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bird-foot violet

three-part or Piedmont or threepart violet, threepart violet

Habit Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 10–40 cm.
Stems

1(2), erect, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or puberulent, from subligneous rhizome.

Leaves

basal, 4–10, ascending to erect, deeply divided;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, lacerate, or shallowly divided, apex acute;

petiole 2–12 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

blade 3–9(–10)-lobed, lobes similar in width and shape, spatulate, lanceolate ± linear, deltate, or ovate, 1–4 × 1–4 cm, base attenuate or broadly cordate to cuneate, margins entire, ciliate or eciliate, apex rounded to usually acute, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes pubescent on abaxial veins.

basal and cauline;

basal: 0(–2);

stipules ovate, not leaflike, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;

petiole 9–11.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade unlobed, ovate, or 3–5-lobed, 4–5 × 1–5 cm, base cordate, margins entire or crenate-serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous or ± puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: restricted to distal ends of stems;

stipules ovate to oblong;

petiole 0.7–7.2 cm, glabrous or puberulent;

blade unlobed, ovate or deltate, or 3-lobed (if 3-lobed, lateral lobes falcate, middle rhombic, longer than others, lobes may appear petiolate; unlobed and 3-lobed leaves can occur on same plant), 1–6 × 0.5–5.5 cm, base truncate to cuneate, margins serrate, ciliate or eciliate, surfaces glabrous or pubescent.

Peduncles

5–12 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

1.5–4 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins mostly ciliate, at least proximally, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals uniformly light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces or upper 2 darker adaxially, sometimes white, upper and lateral 2 often darker basally, lowest, seldom others, dark violet-veined, all beardless, lowest white basally, 12–24 mm, spur white, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers absent.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.1–0.5 mm;

petals lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2, rarely others, brownish purple abaxially, lowest and usually lateral 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 and sometimes lowest bearded, lowest 10–18 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous.

ovoid to ellipsoid, 9–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige, mottled to brown, 1.4–3 mm.

beige, bronze, or brown, 2.4–3 mm.

2n

= 56.

= 12.

Viola pedata

Viola tripartita

Phenology Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Rich woods
Elevation 50–1600 m (200–5200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; KY; MS; NC; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Some authors recognize two varieties of Viola tripartita based on lobed versus unlobed leaves. F. L. Lévesque and P. M. Dansereau (1966) suggested that leaf variation is the only character difference between vars. tripartita and glaberrima. N. H. Russell (1965) stated that V. tripartita plants with lobed and unlobed leaves are sympatric and frequently intergrade and did not recognize them as distinct. The situation with two leaf forms in V. tripartita is similar to V. lobata, which also has two leaf forms.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades 7–9-lobed, lobes spatulate, lanceolate, or ± linear, sometimes with narrowly deltate to falcate appendages toward apex.
var. pedata
1. Leaf blades 3–5(–10)-lobed, lobes deltate or ovate.
var. ranunculifolia
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 143. FNA vol. 6, p. 161.
Parent taxa Violaceae > Viola Violaceae > Viola
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedata, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Subordinate taxa
V. pedata var. pedata, V. pedata var. ranunculifolia
Synonyms V. hastata var. glaberrima, V. hastata var. tripartita, V. tripartita var. glaberrima
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 933. (1753) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 1: 302. (1817)
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