Viola odorata |
Viola hastata |
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English violet, garden violet, sweet blue violet, sweet violet, violette odorante |
halberd-leaf or halberdleaf yellow violet, halberdleaf yellow violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, stoloniferous, 4–12 cm; stolons green, often rooting at nodes and forming leafy rosettes; rooted rosettes often develop into erect, rhizomatous caudex from which new stolons are produced; rhizome thick, fleshy. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm. |
Stems | 1(–2), erect, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from fleshy rhizome. |
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Leaves | basal (and from stolons), 5–10, ascending to erect; stipules lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, margins fimbriate, projections gland-tipped, apex acute; petiole 2–17 cm, puberulent; blade unlobed, ovate to orbiculate, 1.5–7 × 1.5–5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate, ciliate, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces puberulent. |
basal and cauline; basal: 0–1; stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex usually acuminate; petiole 3–11.5 cm, usually glabrous; blade sometimes gray-green abaxially, usually mottled light green adaxially, widely or narrowly hastate to ovate, 2.5–4.4 × 1.8–3.2 cm, base hastate to cordate or truncate, margins serrate or crenate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes scabrous; cauline similar to basal except: leaves usually restricted to distal ends of naked stems; petiole 1–2.5 cm; blade 2–10 × 1.1–4.5 cm. |
Peduncles | 4–15 cm, puberulent. |
1–5.3 cm, usually glabrous. |
Flowers | sepals narrow to broadly lanceolate, margins ciliate, auricles 3–4 mm; petals deep to pale blue-violet, pale blue, or white on both surfaces, usually white basally, lateral 2 sparsely to densely bearded, lowest usually purple-veined, 12–22 mm, spur usually same color as petals, elongated, 5–7 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate or ascending peduncles. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals lemon-yellow usually on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 9.5–12 mm, spur yellow to greenish, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
Capsules | sometimes purple-flecked, ovoid, 5–8 mm, puberulent. |
ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | brown, 3–4 mm. |
beige to bronze, 2–2.5 mm. |
2n | = 20. |
= 12. |
Viola odorata |
Viola hastata |
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Phenology | Flowering Jan–May. | Flowering late Mar–May. |
Habitat | Lawns, roadsides, clearings, riparian habitats, parks, urban areas | Rich woods, chiefly mountains and piedmont |
Elevation | 0–1700 m (0–5600 ft) | 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft) |
Distribution |
CA; CT; ID; IL; MA; ME; MI; NC; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; UT; WA; WI; BC; NS; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Australia]
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AL; GA; KY; MD; NC; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
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Discussion | Viola odorata occurs in small colonies; individual plants are interconnected by stolons. The flowers of Viola odorata are noted for their fragrance; some plants are more fragrant than others. It is native to Eurasia and assumed to be introduced in North America where it is usually found in areas associated with human habitation, including parks, lawns, and roadsides. A substantial industry revolved around the commercial production of violets in England, France, and the United States from prior to 1895 and into the 1900s (R. E. Coombs 2003). Viola odorata is sometimes found in remote locations not easily explained by anthropogenic influence, for example, Clearwater Mountains, Idaho. It is available through the nursery trade and is cultivated as a garden plant and occasionally reported as an escape. Viola odorata is grown in southern France for essential oils used in perfumes, flavorings, and toiletries, and also for the production of the sweet, violet-colored liqueur called parfait amour (V. H. Heywood 1978). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
V. B. Baird (1942) commented that Viola hastata is more closely related to V. glabella than to any eastern species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 140. | FNA vol. 6, p. 133. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 934. (1753) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 149. (1803) |
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