Viola purpurea
Viola vallicola
goosefoot violet, mountain violet, pine violet, purple-mark yellow violet
sagebrush violet, valley violet, valley yellow violet, yellow prairie violet, yellow sagebrush violet
1–5(–7), decumbent or spreading to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ± glabrous, puberulent, canescent, or tomentose, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.
1–5, decumbent or ascending to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrate to puberulent, on caudex from usually vertical, 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.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire, apex of each wing free, sometimes divided into filiform processes;
petiole 3–10 cm, glabrous or puberulent;
blade ovate to oblong-ovate, 1.5–4.3 × 0.9–1.1 cm, base usually truncate, sometimes attenuate, margins entire or serrulate, sometimes sinuate, ciliate (sometimes only on proximal 1/2 of leaf), apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules linear to linear-lanceolate, margins ± entire, apex acute;
petiole 1.5–9.2 cm;
blade ovate or lanceolate to elliptic, 2.3–4 × 1–2 cm, length ca. 2.2 times width, base usually ± truncate to subcordate, sometimes attenuate on new leaves, margins sinuate, apex acute.
3–11.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially or on both surfaces, upper 2 often brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown- to brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 9–14 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.8–1.2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
ovoid to ± spherical, 4–7 mm, puberulent.
spherical, ca. 5 mm, glabrous or finely puberulent.
light to dark brown or mottled gray and brown, 2–3.1 mm.
tan, 2.1–2.2 mm, elaiosome extending beyond and covering funiculus.
= 12.
= 12.
Viola purpurea
Viola vallicola
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.)
D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) distinguished two varieties of Viola vallicola based on geographic location and type of leaf flavonoids: 1) var. major (Hooker) Fabijan, occurring west of the Continental Divide with leaf flavonoids primarily kaempferol derivatives; and 2) var. vallicola occurring east of the Continental Divide with leaf flavonoids all apigenin derivatives. Fabijan et al. reported that var. major (valley violet) occurs in sagebrush flats, prairie grasslands, open forests, juniper woodlands, 400–2800 m, in Alberta, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
M. S. Baker (1957) noted that there is only a tendency for leaves of Viola vallicola to be wide with truncate bases; on some plants only a few leaves are truncate. Images of type specimens at NY show truncate leaf bases for most basal and cauline leaves, with only some cauline leaves being attenuate. The key to V. vallicola in D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) described the cauline leaf bases as truncate with some later cauline leaves becoming cuneate. G. Davidse (1976) stated that the V. vallicola plants he studied had cordate to truncate leaf bases; he made no distinction between basal and cauline leaves. Baker stated that V. vallicola may have given rise to V. nuttallii through a doubling of its chromosomes.
Because intermediate leaf forms are found in areas where Viola vallicola and V. nuttallii are sympatric, some question the specific status of V. vallicola. No hybrids involving V. nuttallii and V. vallicola are known (D. M. Fabijan et al. 1987).
V. Harms (pers. comm.) reported that Viola vallicola is frequent in southern Saskatchewan grasslands, usually occurring with V. nuttallii and appearing the more frequent of the two.
Observed pollinators of Viola vallicola in the intermountain region include flies in the genera Bombylius Linnaeus and Eristalis Latreille (G. Davidse 1976).
(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 |
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