Viola vallicola
Viola egglestonii
sagebrush violet, valley violet, valley yellow violet, yellow prairie violet, yellow sagebrush violet
cedar glade or glade violet, glade violet
1–5, decumbent or ascending to erect, leafy proximally and distally, ca. 1/2 subterranean, glabrate to puberulent, on caudex from usually vertical, subligneous rhizome.
basal and cauline;
basal: 1–6;
stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire, apex of each wing free, sometimes divided into filiform processes;
petiole 3–10 cm, glabrous or puberulent;
blade ovate to oblong-ovate, 1.5–4.3 × 0.9–1.1 cm, base usually truncate, sometimes attenuate, margins entire or serrulate, sometimes sinuate, ciliate (sometimes only on proximal 1/2 of leaf), apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or puberulent;
cauline similar to basal except: stipules linear to linear-lanceolate, margins ± entire, apex acute;
petiole 1.5–9.2 cm;
blade ovate or lanceolate to elliptic, 2.3–4 × 1–2 cm, length ca. 2.2 times width, base usually ± truncate to subcordate, sometimes attenuate on new leaves, margins sinuate, apex acute.
basal, 3, prostrate to ascending;
stipules linear-lanceolate, margins entire, apex acute;
petiole 1.5–7 cm, usually glabrous;
earliest leaf blades ± deltate or 3-lobed, mid-season blades 5–9-lobed, 1–9 × 1–10 cm, base truncate to cuneate, middle lobe lanceolate or spatulate to narrowly ovate, lateral lobes lanceolate or spatulate to falcate, margins serrate, sometimes with deltate or falcate appendages or teeth, ciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.
3–11.5 cm, glabrous or puberulent.
2–15 cm, usually glabrous, rarely pubescent.
sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially or on both surfaces, upper 2 often brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 dark brown- to brownish purple-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 9–14 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.8–1.2 mm;
style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.
sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;
petals light to dark blue-violet on both surfaces, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 white basally, lower 3 darker violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 10–15 mm, spur usually lilac, gibbous, 2–3 mm;
style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate peduncles.
spherical, ca. 5 mm, glabrous or finely puberulent.
ellipsoid, 11–14 mm, glabrous.
tan, 2.1–2.2 mm, elaiosome extending beyond and covering funiculus.
beige, mottled to bronze, 2–3 mm.
= 12.
= 54.
Viola vallicola
Viola egglestonii
D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) distinguished two varieties of Viola vallicola based on geographic location and type of leaf flavonoids: 1) var. major (Hooker) Fabijan, occurring west of the Continental Divide with leaf flavonoids primarily kaempferol derivatives; and 2) var. vallicola occurring east of the Continental Divide with leaf flavonoids all apigenin derivatives. Fabijan et al. reported that var. major (valley violet) occurs in sagebrush flats, prairie grasslands, open forests, juniper woodlands, 400–2800 m, in Alberta, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.
M. S. Baker (1957) noted that there is only a tendency for leaves of Viola vallicola to be wide with truncate bases; on some plants only a few leaves are truncate. Images of type specimens at NY show truncate leaf bases for most basal and cauline leaves, with only some cauline leaves being attenuate. The key to V. vallicola in D. M. Fabijan et al. (1987) described the cauline leaf bases as truncate with some later cauline leaves becoming cuneate. G. Davidse (1976) stated that the V. vallicola plants he studied had cordate to truncate leaf bases; he made no distinction between basal and cauline leaves. Baker stated that V. vallicola may have given rise to V. nuttallii through a doubling of its chromosomes.
Because intermediate leaf forms are found in areas where Viola vallicola and V. nuttallii are sympatric, some question the specific status of V. vallicola. No hybrids involving V. nuttallii and V. vallicola are known (D. M. Fabijan et al. 1987).
V. Harms (pers. comm.) reported that Viola vallicola is frequent in southern Saskatchewan grasslands, usually occurring with V. nuttallii and appearing the more frequent of the two.
Observed pollinators of Viola vallicola in the intermountain region include flies in the genera Bombylius Linnaeus and Eristalis Latreille (G. Davidse 1976).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
N. H. Russell (1965) was the first to consider Viola egglestonii similar to V. septemloba. After analyzing leaf-blade lobing patterns, L. E. McKinney considered it a subspecies of V. septemloba. Although similarities exist between these taxa, we maintain them as distinct species.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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