Viola sempervirens |
Viola japonica |
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evergreen violet, redwood violet, redwoods violet, trailing yellow violet, violette toujours verte |
Japanese 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, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–10 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. |
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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, ca. 5, ascending to erect; stipules ± oblong, 2-fid, proximal margins entire, distal ± serrate, apex acuminate; petiole narrowly winged distally, 1–14 cm, usually glabrous; blade unlobed, broadly ovate or triangular-ovate, 3–8 × 3–5.5 cm, base cordate, margins crenate, usually eciliate, apex acute or ± obtuse, surfaces sparsely puberulent. |
Peduncles | 5–10 cm, glabrous. |
3–6 cm, glabrous or pubescent, bracteoles near middle. |
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 broadly lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 6–8 mm; petals light violet or whitish violet on both surfaces, lowest 3 occasionally white basally, often dark violet-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded or beardless, lowest 17–20 mm, spur pale to dark violet, elongated, 5–10 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers present. |
Capsules | mottled with purple, spherical to ovoid, 5–8 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 8–10 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | brown, tinged purple, 2–2.5 mm. |
unknown. |
Gardens | and ruderal areas; 10–50 m; introduced; Mass.; Asia (China, Japan, Korea). |
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2n | = 24, 48. |
= 48.Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Viola sempervirens |
Viola japonica |
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Phenology | Flowering Jan–Jul. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Redwood forests, other coastal forests, Douglas fir, other coniferous forests | Gardens and ruderal areas |
Elevation | 30–1400 m (100–4600 ft) | 10–50 m (0–200 ft) |
Distribution |
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
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MA; Asia (China, Japan, Korea) [Introduced in North America] |
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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 157. | FNA vol. 6, p. 134. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. sarmentosa, V. sempervirens subsp. orbiculoides | |
Name authority | Greene: Pittonia 4: 8. (1899) | Langsdorff ex Gingins: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 1: 295. (1824) |
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