Viola walteri
Viola walteri var. walteri
prostrate blue violet
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.
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.
blade surfaces pubescent, hairs scattered throughout or concentrated along veins, adaxial surfaces, or toward margins.
5–9.6 cm, glabrous or pubescent.
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.
ovoid to ellipsoid, 5–7 mm, glabrous.
brown, 1–1.5 mm.
margin processes 1/2+ stipule length.
= 20.
= 20.
Viola walteri
Viola walteri var. walteri
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Variety walteri shows an interesting transition between caulescent and acaulescent violets; its growth habit is similar to Viola odorata (A. E. Radford et al. 1968). D. Klaber (1976) reported that V. walteri forms mats to 0.6 m in diameter.
Viola walteri and V. sempervirens have a similar growth habit, the abaxial and adaxial leaf surfaces of their mature leaves are often distinctly purple-dotted, and their stems persist through the winter.
Variety walteri is reported to hybridize with V. striata (= V. ×cooperrideri H. E. Ballard).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
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