295. (1824) |
Web links |
|