Viola nephrophylla
Viola utahensis
kidney-leaf violet, Leconte violet, northern bog violet, violette néphrophylle
Utah violet
1–4, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, leafy proximally and distally, glabrate or sparsely puberulent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.
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: 1–3;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire or laciniate with glandular hairs, apex of each wing free, acute, sometimes divided into several filiform processes;
petiole 2–8(–12) cm, glabrate or sparsely puberulent;
blade usually broadly ovate, sometimes ± orbiculate, 1–4.5 × 0.7–3.4 cm, base usually attenuate, rarely truncate or subcordate, margins ± coarsely crenate-serrate, ciliate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrate or sparsely puberulent;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear, margins ± entire or lacerate to laciniate with sparse gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate, often divided into 2–4 filiform processes;
petiole 3–8.7 cm;
blade ovate to oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, 0.7–1.6 × 2.6–3.7 cm, margins shallowly serrate, irregularly crenate, or ± entire, apex acute to obtuse.
3–25 cm, usually glabrous.
4–10 cm, glabrate or sparsely puberulent.
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 ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–1.5 mm;
petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 and sometimes lateral 2 reddish brown to brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 10–13 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–1.5 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
ovoid, 5–10 mm, glabrous.
± spherical, 6–7 mm, glabrous or finely puberulent.
beige to brown or dark brown, 1.5–2.5 mm.
brown, ca. 3 mm.
= 54.
= 24.
Viola nephrophylla
Viola utahensis
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 utahensis occurs only in areas where its closest relatives, V. vallicola and V. purpurea var. venosa, are also found and it appears to have originated from the crossing of those taxa followed by a doubling of the chromosomes (M. S. Baker 1949). The elaiosome of V. utahensis seeds has the same general appearance as those of other members of V. purpurea complex (except V. purpurea var. venosa), covering about one-third the length of the seed. G. Davidse (1976) found that tetraploid members of Clausen’s “subsect.” Purpurea (V. utahensis) have serrate leaf margins; diploid plants (V. purpurea) have crenate leaf margins. He also found that the size of V. utahensis plants is correlated with elevation, the largest plants at low elevations and the smallest at higher elevations.
G. Davidse (1976) reported putative hybrids between Viola utahensis and V. praemorsa subsp. major (= var. linguifolia), V. purpurea var. venosa, and V. beckwithii.
Observed pollinators of Viola utahensis in Utah include the bees Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Anthophora ursina Cresson (G. Davidse 1976). In other populations, flies in the genera Eristalis Latreille and Bombylius Linnaeus were observed indiscriminately visiting the yellow-flowered species V. praemorsa subsp. major, V. utahensis, and V. vallicola (Davidse).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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