Viola rostrata - (image 1 of 4)
Taxonomy
Family: Violaceae
Habitat
Shaded slopes and woodlands. Usually in deep organic soil.
Associates
Distribution
ME and Quebec west to MI and eastern WI, south to GA and AL.
Morphology
Herbaceous perennial to 25 cm from a short, branched rhizome. Leaves ovate, 2-4 cm, cordate at the base, most acute except the lowermost; stipules lanceolate, fimbriate-toothed above the middle. Flower pale blue-violet, beardless, with a distinctive long spur 7-12 mm long, elevated above the leaves; style slender, straight, smooth. Fruit ellipsoid, 5-6 mm; seeds light yellow-brown.
Notes
Flowers April to June
Wetland indicator: Facultative Upland
A common woodland violet in the northeastern U.S. Two other blue violets have spurs, V. conspersa and V.selkirkii, but the spur is not quite as long in these. V. conspersa has bearded petals and can hybridize with V. rostrata.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
Swink, F. and G. Wilhelm. 1994. Plants of the Chicago Region.
Indiana Academy of Science. The Morton Arboretum. Lisle, Illinois.
USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
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Michael Hough © 2005 |