Viola trinervata |
Viola lithion |
|
---|---|---|
3-nerve violet, desert pansy, Rainier or sagebrush or three-nerve violet, Rainier violet, sagebrush violet, three-nerve violet |
rock violet |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm. |
Stems | 1–4, decumbent, ascending, or erect, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrous, from single, vertical, deep-seated caudex. |
1–3, ascending to erect, glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome. |
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 and cauline; basal: 1–4; stipules unknown; petiole 1–10 cm, glabrous, sometimes finely puberulent; blade broadly ovate or deltate to broadly deltate, 1–2.5(–2.9) × 0.6–2.2(–2.6) cm, base usually cordate to truncate, rarely rounded, margins crenate-dentate, eciliate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous; cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate, margins usually fimbriate-toothed, sometimes entire, apex attenuate or acute; petiole 1.1–3.7 cm, sometimes finely puberulent; blade ovate to deltate, 0.7–2.2 × 0.4–1.2 cm, base sometimes rounded on distal blades. |
Peduncles | 1.1–7 cm, glabrous. |
3–6(–10) cm, 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, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm; petals blue to pale violet on both surfaces with yellow area basally, lower 3 purple-veined, lowest with yellow area, lateral 2 bearded, lowest 5.5–11 mm, spur white to pale violet, gibbous, 0.5–1.3 mm; style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers unknown. |
Capsules | ovoid, 7–12 mm, glabrous. |
subglobose, ca. 5 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | tan, 3.2–4.5 mm. |
dark brown, ca. 1.8 mm. |
Viola trinervata |
Viola lithion |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Sagebrush flats, dry, rocky hillsides, usually in gravelly soil | Seasonally wet cracks and crevices, narrow ledges of rock outcrops, shaded northeast-facing avalanche chutes, cirque headwalls, subalpine conifer zone |
Elevation | 400–1200 m (1300–3900 ft) | 2300–3100 m (7500–10200 ft) |
Distribution |
OR; WA
|
NV; UT |
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.) |
Of conservation concern. Viola lithion is known only from the White Pine Range in Nevada and the Pilot Range straddling the Nevada-Utah border. It is related to V. canadensis and V. flettii. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 161. | FNA vol. 6, p. 136. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. beckwithii var. trinervata | |
Name authority | (Howell) Howell ex A. Gray: Bot. Gaz. 11: 290. (1886) | N. H. Holmgren & P. K. Holmgren: Brittonia 44: 300, fig. 1A – D. (1992) |
Web links |