vkingdom Plantae - plants » divisio Magnoliophyta - flowering plants » class Rosopsida - eudicots » order Malpighiales » family Violaceae » tribus Violeae > genus Viola > section Viola sect. Andinium W. Becker

Viola beckeriana J.M. Watson & A.R.

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Description: Perennial, glabrous, evergreen, rosulate hemicryptophyte. Rootstock axial, long, stout, fagelliform. Caudex very rarely solitary, usually much branched to form spreading, integral low mound of multiple rosettes. Rosettes (3–)4–6 × ca 1.5–4 cm, frequently strongly depressed at centre (i.e. apex of shoot). Foliage arranged spirally throughout shoot, imbricate but somewhat loose-set, stipules absent; pseudopetioles to ca 2 cm long, frequently red or red-tinged; leaf-blades gradually cuneate to base, narrowly-obovate to obovate, 5–8 × 2.5–5 mm, leathery-succulent, usually more or less glaucous, often markedly so, rarely green, base at times red or red-tinged, apex subacute to subobtuse, apiculate (or rarely not, on same plant); margin pale opalescentcartilaginous, sometimes with fne, red, continuous line at junction with blade, minutely ciliate or subserrate towards base (or not, on same plant). Flowers solitary from upper leaf axils, forming irregular, often broken circle around rim of rosette, corollas obliquely upright- to horizontalfacing. Peduncles shorter than foliage, often red, with 2 narrowly lanceolate-subulate basal bracteoles 4–6 mm long. Calyx 5–6 mm long, somewhat shiny-viscid, pale red or red-tinged when peduncle also red; all upper sepals equal, linear-subulate, inferior pair shorter, narrowly triangular-acute. Corolla white, lowermost petal strongly veined dark violet over face and with longitudinal yellow throat blotch, lateral and upper petals sometimes also slightly veined. All petals glabrous; superior and lateral petals oblong to obovate, apex usually blunt to subtruncate, sometimes shallowly emarginate, rarely tapered to rounded point, upper petals smaller, 6.5–7 × 2.5–3 mm, lateral petals 8–9 × 4–4.5 mm; lowermost petal broadly obtriangular-obcordate, with or without small point in apical sinus, 9–11 × 8–10 mm. Spur stoutly cylindrical, blunt, 2 mm in length, with two submarginal, papillose thickenings ca 1.5–2 mm long in front of opening. Anthers ca 1.5 mm long, lowest pair with fliform nectaries 1.5 mm long. Connectives equal in length to anthers. Style clavate above, terminating in distinct stigmatic beak; crest formed by two large, lateral lobes, oval or paddle-shaped, somewhat revolute, recurved. Fruit unseen

Distribution range: Native Southern America SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, [Mendoza Province, Tunuyán Department, Cordillera de Tunuyán, historic Piuquenes Portillo pass to Chile]

Habitat : lower SSE-facing slopes of quite loose, fne-detritus-surfaced valleyside with some scattered rocks and runs of stony rubble, the overall upper Andean herbaceous vegetation patchy and sparse to almost absent except for intermittent colonies of Adesmia cushion shrublets and occasional moister, green seeps: local ecology – this viola fairly frequent at intervals as small colonies by or near roadside, often on low banks of semi-stable, friable soil with dwarf, often scarce, accompanying fora

Notes: This specie commemorates Wilhelm Becker, a German taxonomic botanist specialising in Viola, who was active during the frst third of the last century and for a few years previously. He must without doubt be regarded as the foremost authority to date on the genus in its entirety, and the large section Andinium in particular

References:

1. A new endemic Argentinian species of Viola L. (Violaceae) of the section Andinium W. Becker, J.M. Watson & A.R. Flores Rock Garden Quarterly Vol. 71 (2) 2013:160