[1.1] Viola sect. Confertae

Viola sect. Confertae Reiche in Nat. Pflanzenfam., ed. 1 [Engler & Prantl], 3(6): 335.

Type species: Viola nassauvioides Phil., Anales Univ. Chile 81: 346. 1892.

Diagnostic characters.—Perennial erect, cauline, glabrous herb. Fertile stem enveloped in short, acaulous laminas, apex as expanded, imbricated rosette. Sterile rosettes basal, subacaulous, imbricated.

Included species.—1. 

Viola nassauvioides Phil.

Distribution.—One of the three sections of the subgenus with only one member, in this case as a single site rarity not known since its type gathering. Its exact location is also unknown. The field note on the specimens and indication in the type description, both by Philippi, state respectively: "Cordilleras centrales" [Central mountain ranges] and "Cum Viola cotyledone nescio quo loco Andium lecta fuit" [I do not know where in the Andes it was collected together with Viola cotyledon]. V. cotyledon has been recorded from the south of the Santiago Metropolitan Region down to Arauco. The evidence suggests it probably inhabits

Etymology: Confertae, meaning closely set, refers to the dense coverage of laminas.

1. Marcussen, T. et al. A Revised Phylogenetic Classification for Viola (Violaceae). Plants 11, 2224 (2022). p. 42

2. Watson, J.M., Flores, A.R., Nicola, M.V. & Marcussen, T. (2022) Viola subgenus Neoandinium, Preliminary Monograph. International Rock Gardener: Glasgow, UK, pp. 191. [https://www.srgc.net/documents/publications/Viola%20monograph.pdf]

Iconography: Header image