Viola renifolia
Viola riviniana
kidney-leaf or kidney-shape or white violet, kidney-leaf violet, kidney-leaf white violet, northern white violet, violette réniforme, white violet
common dog-violet, dog violet, wood violet
1–5, erect, ascending, or decumbent, glabrous or puberulent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.
basal, 1–5, prostrate to ascending;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire to sparsely laciniate, apex acute;
petiole 3–10 cm, strigose, sericeous, or villous, occasionally glabrous;
blade unlobed, reniform or ovate to broadly ovate or orbiculate, 1.5–3.5 × 2–5 cm, base cordate to broadly cordate, margins serrate-crenate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, occasionally acuminate, surfaces usually sparsely to densely strigose, sericeous, or villous throughout or along veins, sometimes glabrous.
basal and cauline;
basal: 3–5;
stipules subulate or lanceolate, margins fimbriate, apex acute to acuminate;
petiole 2.5–12 cm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent;
blade ovate to reniform, 2.3–5.5 × 2.6–5.3 cm, base cordate to deeply cordate, margins crenate, eciliate, apex acute or obtuse, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely puberulent, adaxial surface usually sparsely puberulent, sometimes glabrous;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate or lanceolate, margins fimbriate, apex long-acuminate;
petiole 1.3–6 cm;
blade ovate or broadly ovate, 1.8–5 × 1.5–4.2 cm, apex acute.
3–8 cm, puberulent.
2.8–10 cm, glabrous, sometimes puberulent.
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins usually eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;
petals white on both surfaces, lower 3 purple-veined, all beardless or lower 3 sparsely bearded, lowest 8–10 mm, spur white, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate;
auricles 1.8–2.5 mm (enlarged in fruit);
petals violet on both surfaces, lower 3 usually white basally, rarely violet, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 13–17 mm, spur white, rarely violet, elongated, 5–7 mm, tip straight or hooked, blunt;
style head beardless (surface papillose); cleistogamous flowers axillary.
ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous.
ovoid or oblong, 8–12 mm, glabrous.
mottled beige to bronze, 1.5–2.2 mm.
pale to light brown, 1.8–2.1 mm.
= 24.
= 40.
Viola renifolia
Viola riviniana
Nonflowering plants of Viola renifolia and V. epipsila appear similar. The abaxial leaf surfaces of V. renifolia usually have a few short, straight hairs on the main veins; leaves of V. epipsila are usually glabrous (C. Parker, pers. comm.). Viola renifolia can appear similar to V. macloskeyi. V. B. Baird (1942) wrote that V. renifolia sometimes produces ascending stems. H. A. Gleason and A. Cronquist (1991) noted that if stolons were present, they were short and racemelike with cleistogamous flowers. The ascending stems and stolons mentioned by these authors may or may not be different phases of the same structure.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Viola riviniana has become established in several states on the Pacific Coast. It is cultivated and sold through nurseries in the United States. In the nursery trade in California and elsewhere, it is incorrectly referred to incorrectly as V. labradorica ‘Purpurea.’ In some plants shoots arise from adventitious buds on the roots (A. R. Clapham et al. 1987; T. Marcussen and T. Karlsson 2010).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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