The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

goosefoot yellow violet, mountain yellow violet, pine violet

dog violet, heath dog-violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–18 cm, cespitose or not. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–40 cm.
Stems

1–3, prostrate or erect, leafy proximally and distally, puberulent or canescent to gray-tomentose, sometimes glabrous, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

1–5, ascending to erect, glabrous, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–4;

stipules adnate to petiole forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire or laciniate, apex of each wing free, tips usually filamentous;

petiole 2.3–9.5 cm, puberulent or canescent;

blade purple-tinted abaxially or not, usually linear to narrowly lanceolate, oblanceolate or obovate, or lanceolate-elliptic, rarely ovate, 1.3–5 × 0.3–2.5 cm, base attenuate, margins usually lacerate, dentate, or serrate, sometimes entire, usually undulate, ciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces puberulent to canescent or gray-tomentose;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate, oblanceolate, or linear-oblong, margins entire or lacerate, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 0.9–8.3 cm;

blade 2.8–9.6 × 0.3–1.4 cm, length 4–11 times width.

cauline;

stipules linear to lanceolate, margins ± lacerate to subentire, points often gland-tipped, apex acute;

petiole 0.3–2.5 cm, glabrous;

blade ovate to narrowly ovate, 1.2–5.2 × 1–2.7 cm, base cordate or deeply cordate to truncate, margins crenate, eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely pubescent on veins, adaxial surface glabrous or sparsely pubescent.

Peduncles

2.9–11.5 cm, puberulent or canescent.

1–10 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 red- to purple-brown abaxially, lower 3 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 5–12 mm, spur color same as petals, gibbous, 1.5–3 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 2–3 mm;

petals usually blue- to gray-violet on both surfaces, rarely white, white basally, lower 3 dark violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 15–25 mm, spur light yellow to light green or white, gibbous to usually elongated, 3–5 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

ovoid, 3.5–7 mm, puberulent.

ovoid, 7.5–9 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

medium to dark brown, 2–3.5 mm.

light to dark brown; 1.7–2.1 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 40.

Viola pinetorum

Viola canina

Phenology Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat Sunny to shady, dry to slightly moist ground, heath lands, grazed or mown grassland, dunes, rock ledges, open woodland, disturbed areas (roadsides, railway banks, gravel pits), littoral vegetation of lakes and streams
Elevation 20–300 m (100–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from USDA
Greenland; Europe; Asia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Flowers of Viola pinetorum have been observed to close up in late afternoon then fully reopen the following morning.

Although E. O. Wooton and P. C. Standley (1915) reported Viola pinetorum from New Mexico, the plant was probably V. nuttallii. K. W. Allred (2008) noted that V. pinetorum occurs in California; he did not recognize it in New Mexico.

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

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

Viola canina was possibly introduced in Greenland (T. Marcussen and T. Karlsson et al. 2010).

Hybrids of Viola canina are known with the European species V. mirabilis Linnaeus, V. pumila Chaix, V. reichenbachiana Jordan ex Boreau, V. riviniana Reichenbach, V. rupestris F. W. Schmidt (both subspecies), V. stagnina Kitaibel, and V. uliginosa Besser.

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

Key
1. Plants 6.5–18 cm, not cespitose; basal leaf blades 0.7–2.5 cm wide, surfaces puberulent; peduncles 3.4–11.5 cm.
var. pinetorum
1. Plants 3–7(–9) cm, usually cespitose; basal leaf blades 0.3–1 cm wide, surfaces canescent, sometimes appearing gray-tomentose; peduncles 2.9–6(–7) cm.
var. grisea
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 144. FNA vol. 6, p. 127.
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. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, 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. 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. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Subordinate taxa
V. pinetorum var. grisea, V. pinetorum var. pinetorum
Synonyms V. purpurea var. pinetorum V. canina var. montana, V. montana, V. nemoralis
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 2: 14. (1889) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 935. (1753)
Web links