Viola purpurea
Viola bicolor
goosefoot violet, mountain violet, pine violet, purple-mark yellow violet
field pansy, violette de Rafinesque, wild pansy
1–5(–7), decumbent or spreading to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ± glabrous, puberulent, canescent, or tomentose, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear, membranous wings, wing margins entire or laciniate, each wing with lanceolate to ± deltate projection, margins entire or laciniate, apex acute to long-acuminate;
petiole 1.8–14.5 cm, puberulent to tomentose;
blade purplish, purple-tinted, or gray-green abaxially, gray, green, or gray-green adaxially, sometimes shiny adaxially, ovate, orbiculate, oblong, deltate, or lanceolate, 0.8–5.3 × 0.4–4.1 cm, often fleshy, base cordate, subcordate, truncate, or attenuate, oblique or not, margins usually ± crenate, serrate, dentate, or coarsely or irregularly repand-dentate, sometimes entire, usually ciliate, apex acute to obtuse or rounded, surfaces glabrous, puberulent, or tomentose;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or ± oblong to ovate, margins entire, lacerate, or laciniate, usually ciliate, apex sometimes divided into 2–3 filiform processes or obtuse;
petiole 0.3–19.7 cm, glabrous or puberulent;
blade ovate, oblong, elliptic, deltate, or lanceolate, 0.9–5.2 × 0.2–2.9 cm, length 0.8–7.1 times width, margins crenate, serrate, dentate, repand-denticulate, undulate-denticulate, sinuate, undulate, or entire, abaxial surface puberulent, canescent, or tomentose, adaxial surface glabrous, sparsely pubescent, puberulent, canescent, or tomentose.
1–4.5 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
sepals ovate to lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–2 mm;
petals white or cream to pale bluish violet on both surfaces, dark purple-veined, lateral 2 longer than sepals, bearded, lowest 8–10 mm, spur white to blue-violet, gibbous, 1–1.5 mm, shorter than or equaling sepal auricles;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
ovoid to ± spherical, 4–7 mm, puberulent.
ellipsoid to oblong, 4–7 mm, glabrous.
light to dark brown or mottled gray and brown, 2–3.1 mm.
beige to bronze, 0.3–1.5 mm.
= 12.
= 34.
Viola purpurea
Viola bicolor
Varieties 7 (7 in the flora).
Varieties of Viola purpurea are variable and intergrade. All are found in California; six occur in other western states, one in Mexico, and one in British Columbia. Mature plants are needed for determination.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Viola bicolor is the only pansy native to North America (V. B. Baird 1942; J. Clausen et al. 1964; A. E. Radford et al. 1968) and is the only annual Viola species that produces cleistogamous flowers (Baird; A. Gershoy 1934). Roots of V. bicolor have the odor of wintergreen when crushed (W. J. Hayden and J. Clough 1990).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Basal and cauline leaf blade surfaces tomentose | var. aurea |
1. Basal and cauline leaf blade surfaces ± glabrous, canescent, or puberulent | → 2 |
2. Stems mostly buried, not much elongated by end of season; plants 1.5–9(–12) cm | → 3 |
2. Stems usually not buried, usually elongated by end of season; plants 3–25 cm | → 4 |
3. Cauline leaf margins usually entire, sometimes sinuate; basal leaf margins ± crenate to irregularly repand-dentate or entire. | var. integrifolia |
3. Cauline leaf margins usually coarsely crenate or dentate, sometimes ± serrate or ± entire; basal leaf margins coarse-serrate or irregularly dentate or crenate with 2–4 rounded teeth per side | var. venosa |
4. Basal leaf base cordate or truncate | var. dimorpha |
4. Basal leaf base usually attenuate, sometimes subcordate or truncate | → 5 |
5. Cauline leaf blade length 3.2–7.1 times width, margins usually undulate-denticulate, sometimes entire | var. mesophyta |
5. Cauline leaf blade length 1–3 times width, margins with 3–4(–5) pointed or rounded teeth per side or crenate-serrate | → 6 |
6. Basal leaf blade margins irregularly crenate, without pointed or rounded teeth; adaxial surface often shiny. | var. purpurea |
6. Basal leaf blade margins dentate-serrate with 4–5(–6) pointed or rounded teeth per side; adaxial surface not shiny. | var. mohavensis |
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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