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felt-leaf violet, woolly or felt-leaf or feltleaf violet, woolly violet

halberd-leaf or halberdleaf yellow violet, halberdleaf yellow violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 7–10 cm. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm.
Stems

1–3(–5), prostrate or decumbent to erect, leafy proximally and distally, densely white-tomentose, from usually vertical, subligneous rhizome.

1(–2), erect, leafless proximally, leafy distally, glabrous or sparsely puberulent, from fleshy rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–6;

stipules linear to broadly ovate-oblong, margins entire, sometimes with scattered glandular hairs, apex acute to obtuse;

petiole 2–6 cm, densely white-tomentose;

blade ± oblanceolate to elliptic, 1.5–5 × 1.4–2.1 cm, base attenuate, usually oblique, margins usually entire, rarely crenate distally, ciliate, apex acute to usually obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces densely white-tomentose abaxially, strigose adaxially;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate, lanceolate, oblanceolate, or oblong, margins entire or toothed, densely ciliate with white hairs;

petiole 1.5–3.5 cm;

blade 1.8–4 × 0.6–1.1 cm.

basal and cauline;

basal: 0–1;

stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins laciniate with gland-tipped projections, apex usually acuminate;

petiole 3–11.5 cm, usually glabrous;

blade sometimes gray-green abaxially, usually mottled light green adaxially, widely or narrowly hastate to ovate, 2.5–4.4 × 1.8–3.2 cm, base hastate to cordate or truncate, margins serrate or crenate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes scabrous;

cauline similar to basal except: leaves usually restricted to distal ends of naked stems;

petiole 1–2.5 cm;

blade 2–10 × 1.1–4.5 cm.

Peduncles

1–4 cm, densely white-tomentose.

1–5.3 cm, usually glabrous.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate-tomentose, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 often brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown- to brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 6–11 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–1.5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent.

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals lemon-yellow usually on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 9.5–12 mm, spur yellow to greenish, gibbous, 0.5–2 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

± spherical, 4–5 mm, densely white-tomentose.

ovoid to ellipsoid, 6–8 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

brown with lighter brown mottling, 2.5–2.8 mm.

beige to bronze, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 12.

Viola tomentosa

Viola hastata

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering late Mar–May.
Habitat Dry, gravelly places, open ponderosa, Jeffrey, lodgepole pine forests Rich woods, chiefly mountains and piedmont
Elevation 1500–2000 m (4900–6600 ft) 50–2000 m (200–6600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; GA; KY; MD; NC; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Viola tomentosa occurs in El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, and Sierra counties. M. S. Baker (1949) reported that nearly every leaf axil of V. tomentosa produces a flower bud and that these buds produce chasmogamous flowers late in season instead of cleistogamous flowers, as do other members of the V. nuttallii complex.

Viola tomentosa hybridizes with V. purpurea; the hybrids appeared sterile (M. S. Baker 1949). J. Clausen (1964) reported a putative hybrid between V. tomentosa and V. sheltonii from one location in Sierra County.

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

V. B. Baird (1942) commented that Viola hastata is more closely related to V. glabella than to any eastern species.

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

Source FNA vol. 6, p. 160. FNA vol. 6, p. 133.
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. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, 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. 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. 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
Name authority M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen: Leafl. W. Bot. 5: 142. (1949) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 149. (1803)
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