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

Viola orbelica Pančič

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Synon.: Viola alpestris f. orbelica (Pančič) W. Becker; V. saxatilis [subsp. macedonica] f. orbelica (Pančić) Hayek, Repert

Common name: 

Description: Plant usually annual to biennial (rarely short-lived perennial) greyish white, glabrous to short pubescent. Stem (5)10–15(30) cm high, ascending branched from base. Lower leaves 12–30 × 6–9 mm at time of flowering, usually smaller then the other ones, with longer petioles than those from middle and upper; blade ovate to orbicular, obtuse or rounded, coarsely crenate, shortly pubescent. Stipules of lower leaves small, shortly pubescent and 1/6–1/3 as long as lower leaves, oblong to oblong-spathulate, entire or two- to three-partite. The terminal segment elongate-lanceolate, on the inner side with 0–1 and on outer side with 1–3 very small, narrow triangular to oblong-lanceolate lateral segments. Middle and upper leaves 22–45 × 5–12 mm at time of flowering wide lanceolate to oblanceolate, sometimes at the middle of the stem ovate to obovate with shorter petioles; blade ovate-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 1.5–2 times longer than stipules, gradually attenuated at the base into the petiole, obtuse or acute, crenate, densely pubescent. Petiole 0.3–0.6 as long as leaf blade, 0.7–1.1 mm wide, sparse to densely short pubescent. Stipules of middle and upper leaves 1/4–2/5 shorter than the leaves, pinnately divided, pubescent; the undivided terminal part relatively large, leaf-like; there are 1–3 lateral segments on the inner and 2–6 on the outer side of the stipules, which are tapering gradually downwards.  Peduncles up to 15 cm, puberulent to pubescent only in lower part. Bracts at a distance of 1/5-1/4 of the length of the peduncle below the flower, 1.6–2.8 × 0.9–1.3 mm, narrow triangular to ovate, near the base, on either side, with 1–2 small, narrow triangular glands. Flowers small to medium size 1.3–2.0 cm, orbicular or obovate, 1–5 on the stem, solitary in the axils of the cauline leaves, not fragrant. Sepals 7–10 × 1.5–2.5 mm, elongate lanceolate, acuminate, mostly glabrous on back, longciliate at margin; margin with 1–3 ± conspicuous short teeth on both sides, or often entire. Appendages 1/4 as long as sepals, narrow to wide rectangular, trapezoid or semiorbicular, attenuate at base, coarsely dentate. Petals yellow, rarely bluish-violet or bicolor, at the base orange, upper petals 9–12 × 5–9 mm, obovate to orbiculate; lateral 9–13 × 4.5–7.5 mm, narrow orbiculate to obovate, lower petals (including spur) 14.5–21 × 6–11 mm, cordate to almost triangular, usually longitudinally folded along the midrib. Spur glabrous, 4.8–7.5 mm long, reaching 3/10 to 4/10 of the lower petal length, elliptical in cross-section (median diameter 1.2–1.7 mm), straight to slightly curved upwards, pale violet or greenish. Fruit a capsule. Seeds ellipsoid 1.7–1.8 × 0.9–1.0 mm, pale to dark brown. Flowering period: June–July; fructification from July to September

Distributional Range: Native Europe SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Greece [North-East Greece ], Former Yugoslavia: North Macedonia, Serbia

[Delipavlov (1979) and Erben (1985) considered this species endemic to Bulgaria and confined to the mountain ranges of Rila and Pirin. Interestingly, Erben (1985) erroneously published herbarium specimens of V. orbelica from Mt. Centralna Stara Planina [“Balkan-Gebirge: Hütte Rai am Botev, 8.1960, Lepper & Lippold (JE)”]. Later, it was confirmed for eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia (Mt. Osogovski Planini, Mt. Golak and Mt. Plačkovica) (Micevski 1995) and only recently, it was also found in the Mts. Rhodope in NE Greece (Dimopoulos et al. 2013)

Habitat:  V. orbelica inhabits alpine rocky pastures, predominantly on silicate at heights of (1200-)1500-2000(-2300) m in Bulgaria. In the Republic of Macedonia it grows on subalpine rocks and rocky grounds on silicate geological substrate, at the altitude from 1000 to 2200 m

References:

1. GORDANA TOMOVIĆ et al. Viola orbelica (Violaceae), new species for the flora of Serbia Bulletin of the Natural History Museum, 2016, 9: 67-79.   10.5937/hnhmb1609067T