Viola trinervata |
Viola brittoniana |
|
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3-nerve violet, desert pansy, Rainier or sagebrush or three-nerve violet, Rainier violet, sagebrush violet, three-nerve violet |
coast violet, coastal violet, northern coastal violet |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm. | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. |
Stems | 1–4, decumbent, ascending, or erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous, from single, vertical, deep-seated caudex. |
|
Leaves | basal and cauline; basal: 1–7, palmately compound, leaflets 3–5; stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, unlobed, margins entire, apex of each wing free, acute; petiole 4.5–15 cm, glabrous; blade reniform or ovate to ± orbiculate, 2–5 × 2.5–5 cm, coriaceous, base tapered, leaflets cleft or dissected into 2–3 elliptic, lanceolate, or oblanceolate lobes 2–7 mm wide, margins usually entire, eciliate, apex acute, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous (± glaucous), abaxial surface usually with prominent vein parallel to each margin; cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate; petiole 1–5.5 cm; blade 1–3 × 2–4.5 cm. |
basal, 5–9, ascending to erect, 5–9-lobed; stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex obtuse; petiole 3–16 cm, usually glabrous; mid-season blades incised or lobed throughout, earliest blades lobed (plants homophyllous), similar to mid-season blades, middle and lateral blade lobes differ in width and/or shape, middle lobes lanceolate or spatulate to narrowly obovate, lateral lobes lanceolate or spatulate to falcate (each sometimes with deltate to falcate appendages or teeth along margins), 1–7 × 2–8 cm, base truncate to cordate, margins entire, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely with a few strigose, hairs concentrated on veins. |
Peduncles | 1.1–7 cm, glabrous. |
5–18 cm, usually glabrous. |
Flowers | sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0–1 mm; petals: upper 2 often overlapping, dark reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 lilac, rarely white, lateral 2 bearded, with yellow patch basally and reddish violet patch distal to yellow patch, lowest 9–15 mm with yellow patch, dark reddish violet-veined, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.6–1.5 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers absent. |
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 2–3 mm; petals light to soft reddish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 10–25 mm, sometimes bearded, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on ascending to erect peduncles. |
Capsules | ovoid, 7–12 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 10–15 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | tan, 3.2–4.5 mm. |
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
|
Viola trinervata |
Viola brittoniana |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Sagebrush flats, dry, rocky hillsides, usually in gravelly soil | Alluvial woods, mesic forests on slopes near streams, wet fields, salt meadows |
Elevation | 400–1200 m (1300–3900 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
OR; WA
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CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NJ; NY; PA; SC; VA |
Discussion | In some populations of Viola trinervata the lower three petals are white with a yellow area proximally (V. B. Baird 1942). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Britton considered Viola brittoniana similar to V. pedatifida, apparently making him the first to recognize their affinity. Both are homophyllous and similar in other characters (L. E. McKinney 1992). McKinney recognized V. brittoniana as a variety of V. pedatifida. Additional evidence (N. L. Gil-Ad 1997; A. Haines 2011) suggests that these taxa are sufficiently distinct to continue recognition as separate species. Viola pectinata has sharply dentate leaves and is closely related to V. brittoniana, usually occurring with it. N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) made a convincing argument to recognize it as a form; A. Haines (2011) recognized it as a species. Others have considered it to be a sporadic form that may be of hybrid origin, or, as N. H. Russell (1965) suggested, is due to genetic dimorphism. We are reserving a decision on treating this taxon until additional studies are completed. A. Haines (2011) reported that the distribution of Viola brittoniana in Maine is actually based on the hybrid V. ×insolita House (V. brittoniana × V. sororia). Viola brittoniana reportedly hybridizes with V. cucullata (= V. ×notabilis E. P. Bicknell), V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×mulfordiae Pollard), and V. sororia (= V. ×insolita). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 161. | FNA vol. 6, p. 125. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. beckwithii var. trinervata | V. atlantica, V. baxteri, V. brittoniana var. pectinata, V. pectinata, V. pedatifida subsp. brittoniana, V. pedatifida var. brittoniana |
Name authority | (Howell) Howell ex A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 11: 290. (1886) | Pollard: Bot. Gaz. 26: 332. (1898) |
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