Viola nephrophylla
Viola lanceolata
kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle
bog white violet, Howell's violet, lance-leaf or bog white violet, lance-leaf violet, strap-leaf violet, violette lancéolée, white bog 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, 2–6(–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.
3–25 cm, usually glabrous.
2–17 cm, usually pubescent.
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 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.
ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous.
ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous.
beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.
beige to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.
= 54.
= 24.
Viola nephrophylla
Viola lanceolata
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 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.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
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MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
PNW Herbaria, 
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WildflowerSearch
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- Local floras: BC, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: Flora NW, Go Botany, IL Wildflowers,
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, PNW Herbaria - WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
