Viola villosa |
Viola brittoniana |
|
---|---|---|
Carolina violet, southern woolly violet |
coast violet, coastal violet, northern coastal violet |
|
Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–30 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. |
Leaves | 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. |
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 | 4–10 cm, puberulent. |
5–18 cm, usually glabrous. |
Flowers | 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. |
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 | ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous. |
ellipsoid, 10–15 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | beige, mottled to bronze, or dark brown, 1.5–2 mm. |
beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
= 54. |
Viola villosa |
Viola brittoniana |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | Sandy, pine-oak and pine-oak-hickory woods and disturbed ground | Alluvial woods, mesic forests on slopes near streams, wet fields, salt meadows |
Elevation | 10–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 0–100 m (0–300 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX
|
CT; DE; MA; MD; ME; NC; NJ; NY; PA; SC; VA |
Discussion | 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.) |
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. 163. | FNA vol. 6, p. 125. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. alabamensis | V. atlantica, V. baxteri, V. brittoniana var. pectinata, V. pectinata, V. pedatifida subsp. brittoniana, V. pedatifida var. brittoniana |
Name authority | Walter: Fl. Carol., 219. (1788) | Pollard: Bot. Gaz. 26: 332. (1898) |
Web links |