kingdom Plantae - plants »  divisio Magnoliophyta - flowering plants »  class Rosopsida - eudicots » order Malpighiales »  family Violaceae »  tribus Violeae > genus Viola > Viola sect. Melanium  Ging. 

Viola kopaonikensis Pančić ex Tomo 

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Synon.: “V. lutea” sensu Pančić; V. alpestris subsp. aetolica” sensu W. Becker, Beih; V. saxatilis subsp. aetolica” sensu Hayek; V. aetolica” sensu Diklić

Description: Usually short-lived perennial (rarely annual or biennial), (8)15–20(25) cm height, branched from base. Shoots pubescent in lower part, green to canescent. Lower leaves with longer petioles than those from middle and upper; blade ovate to orbicular, obtuse or rounded, coarsely crenate, pubescent. Stipules of lower leaves small, oblong to oblong-spathulate, entire or two to three-partite. Middle and upper leaves with shorter petioles; blade oblong-ovate to lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1.5–2 times longer than stipules, gradually attenuated at the base into the petiole, obtuse or acute, crenate, pubescent. Stipules of middle and upper leaves pinnately divided, pubescent; the undivided terminal part relative large, with 1–3 lateral segments on the inner and 2–6 on the outer side, tapering gradually downwards. Peduncles 4–10 cm, puberulent to pubescent in lower part, glabrescent in middle part and densely papillose at top; bracts in upper third of peduncle. Flowers small to medium size, 1.6–2.3 × 1.3–1.9 cm, bright yellow; lower surface of petals often becoming blue-violet at the end of flowering period. Calyx: upper sepals (5.2)7.4–9.5(11.8) × (2.2)2.9–3.6(5.4) mm; lateral (6.3)8.3–10.6(13.4) × (2)2.6–3.4(4.8) mm; lower (7.7)9.4–11.9(15.2) × (2.5)3.2–4.2(5.9) mm. Sepals broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, mostly acute, attenuate at base, mostly densely pubescent on back, sometimes becoming glabrous in fruit, ciliate at margin; margin with 1–3 ± conspicuous teeth on both sides, or often entire. Appendages 1/4–1/3 as long as sepals, narrow to wide rectangular, trapezoid or semiorbicular, attenuate at base, coarsely dentate. Corolla: upper petals (8.5)10–12.3(16) × 6(7.4)–9.4(11.8) mm, obovate to orbiculate; lateral (9)10.4–12.7(15.7) × (5)6.1–7.2(9.9) mm, ovate to irregularly ovate, papillose-hairy at the upper margins; lower without spur (8.2)10.1–11.8(13.8) × (8)9.7–11.3(13.8) mm slightly triangular to cordate, usually longitudinally folded along the midrib. Spur glabrous, straight to slightly curved upwards, yellow to yellow-violet, (6.3)7.1–8.1(9.6) mm × (1.5)1.7–2(2.2) mm; ratio of length/width: 3.9–4.6. Seeds ellipsoid, pale to dark brown. Flowering period: May–July. 

Distributional Range: Native Europe SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Republic of Serbia: restricted to several mountains in Central Serbia (Mt Kopaonik and Mt Željin) and southwestern Serbia (Mt Rogozna and Pešter plateau) 

Habitats: ecology:—V. kopaonikensis inhabits xerophile montane, subalpine and alpine rocky grounds, on ultramafic geological substrate, at the elevation from 1100 to 1900 m. The habitats of this endemic species in Mt Kopaonik are subalpine and alpine rocky grounds of vegetation class Festuco–Seslerietea, as well as montane rocky grounds of the class Festuco–Brometea at the elevations from 1500 to 1900 m. In Mt Rogozna, as well as on the Pešter plateau, this plant was found at the elevations between 1100 and 1350 m. At these localities, V. kopaonikensis also inhabits montane rocky grounds of vegetation class Festuco–Brometea.

Notes: Discussion:—The name “Viola kopaonikensis Panč. (nov. spec.)” was introduced in the botanical literature by Pančić in his last published paper (Pančić 1888). After that, only Adamović (1909) accepted “V. kopaonikensis” as a good narrow endemic species. However, as Pančić gave no formal botanical description, this name could not be accepted as a valid in the botanical literature. According to Becker (1910) “V. kopaonikensis Panč.” is the synonym of V. alpestris subsp. aetolica (Boissier & Heldreich) Becker (1910: 345). Hayek (1925) includes the name “V. Kopaonicensis Panč. in sched.” in “V. saxatilis subsp. aetolica”. This opinion was followed by Diklić (1972) who included the violet from Mt Kopaonik in the synonymy of V. aetolica. The name V. kopaonikensis was no longer mentioned in the recent floristic literature (Valentine et al. 1968, Erben 1985). 

References:

1. GORDANA TOMOVIĆ1, MARJAN NIKETIĆ, MAJA LAZAREVIĆ & LJUPČO MELOVSKI  (2016)  Taxonomic reassessment of Viola aetolica and Viola elegantula (V. sect. Melanium, Violaceae), with descriptions of two new species from the Balkan Peninsula Phytotaxa 253 (4): 237–265