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crow-foot violet, prairie or crowfoot or larkspur violet, prairie violet, violette pédatifide

southern woodland violet

Habit Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy.
Leaves

basal, 2–11, ascending to erect, 5–9-lobed;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;

petiole 3–16 cm, pubescent;

blade similar in width and shape, lobes lanceolate, spatulate, falcate, or linear, 1–7 × 2–8 cm, base truncate to reniform, margins entire, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces pubescent, hairs sometimes concentrated on veins.

basal, 2–4, prostrate or nearly so;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;

petiole 1–10 cm, usually glabrous;

blade unlobed, reniform to ovate, 1–6 × 1–5 cm, base cordate, margins serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex rounded, adaxial leaf surface with silvery strigose patches.

Peduncles

5–18 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

2–12 cm, glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals light to soft reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 and lowest usually bearded, lowest 10–25 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on ascending to erect peduncles.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals light to deep reddish violet to blue-violet on both surfaces, 3 lower whitish basally, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 11–17 mm, spur violet, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.

Capsules

ellipsoid, 10–15 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, 1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 54.

= 54.

Viola pedatifida

Viola hirsutula

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jun. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Prairies, grasslands, disturbed ground, dry gravelly hills Dry to mesic deciduous woodlands
Elevation 500–1000 m (1600–3300 ft) 100–1000 m (300–3300 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CO; IA; IL; IN; KS; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; OH; OK; SD; VA; WI; WY; AB; MB; ON; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IN; KY; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola pedatifida was reported historically from, and recently rediscovered in, the Appalachian shale barrens of Virginia (T. Wieboldt, pers. comm.).

Viola pedatifida reportedly hybridizes with V. sororia (= V. ×bernardii Greene).

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

Viola hirsutula exhibits little phenotypic plasticity. Although considered by N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) to be a putative hybrid, he did not identify the potential parents and chose not to recognize it. A. Cronquist in H. A. Gleason and Cronquist (1991) considered V. hirsutula a form of V. villosa. Viola hirsutula is considered one of the more distinct species throughout its range by McKinney because of the pattern of silvery strigose patches on adaxial leaf surfaces and a more prostrate growth habit than similar species. He believes V. hirsutula is one of the least variable species in the flora. Viola hirsutula appears to occur much less frequently than herbarium collections suggest. Some herbarium specimens are misidentified and represent depauperate plants, usually of V. sororia. These specimens are often hairy on the adaxial leaf surfaces but lack the silvery patches.

Viola hirsutula reportedly hybridizes with V. sororia var. sororia (= V. ×cordifolia [Nuttall] Schweinitz) and V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×redacta House).

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 144. FNA vol. 6, p. 133.
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. pedata, 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. 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. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Synonyms V. delphiniifolia, V. palmata var. pedatifida
Name authority G. Don: Gen. Hist. 1: 320. (1831) Brainerd: Rhodora 9: 98. (1907)
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