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

Carolina violet, southern woolly violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 7–10 cm. Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy.
Stems

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

1–4 cm, densely white-tomentose.

4–10 cm, puberulent.

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 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

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

ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous.

Seeds

brown with lighter brown mottling, 2.5–2.8 mm.

beige, mottled to bronze, or dark brown, 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 54.

Viola tomentosa

Viola villosa

Phenology Flowering May–Aug. Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat Dry, gravelly places, open ponderosa, Jeffrey, lodgepole pine forests Sandy, pine-oak and pine-oak-hickory woods and disturbed ground
Elevation 1500–2000 m (4900–6600 ft) 10–300 m (0–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX
[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.)

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. 160. FNA vol. 6, p. 163.
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. 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. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. walteri
Synonyms V. alabamensis
Name authority M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen: Leafl. W. Bot. 5: 142. (1949) Walter: Fl. Carol., 219. (1788)
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