Viola hirsutula

Brainerd

Rhodora 9: 98. 1907.

Common names: Southern woodland violet
Endemic
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 6. Treatment on page 133. Mentioned on page 112, 116, 120, 134, 156, 159.

Plants perennial, acaulescent, not stoloniferous, 2–15 cm; rhizome thick, fleshy. Leaves basal, 2–4, prostrate or nearly so; stipules linearlanceolate, margins entire, apex acute; petiole 1–10 cm, usually glabrous; blade unlobed, reniform to ovate, 1–6 × 1–5 cm, base cordate, margins serrate, ciliate or eciliate, apex rounded, adaxial leaf surface with silvery strigose patches. Peduncles 2–12 cm, glabrous. Flowers: sepals lanceolate to ovate, margins ciliate or eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals light to deep reddish violet to blue-violet on both surfaces, 3 lower whitish basally, dark violet-veined, lateral 2 densely bearded, lowest 11–17 mm, spur violet, gibbous, 2–3 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers on prostrate to ascending peduncles. Capsules ellipsoid, 8–12 mm, glabrous. Seeds beige, mottled to bronze, 1–1.5 mm. 2n = 54.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat: Dry to mesic deciduous woodlands
Elevation: 100–1000 m

Distribution

V6 225-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Conn., Del., D.C., Fla., Ga., Ind., Ky., Md., Miss., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.

Discussion

Viola hirsutula exhibits little phenotypic plasticity. Although considered by N. L. Gil-Ad (1997) to be a putative hybrid, he did not identify the potential parents and chose not to recognize it. A. Cronquist in H. A. Gleason and Cronquist (1991) considered V. hirsutula a form of V. villosa. Viola hirsutula is considered one of the more distinct species throughout its range by McKinney because of the pattern of silvery strigose patches on adaxial leaf surfaces and a more prostrate growth habit than similar species. He believes V. hirsutula is one of the least variable species in the flora. Viola hirsutula appears to occur much less frequently than herbarium collections suggest. Some herbarium specimens are misidentified and represent depauperate plants, usually of V. sororia. These specimens are often hairy on the adaxial leaf surfaces but lack the silvery patches.

Viola hirsutula reportedly hybridizes with V. sororia var. sororia (= V. ×cordifolia [Nuttall] Schweinitz) and V. sagittata var. sagittata (= V. ×redacta House).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"thick" is not a number.

... more about "Viola hirsutula"
rounded;acute +
not +  and prominent +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
R. John Little +  and Landon E. McKinney† +
Brainerd +
cordate +
overlapping +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
reniform +  and ovate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
muriculate +
ellipsoid +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
Southern woodland violet +
Ala. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ind. +, Ky. +, Md. +, Miss. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Pa. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Va. +  and W.Va. +
ovoid +  and spheroid +
100–1000 m +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
lateral +  and upper +
2 +  and produced in summer , apetalous or petals +
cleistogamous +
3-valved +  and capsular +
loculicidal +
Dry to mesic deciduous woodlands +
stoloniferous +, rhizomatous +, taprooted +  and simple +
scattered +  and concentrated +
variously--shaped +
1(-3)[-5]-flowered +
petiolate +  and simple +
nearly +  and prostrate +
unlobed +
not narrowed +
serrate +  and entire +
eciliate +  and ciliate +
auriculate +
syngenesious +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
prostrate +  and ascending +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
dark violet-veined +, whitish +, light +  and deep reddish violet +
lowest +, lateral +  and lower +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> (1.7 cm17 mm <br />0.017 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Flowering Mar–Jun. +
[2-]3[-5]-carpellate +
deep-seated +
mottled;bronze +
ovoid;spherical +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
lanceolate +  and ovate +
subequal +
longitudinal +
acaulescent +  and caulescent +
elongated +
gibbous +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
adherent +, not adherent +  and distinct +
leafy +  and simple +
shallow +
deciduous +
prostrate +  and decumbent +
vertical;horizontal;erect;ascending +
subligneous +  and fleshy +
hollow +  and solid +
beardless +  and bearded +
enlarged +
Chrysion +, Crocion +  and Lophion +
Viola hirsutula +
species +
not stoloniferous +  and acaulescent +
prostrate +  and erect +
hairy +  and glabrous +