Viola nephrophylla |
Viola lithion |
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kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle |
rock violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome slender, becoming thick and fleshy with age. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm. |
Stems | 1–3, ascending to erect, glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome. |
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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; stipules unknown; petiole 1–10 cm, glabrous, sometimes finely puberulent; blade broadly ovate or deltate to broadly deltate, 1–2.5(–2.9) × 0.6–2.2(–2.6) cm, base usually cordate to truncate, rarely rounded, margins crenate-dentate, eciliate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous; cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate, margins usually fimbriate-toothed, sometimes entire, apex attenuate or acute; petiole 1.1–3.7 cm, sometimes finely puberulent; blade ovate to deltate, 0.7–2.2 × 0.4–1.2 cm, base sometimes rounded on distal blades. |
Peduncles | 3–25 cm, usually glabrous. |
3–6(–10) 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, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals blue to pale violet on both surfaces with yellow area basally, lower 3 purple-veined, lowest with yellow area, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 5.5–11 mm, spur white to pale violet, gibbous, 0.5–1.3 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers unknown. |
Capsules | ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous. |
subglobose, ca. 5 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
dark brown, ca. 1.8 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
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Viola nephrophylla |
Viola lithion |
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Phenology | Flowering Jan–Sep. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
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 | Seasonally wet cracks and crevices, narrow ledges of rock outcrops, shaded northeast-facing avalanche chutes, cirque headwalls, subalpine conifer zone |
Elevation | 100–3000 m (300–9800 ft) | 2300–3100 m (7500–10200 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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NV; UT |
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.) |
Of conservation concern. Viola lithion is known only from the White Pine Range in Nevada and the Pilot Range straddling the Nevada-Utah border. It is related to V. canadensis and V. flettii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 139. | FNA vol. 6, p. 136. |
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) | N. H. Holmgren & P. K. Holmgren: Brittonia 44: 300, fig. 1A – D. (1992) |
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