Viola sororia
Viola sheltonii
common blue violet, common or downy or woolly blue violet, northern blue violet, northern violet, northern woodland violet, violette parente, woolly blue violet
cut-leaf violet, fan violet, Shelton's violet
1–3, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from short, often vertical, deep-seated or usually shallow, 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: 1–3, 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.
3–25 cm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent.
5–19 cm, glabrous or sparsely 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 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.
ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous.
oblong to ovoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous or puberulent.
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm.
brownish, shiny, ca. 2.5 mm.
= 54.
= 12.
Viola sororia
Viola sheltonii
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.)
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.)
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