Viola odorata |
Viola selkirkii |
|
---|---|---|
English violet, garden violet, sweet blue violet, sweet violet, violette odorante |
great-spur or long-spur or Selkirk's violet, great-spur violet, Selkirk's violet, violette de Selkirk |
|
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, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 4–15 cm; rhizome slender, not fleshy. |
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, 2–12, prostrate to ascending; stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute; petiole 1.5–7 cm, not winged, glabrous or pubescent; blade unlobed, usually ovate, rarely orbiculate, 1–5 × 1–5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate to crenulate or serrate, eciliate, apex rounded to acute, surfaces glabrous or sometimes pubescent abaxially, strigose adaxially. |
Peduncles | 4–15 cm, puberulent. |
3–6 cm, glabrous or pubescent. |
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-lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals light violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and dark violet-veined, lateral 2 beardless, lowest 8–13 mm, spur pale to dark violet, elongated, 4–7 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles. |
Capsules | sometimes purple-flecked, ovoid, 5–8 mm, puberulent. |
ovoid to ellipsoid, 4–8 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | brown, 3–4 mm. |
brown, 1–2 mm. |
2n | = 20. |
= 24. |
Viola odorata |
Viola selkirkii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jan–May. | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Lawns, roadsides, clearings, riparian habitats, parks, urban areas | Wet to moist places, thickets, mixed or coniferous woods |
Elevation | 0–1700 m [0–5600 ft] | 200–3000 m [700–9800 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]
|
AK; CO; MA; ME; MI; MN; NH; NY; PA; SD; VT; WA; WI; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; QC; SK; YT; Greenland; Eurasia
|
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.) |
Viola selkirkii occurs on the southwestern coast of Greenland, north to 63ºN (L. Brouillet, pers. comm.). Presence of V. selkirkii in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut is considered doubtful (L. Brouillet et al., http://canadensys.net/vascan). K. W. Allred (2008) said that V. selkirkii was considered by W. C. Martin and C. R. Hutchins (1980) to be expected in New Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 140. | FNA vol. 6, p. 157. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 934. (1753) | Pursh ex Goldie: Edinburgh Philos. J. 6: 324. (1822) |
Web links |
|