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

Nuttall's or Nuttall's yellow or yellow prairie violet, Nuttall's violet, violette de Nuttall, yellow prairie violet

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, 2–27 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.

1–6, ascending to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ca. 1/2 subterranean, 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: 1–6;

stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute, few-toothed or lobed;

petiole 2–17 cm, glabrous or minutely puberulent;

blade lanceolate, ovate, or elliptic, 1–9 × 0.6–2.5 cm, base attenuate, margins entire or serrulate, sometimes sinuate, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules adnate to or free from petiole, linear to linear-lanceolate or linear-oblong, sometimes leaflike, margins usually entire, rarely laciniate or glandular, apex acute to acuminate;

petiole 2–7 cm;

blade 1.4–7.2(–10) × 1.1–2.3 cm, length 1.3–4.4 times width, apex acute.

Peduncles

5–10 cm, glabrous.

3–13 cm, glabrous or puberulent.

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 eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially or on both surfaces, upper 2 often brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown- to brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 6–13 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–1.5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

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

subglobose to ovoid, 4–10 mm, usually glabrous, rarely finely puberulent.

Seeds

brown, tinged purple, 2–2.5 mm.

medium brown, 2–3.2 mm, elaiosome extending over 1/3 length of seed and completely covering funiculus.

2n

= 24, 48.

= 24.

Viola sempervirens

Viola nuttallii

Phenology Flowering Jan–Jul. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Redwood forests, other coastal forests, Douglas fir, other coniferous forests Sagebrush flats, prairie grasslands, dry stream banks, juniper woodlands, scree slopes
Elevation 30–1400 m (100–4600 ft) 400–2600 m (1300–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CA; ID; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; KS; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; SD; UT; WY; AB; MB; SK
[WildflowerSearch map]
[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.)

D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) stated that Viola nuttallii showed no evidence of hybridization even when growing with V. vallicola east of the Rocky Mountains.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 157. FNA vol. 6, p. 140.
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. 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. 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 Crocion nuttallii
Name authority Greene: Pittonia 4: 8. (1899) Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 1: 174. (1813)
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