Viola villosa |
Viola lithion |
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Carolina violet, southern woolly violet |
rock violet |
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Habit | Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. | Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–15 cm. |
Stems | 1–3, ascending to erect, glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome. |
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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 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 | 4–10 cm, puberulent. |
3–6(–10) cm, 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, 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 | ellipsoid, 6–10 mm, glabrous. |
subglobose, ca. 5 mm, glabrous. |
Seeds | beige, mottled to bronze, or dark brown, 1.5–2 mm. |
dark brown, ca. 1.8 mm. |
2n | = 54. |
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Viola villosa |
Viola lithion |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Jun–Aug. |
Habitat | Sandy, pine-oak and pine-oak-hickory woods and disturbed ground | Seasonally wet cracks and crevices, narrow ledges of rock outcrops, shaded northeast-facing avalanche chutes, cirque headwalls, subalpine conifer zone |
Elevation | 10–300 m (0–1000 ft) | 2300–3100 m (7500–10200 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX
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NV; UT |
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.) |
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. 163. | FNA vol. 6, p. 136. |
Parent taxa | Violaceae > Viola | Violaceae > Viola |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. alabamensis | |
Name authority | Walter: Fl. Carol., 219. (1788) | N. H. Holmgren & P. K. Holmgren: Brittonia 44: 300, fig. 1A – D. (1992) |
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