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long-spur violet, violette rostrée

Missouri violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–20 cm. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–50 cm; rhizomes thick, fleshy.
Stems

1–7, ascending to erect (often declining during anthesis), glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–5;

stipules lanceolate, margins laciniate, apex acute;

petiole 1–9.6 cm, glabrous;

blade sometimes purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, reniform to ovate, 1–4.5 × 1–4 cm, base broadly cordate to cordate, margins crenate to serrate, mostly eciliate, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces usually pubescent, mostly adaxially toward base, sometimes glabrous;

cauline similar to basal except: petiole 0.4–4 cm;

distal cauline blades ovate to deltate, 1–4.5 × 1–4 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate to acute.

basal, 1–8, ascending to erect;

stipules linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes distally glandular, apex acute;

petiole 5–20 cm, glabrous;

blade green abaxially, unlobed, usually narrowly to broadly deltate, 1.5–12 × 1.5–10 cm, not fleshy, base cordate or broadly cordate to truncate, margins ± crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to acuminate, surfaces glabrous, rarely pubescent.

Peduncles

5–9 cm, usually glabrous.

3–25 cm, usually glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm;

petals pale lavender-violet on both surfaces, all white basally, lower 3 purple-black-veined, all beardless, lowest 8–20 mm, spur white, purple, or lavender-tinged, elongated, 10–20 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

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

petals light to dark blue-violet, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest beardless, rarely lightly bearded, 15–25 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

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

Capsules

ellipsoid, 4–6 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

beige to bronze, 1.3–2 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 54.

Viola rostrata

Viola missouriensis

Phenology Flowering Apr–May. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Rich, mesic to dry, well-drained woodlands, mountains Swamps, thickets, stream banks, alluvial woods
Elevation 200–1800 m (700–5900 ft) 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; CT; GA; IN; KY; MA; MD; MI; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON; QC; e Asia (Japan)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MD; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NM; OK; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola rostrata has the longest spur of any North American Viola species.

Viola rostrata reportedly hybridizes with V. labradorica (= V. ×malteana House) and V. striata (= V. ×brauniae Grover ex Cooperrider).

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

What many have treated as Viola affinis, especially in the southern Gulf coastal states, is likely to be V. missouriensis. N. H. Russell (1965) considered the two as likely part of a species complex inhabiting alluvial woods and wet areas and exhibiting the typical deltate leaf blade shape. L. E. McKinney (1992) considered V. missouriensis a variety of V. sororia. Viola missouriensis appears to have a closer affinity to V. affinis, as Russell suggested; current evidence suggests maintaining V. missouriensis as a separate species.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 154. FNA vol. 6, p. 138.
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. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, 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. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, 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 Lophion rostratum V. candidula, V. langloisii, V. lucidifolia, V. sororia var. missouriensis
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 174. (1813) Greene: Pittonia 4: 141. (1900)
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