Viola sororia
Viola nuttallii
common blue violet, common or downy or woolly blue violet, northern blue violet, northern violet, northern woodland violet, violette parente, woolly blue violet
Nuttall's or Nuttall's yellow or yellow prairie violet, Nuttall's violet, violette de Nuttall, yellow prairie violet
1–6, ascending to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ca. 1/2 subterranean, puberulent, on caudex from usually vertical, subligneous rhizome.
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 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.
3–25 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
3–13 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
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 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.
ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous.
subglobose to ovoid, 4–10 mm, usually glabrous, rarely finely puberulent.
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.
medium brown, 2–3.2 mm, elaiosome extending over 1/3 length of seed and completely covering funiculus.
= 54.
= 24.
Viola sororia
Viola nuttallii
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.)
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.)
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