Viola sheltonii |
Viola walteri |
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cut-leaf violet, fan violet, Shelton's violet |
prostrate blue violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 3–27 cm. | Plants perennial, caulescent, stoloniferous, 5–19 cm; stolons green or reddish, leafy, sometimes rooting at nodes, becoming lignified in age. | ||||
Stems | 1–3, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from short, often vertical, deep-seated or usually shallow, subligneous rhizome. |
1–5, prostrate, spreading, finely 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 | basal and cauline; basal: 1–3, palmately compound, leaflets 3; stipules lanceolate-ovate, margins laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate; petiole 8.6–21 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; blade reniform or ovate to ± orbiculate, 2–7 × 2–11 cm, coriaceous, base tapered, each leaflet cleft or dissected into 3 ± obovate lobes, each lobe further divided into 2–3 oblanceolate, pandurate, spatulate, oblong, lanceolate, or elliptic, lobes 2–10 mm wide, margins entire, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely puberulent; cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to lanceolate, margin projections gland-tipped or eglandular, apex long-acuminate; petiole 5.5–12 cm; blade 1.2–6.3 × 1.2–10.5 cm. |
basal and cauline; basal: 3–6; stipules lanceolate, margins laciniate, projections often long-filamentous, apex long-acuminate; petiole 2.3–7.3 cm, glabrous or pubescent; blade often purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, ovate to reniform, 1.2–5 × 1.6–3.6 cm, base deeply to broadly cordate, margins crenulate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or pubescent; cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins laciniate; petiole 1–3.5 cm; blade 1.3–2.9 × 1.4–3.2 cm. |
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Peduncles | 5–19 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent. |
5–9.6 cm, glabrous or pubescent. |
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Flowers | sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 dark brown to brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded or beardless, lowest 7–18 mm, spur yellowish with brownish purple specks, gibbous, 1–2 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals pale to bluish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and darker violet-veined, lateral 2 and often upper 2 and lowest bearded, lowest 15–18 mm, spur white, gibbous to usually elongated, 3–5 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary. |
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Capsules | oblong to ovoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous or puberulent. |
ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–7 mm, glabrous. |
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Seeds | brownish, shiny, ca. 2.5 mm. |
brown, 1–1.5 mm. |
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2n | = 12. |
= 20. |
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Viola sheltonii |
Viola walteri |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jul. | |||||
Habitat | Red fir, yellow pine, mixed evergreen, chaparral, oak woodlands, rich or gravelly soil | |||||
Elevation | 800–2500 m (2600–8200 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
CA; CO; ID; OR; WA
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AL; AR; FL; GA; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; OH; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
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Discussion | The cleistogamous flowers of Viola sheltonii are borne on long, prostrate peduncles usually buried in duff around the plant. Mature cleistogamous capsules are usually hidden and the dehisced seeds remain close to the parent plant. Some populations of V. sheltonii produce only cleistogamous flowers (D. Klaber 1976). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 158. | FNA vol. 6, p. 163. | ||||
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | V. sheltonii var. biternata | |||||
Name authority | Torrey: in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4(5): 67, plate 2. (1857) | House: Torreya 6: 172. (1906) | ||||
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