Viola novae-angliae

House

Rhodora 6: 226, plate 59. 1904.

Common names: New England blue violet
Endemic
Synonyms: Viola septentrionalis var. grisea Fernald V. sororia var. grisea (Fernald) L. E. McKinney V. sororia var. novae-angliae (House) L. E. McKinney
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 139. Mentioned on page 116.

Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–50 cm; rhizomes thick, fleshy. Leaves basal, 2–8, ascending to erect; stipules linear-lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes distally glandular, apex acute; petiole 5–25 cm, densely pubescent; blade unlobed, narrowly ovate to narrowly deltate, 3.5–7 × 2–5 cm, base cordate, margins uniformly crenate to serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely pubescent. Peduncles 3–25 cm, glabrous or pubescent. Flowers: sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals light to dark blue- or dark purple-violet or reddish purple, lowest and sometimes lateral 2 purple-veined, lateral 2 bearded, lowest bearded or beardless, 15–25 mm, spur same color as petals, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles. Capsules ellipsoid, 5–12 mm, glabrous. Seeds beige, mottled to bronze, 1.5–2.5 mm. 2n = 54.


Phenology: Flowering Apr–Jun.
Habitat: Gravelly, wet, rocky shores of lakes and streams, meadows
Elevation: 0–100 m

Distribution

V6 238-distribution-map.jpg

Man., N.B., Ont., Que., Maine, Mich., Minn., Wis.

Discussion

L. E. McKinney (1992) considered Viola novae-angliae to be a variety of V. sororia; N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) treated it as a distinct species. H. E. Ballard and S. C. Gawler (1994) also considered V. novae-angliae distinct and suggested it might be a hybrid between V. sagittata and V. sororia. Viola novae-angliae appears to have a close affinity with V. sororia; we recognize them here as separate species.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Viola novae-angliae"
R. John Little +  and Landon E. McKinney† +
New England blue violet +
Man. +, N.B. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Maine +, Mich. +, Minn. +  and Wis. +
0–100 m +
Gravelly, wet, rocky shores of lakes and streams, meadows +
Flowering Apr–Jun. +
Viola septentrionalis var. grisea +, V. sororia var. grisea +  and V. sororia var. novae-angliae +
Viola novae-angliae +
species +