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prostrate blue violet

Utah violet

Habit Plants perennial, caulescent, stoloniferous, 5–19 cm; stolons green or reddish, leafy, sometimes rooting at nodes, becoming lignified in age. Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–20 cm.
Stems

1–5, prostrate, spreading, finely puberulent, from current and/or previous year’s growth, on usually vertical, fleshy rhizome, rooting and forming rosettes at or near tip; rooted rosettes often develop into an erect, fleshy caudex from which new stems are produced.

1–4, prostrate, decumbent, or erect, leafy proximally and distally, glabrate or sparsely puberulent, on caudex from subligneous rhizome.

Leaves

basal and cauline;

basal: 3–6;

stipules lanceolate, margins laciniate, projections often long-filamentous, apex long-acuminate;

petiole 2.3–7.3 cm, glabrous or pubescent;

blade often purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, ovate to reniform, 1.2–5 × 1.6–3.6 cm, base deeply to broadly cordate, margins crenulate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous or pubescent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules ovate to lanceolate, margins laciniate;

petiole 1–3.5 cm;

blade 1.3–2.9 × 1.4–3.2 cm.

basal and cauline;

basal: 1–3;

stipules adnate to petiole, forming 2 linear-lanceolate wings, margins entire or laciniate with glandular hairs, apex of each wing free, acute, sometimes divided into several filiform processes;

petiole 2–8(–12) cm, glabrate or sparsely puberulent;

blade usually broadly ovate, sometimes ± orbiculate, 1–4.5 × 0.7–3.4 cm, base usually attenuate, rarely truncate or subcordate, margins ± coarsely crenate-serrate, ciliate, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrate or sparsely puberulent;

cauline similar to basal except: stipules lanceolate or linear-lanceolate to linear, margins ± entire or lacerate to laciniate with sparse gland-tipped projections, apex acute to acuminate, often divided into 2–4 filiform processes;

petiole 3–8.7 cm;

blade ovate to oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, 0.7–1.6 × 2.6–3.7 cm, margins shallowly serrate, irregularly crenate, or ± entire, apex acute to obtuse.

Peduncles

5–9.6 cm, glabrous or pubescent.

4–10 cm, glabrate or sparsely puberulent.

Flowers

sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins mostly eciliate, auricles 0.5–1 mm;

petals pale to bluish violet on both surfaces, lower 3 white basally and darker violet-veined, lateral 2 and often upper 2 and lowest bearded, lowest 15–18 mm, spur white, gibbous to usually elongated, 3–5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

sepals lanceolate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–1.5 mm;

petals deep lemon-yellow adaxially, upper 2 and sometimes lateral 2 reddish brown to brownish purple abaxially, lower 3 and sometimes upper 2 dark brown-veined, lateral 2 sparsely bearded, lowest 10–13 mm, spur yellow, gibbous, 0.5–1.5 mm;

style head bearded; cleistogamous flowers axillary.

Capsules

ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–7 mm, glabrous.

± spherical, 6–7 mm, glabrous or finely puberulent.

Seeds

brown, 1–1.5 mm.

brown, ca. 3 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 24.

Viola walteri

Viola utahensis

Phenology Flowering May.
Habitat Open sagebrush areas, semidesert slopes, grasslands, open forests
Elevation 1200–2600 m (3900–8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; OH; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; ID; NV; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Viola utahensis occurs only in areas where its closest relatives, V. vallicola and V. purpurea var. venosa, are also found and it appears to have originated from the crossing of those taxa followed by a doubling of the chromosomes (M. S. Baker 1949). The elaiosome of V. utahensis seeds has the same general appearance as those of other members of V. purpurea complex (except V. purpurea var. venosa), covering about one-third the length of the seed. G. Davidse (1976) found that tetraploid members of Clausen’s “subsect.” Purpurea (V. utahensis) have serrate leaf margins; diploid plants (V. purpurea) have crenate leaf margins. He also found that the size of V. utahensis plants is correlated with elevation, the largest plants at low elevations and the smallest at higher elevations.

G. Davidse (1976) reported putative hybrids between Viola utahensis and V. praemorsa subsp. major (= var. linguifolia), V. purpurea var. venosa, and V. beckwithii.

Observed pollinators of Viola utahensis in Utah include the bees Apis mellifera Linnaeus and Anthophora ursina Cresson (G. Davidse 1976). In other populations, flies in the genera Eristalis Latreille and Bombylius Linnaeus were observed indiscriminately visiting the yellow-flowered species V. praemorsa subsp. major, V. utahensis, and V. vallicola (Davidse).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Leaf blades pubescent, hairs scattered throughout or concentrated along veins, adaxial surfaces, or toward margins; stipule margin processes 1/2+ stipule length.
var. walteri
1. Leaf blades glabrous or pubescent, hairs usually confined to adaxial surfaces; stipule margin processes to 1/2 stipule length.
var. appalachiensis
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 163. FNA vol. 6, p. 162.
Parent taxa Violaceae > Viola Violaceae > Viola
Sibling taxa
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedata, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. utahensis, V. vallicola, V. villosa
V. adunca, V. affinis, V. arvensis, V. bakeri, V. beckwithii, V. bicolor, V. biflora, V. blanda, V. brittoniana, V. canadensis, V. canina, V. charlestonensis, V. clauseniana, V. cucullata, V. cuneata, V. douglasii, V. egglestonii, V. epipsila, V. flettii, V. frank-smithii, V. glabella, V. guadalupensis, V. hallii, V. hastata, V. hirsutula, V. howellii, V. japonica, V. labradorica, V. lanceolata, V. langsdorffii, V. lithion, V. lobata, V. macloskeyi, V. missouriensis, V. nephrophylla, V. novae-angliae, V. nuttallii, V. ocellata, V. odorata, V. orbiculata, V. palmata, V. palustris, V. pedata, V. pedatifida, V. pedunculata, V. pinetorum, V. praemorsa, V. primulifolia, V. prionantha, V. pubescens, V. purpurea, V. quercetorum, V. renifolia, V. riviniana, V. rostrata, V. rotundifolia, V. sagittata, V. selkirkii, V. sempervirens, V. septemloba, V. sheltonii, V. sororia, V. striata, V. subsinuata, V. tomentosa, V. tricolor, V. trinervata, V. tripartita, V. umbraticola, V. vallicola, V. villosa, V. walteri
Subordinate taxa
V. walteri var. appalachiensis, V. walteri var. walteri
Name authority House: Torreya 6: 172. (1906) M. S. Baker & J. C. Clausen: Leafl. W. Bot. 5: 145. (1949)
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