Viola sororia |
Viola villosa |
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common blue violet, common or downy or woolly blue violet, northern blue violet, northern violet, northern woodland violet, violette parente, woolly blue violet |
Carolina violet, southern woolly violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–50 cm; rhizomes thick, fleshy. | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. |
Leaves | basal, 1–8, ascending to erect; stipules linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes glandular distally, apex acute; petiole 2–25 cm, pubescent or glabrous; blade green abaxially, unlobed, ovate or broadly ovate to reniform, 2–5 × 2–10 cm, not fleshy, base cordate, margins crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute to obtuse or rounded, surfaces usually pubescent, rarely glabrous. |
basal, 4–9, prostrate to ascending; stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute; petiole 3–10 cm, densely pubescent; blade unlobed, reniform or ovate to elliptic, 1–8 × 1–5.5 cm, base cordate, margins serrate, ciliate, apex rounded to acute, mucronulate, surfaces densely pubescent. |
Peduncles | 3–25 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. |
4–10 cm, puberulent. |
Flowers | sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals light to dark blue- or dark purple-violet, reddish purple, or rarely white on both surfaces, usually white basally, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest bearded or beardless, 15–25 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and dark violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, spur sometimes bearded, lowest 10–20 mm, spur usually white, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on ascending to erect peduncles. |
Capsules | ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
beige, mottled to bronze, or dark brown, 1.5–2 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
= 54. |
Viola sororia |
Viola villosa |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Jun. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Dry to mesic habitats in woods, thickets, stream banks, moist prairies, pastures, disturbed ground, not in saturated soil | Sandy, pine-oak and pine-oak-hickory woods and disturbed ground |
Elevation | 0–3000 m (0–9800 ft) | 10–300 m (0–1000 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WI; WV; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK
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AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX
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Discussion | Viola sororia is similar to V. palmata in the high degree of phenotypic plasticity. The petal color is usually light to dark blue-violet. In V. sororia forma priceana (the Confederate violet) petals are grayish white with violet veins. Viola septentrionalis was recognized by N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) based on what he considered distinct capsule and seed morphology. His assumptions were based on one to four specimens. A. Haines (2011) alluded to the variability of V. sororia and indicated that a more northern form has often been called V. septentrionalis. He suggested that range-wide patterns of variation make it difficult or impractical to separate. We currently see no valid reason to recognize V. septentrionalis. Viola floridana was recognized by D. B. Ward (2006) as distinct from V. sororia based on being glabrous except for scattered hairs on petioles. Viola sororia reportedly hybridizes with V. cucullata (= V. ×bissellii House), V. hirsutula [= V. ×cordifolia (Nuttall) Schweinitz], V. pedatifida var. brittoniana (= V. ×insolita House), V. pedatifida var. pedatifida (= V. ×bernardii Greene), and V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×conjugens Greene). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Much of the foliage of Viola villosa remains green throughout the winter (V. B. Baird 1942). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 158. | FNA vol. 6, p. 163. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. chalcosperma, V. floridana, V. latiuscula, V. palmata var. sororia, V. papilionaceae, V. priceana, V. rosacea, V. septentrionalis, V. wilmattiae | V. alabamensis |
Name authority | Willdenow: Hort. Berol. 1: plate 72. (1806) | Walter: Fl. Carol., 219. (1788) |
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