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evergreen violet, redwood violet, redwoods violet, trailing yellow violet, violette toujours verte

cedar glade or glade violet, glade violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, stoloniferous, 10–30 cm; stolons green or reddish, leafy, sometimes rooting at nodes, becoming lignified in age. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–20 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy.
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.

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, 3, prostrate to ascending;

stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;

petiole 1.5–7 cm, usually glabrous;

earliest leaf blades ± deltate or 3-lobed, mid-season blades 5–9-lobed, 1–9 × 1–10 cm, base truncate to cuneate, middle lobe lanceolate or spatulate to narrowly ovate, lateral lobes lanceolate or spatulate to falcate, margins serrate, sometimes with deltate or falcate appendages or teeth, ciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.

Peduncles

5–10 cm, glabrous.

2–15 cm, usually glabrous, rarely 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 lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 white basally, lower 3 darker violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 10–15 mm, spur usually lilac, gibbous, 2–3 mm;

style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate peduncles.

Capsules

mottled with purple, spherical to ovoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous.

ellipsoid, 11–14 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

brown, tinged purple, 2–2.5 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, 2–3 mm.

2n

= 24, 48.

= 54.

Viola sempervirens

Viola egglestonii

Phenology Flowering Jan–Jul. Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat Redwood forests, other coastal forests, Douglas fir, other coniferous forests Limestone glades and barrens
Elevation 30–1400 m (100–4600 ft) 100–200 m (300–700 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; IN; KY; TN
[BONAP county map]
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.)

N. H. Russell (1965) was the first to consider Viola egglestonii similar to V. septemloba. After analyzing leaf-blade lobing patterns, L. E. McKinney considered it a subspecies of V. septemloba. Although similarities exist between these taxa, we maintain them as distinct species.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 157. FNA vol. 6, p. 129.
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. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, 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. 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. 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 V. sarmentosa, V. sempervirens subsp. orbiculoides V. septemloba subsp. egglestonii
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 4: 8. (1899) Brainerd: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 37: 526, plates 34, 35. (1910)
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