[2.9.4] Viola sect. Melanium subsect. Ebracteatae

Viola subsect. Ebracteatae Kupffer in Kusnezow et al., Fl. Caucas. Crit. 3: 225. 1909 

≡ Viola ser. Ebracteatae (Kupffer) Vl. V. Nikitin in Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 83(3): 135. 1998

Lectotype (Nikitin 1998 [72], page 135): Viola modesta Fenzl

Description.—Ephemeral annuals. Lamina of basal leaves entire or subcrenate. Calycine appendages 0.5–5.3 mm. Corolla with bright yellow throat. Bottom petal (spur included) 2–11.5 mm. Spur 0.9–3 mm. Cleistogamous flowers not produced. Pollen apertures 3 or heteromorphic 4. Ploidy 4x, 8x, >8x.

Diagnostic characters.—Annuals AND lamina of basal leaves entire or subcrenate.

Ploidy and accepted chromosome counts.—4x, 8x, >8x; 2n = 4, 8, 10, 20, 36.

Age.—Crown node c. 8.5 Ma (Figure 6), stem node age 12.5 (11.8–12.8) Ma [28].

Included species.—9. 

Viola denizliensis O. D. Düsen, Göktürk, U. Sarpkaya & B. Gürcan, 

Viola dirimliensis Blaxland, 

Viola ermenekensis Yıld. & Dinç, 

Viola mercurii Orph. ex Halácsy, 

Viola modesta Fenzl, 

Viola occulta Lehm., 

Viola parvula Tineo, 

Viola pentadactyla Fenzl, 

Viola rauliniana Erben

Distribution.—Western Eurasia. Diversity centre in the eastern Mediterranean area.

Discussion.—Section Melanium subsect. Ebracteatae is the second lineage nested within the basal polytomy of sect. Melanium (Figure 6). This lineage is characterised phylogenetically by being partly tetraploid [28], karyologically by having very low chromosome numbers (2n = 4, 8, 10; polyploid 2n = 20, 36), and morphologically by being small-flowered ephemeral annuals (bottom petal 2–11.5 mm) with entire or subcrenate basal leaves. In most species the appendages of the two lower sepals are conspicuously longer than those of the other sepals (not in V. denizliensis and V. dirimliensis). The tetraploids have small, monomorphic 3-colporate pollen [157].