Viola sempervirens |
Viola charlestonensis |
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evergreen violet, redwood violet, redwoods violet, trailing yellow violet, violette toujours verte |
Charleston Mountain or Charleston violet, Charleston Mountain violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, caulescent, stoloniferous, 10–30 cm; stolons green or reddish, leafy, sometimes rooting at nodes, becoming lignified in age. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 6–15 cm. |
Stems | 1–5, prostrate, spreading, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from current and/or previous year’s growth, on usually vertical, fleshy rhizome, rooting and forming rosettes at or near tip; rooted rosettes often develop into an erect, fleshy caudex from which new stems are produced. |
1–3, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, leafy proximally and distally, 1/2–2/3 subterranean, glabrous or puberulent, on caudex from usually vertical, subligneous rhizome. |
Leaves | evergreen, basal and cauline; basal: 1–6(–10); stipules deltate to ovate or linear-lanceolate, margins entire or glandular-toothed, apex acute to long-acuminate; petiole 2–16 cm, glabrous; blade often purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, orbiculate to ovate, 1–4.5 × 2–3.9 cm, base cordate to truncate, margins crenate, eciliate, apex blunt to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or with scattered bristles on one or both surfaces; cauline similar to basal except: stipules deltate to lanceolate, margins entire or sparingly toothed; petiole 0.3–3 cm; blade 1.2–2.2 × 1.2–2 cm. |
basal and cauline; basal: 1–3; stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire or sparingly lacerate, apex of each wing free, acuminate; petiole 3.5–13.5 cm, densely short-puberulent; blade purplish abaxially (often dark purple-veined), grayish adaxially with prominent whitish veins (from dense hairs), usually orbiculate to broadly ovate, sometimes reniform, thick, 1–3.5 × 1.1–3.3 cm, base attenuate or truncate, margins entire, ciliate mostly on proximal half of blade, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces densely short-puberulent; cauline similar to basal except: stipules deltate to lanceolate, apex acute; petiole 1.9–3.4 cm; blade ovate or elliptic to deltate, 0.7–3.1 × 0.6–2.2 cm, length 0.7–1.9 times width, base usually attenuate, sometimes subcordate, margins entire, ciliate. |
Peduncles | 5–10 cm, glabrous. |
1.7–6.6 cm, pubescent. |
Flowers | sepals lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals lemon-yellow on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 8–17 mm, spur yellow or whitish, gibbous, 1–2.5 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
sepals linear-lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 usually conspicuously reddish brown to brownish purple abaxially, lateral 2 streaked or solid reddish brown, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 dark brown-veined proximally, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 8–13 mm, spur usually reddish brown, sometimes yellowish, gibbous, 0.4–2 mm, glabrous or scabrous abaxially; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
Capsules | mottled with purple, spherical to ovoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous. |
spherical, 4.5–9 mm, puberulent. |
Seeds | brown, tinged purple, 2–2.5 mm. |
black, 3.4–3.5 mm. |
2n | = 24, 48. |
= 12. |
Viola sempervirens |
Viola charlestonensis |
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Phenology | Flowering Jan–Jul. | Flowering May–Jun. |
Habitat | Redwood forests, other coastal forests, Douglas fir, other coniferous forests | On limestone hills, slopes, and dry washes beneath Pinus monophylla, P. ponderosa, Juniperus osteosperma, and/or Cercocarpus sp. |
Elevation | 30–1400 m (100–4600 ft) | 2000–2900 m (6600–9500 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
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NV; UT |
Discussion | In California, Viola sempervirens occurs in shaded redwood forests and other coastal forest habitats. In Oregon and Washington, it occurs in Douglas fir and other coniferous forests, where it can form mats (clones) one meter or more in diameter; its prostrate, spreading growth habit is similar to V. walteri. The leafy stems of V. sempervirens are similar to the leafy stolons of V. odorata. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Viola charlestonensis is known only from the Spring Mountains (previously called Charleston Mountains) in Nevada and Zion National Park, Utah. M. S. Baker (in I. W. Clokey 1945) stated that E. C. Jaeger reportedly collected it at Jacob’s Pool, Arizona, in July 1926. The location of this single Arizona collection may be an error (R. J. Little 2001). M. S. Baker and J. Clausen (in I. W. Clokey 1945) stated that Viola charlestonensis is the only species in Becker’s Nuttallianae group with the spur pubescent on the exterior. In some populations in the Spring Mountains, Nevada, the spur and the midvein on the abaxial surface of the lowest petal to ± the middle of the lowest petal are covered ± densely with short hairs. Scattered hairs are also present on the abaxial surface of the lateral and upper petals. In other populations in the Spring Mountains, short hairs are mostly absent on the spur, lowest petal, and abaxial surfaces of lateral and upper petals. M. S. Baker (in I. W. Clokey 1945) commented that he observed numerous sterile flowers and relatively few mature capsules and seeds of Viola charlestonensis plants when he visited the Spring Mountains in June 1937. Similar observations were made of V. charlestonensis plants in the Spring Mountains at one location in 2009 and of three other locations in 2010. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 157. | FNA vol. 6, p. 127. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. sarmentosa, V. sempervirens subsp. orbiculoides | V. purpurea var. charlestonensis |
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 4: 8. (1899) | M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen: Madroño 8: 58. (1945) |
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