kingdom Plantae - plants »  divisio Magnoliophyta - flowering plants »  class Rosopsida - eudicots » order Malpighiales »  family Violaceae »  tribus Violeae > genus Viola > Viola sect. Viola  L. > Viola subsect. Rostratae Kupffer    

Viola reichenbachiana Boreau - Early Dog-violet

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Synon.: Viola arenicola Chabert; Viola formosa Vuk.; Viola sylvestris auct.; Viola silvatica Fr.; Viola sylvatica Auct.; Viola sylvatica (Hartm.) Fr. ex C. Hartm.; Viola sylvestris Lam.

Common names: early dog violet; wood dog violet

Description:  Hemicryptophyte. Rhizomatous, caulescent perennial. Rhizome vertical, covered with numerous brown stipules, with a terminal leaf rosette. Rosette leaves 3–6(–8); stipules narrowly subulate, 7.5–1111 mm, brown, with 7–1111 slender fimbriae which are longer than the maximum width of the entire part of the stipule; petiole to 12 cm, glabrous; blade ovate to oblong-ovate, 25–47 × 20–38 mm, 1.1–1.5 times as long as wide, pure green, with scattered, fairly long hairs on the upper surface; margin crenate with 15–20 obtuse teeth or near the base with forwards-pointing teeth; base cordate to deeply cordate; apex acute or obtuse. Aerial stems developing before chasmogamous flowering, erect or ascending, to 30 cm, glabrous. Stem leaves 3–9; stipules narrowly subulate, 7–10 mm, green but turning brown with age, with slender fimbriae longer than the maximum width of the entire part of the stipule; petiole to 5 cm, decreasing in length towards the top of the stem, glabrous; blade of middle stem leaves ovate to oblong-ovate, 25–55 × 20–35 mm, 1.2–1.6 times as long as wide, pure green, with scattered, fairly long hairs on the upper surface; margin crenate with 10–15 obtuse teeth or near the base with forwards-pointing teeth; base cordate to deeply cordate; apex acute.

Chasmogamous flowers scentless, from the middle or upper part of the aerial stems. Pedicels glabrous, to 10 cm, longer than the subtending leaves; bracteoles subulate, in the upper half of the pedicel. Sepals lanceolate, acute, upper ones 4.5–6.7 × 1.1–1.8 mm, lateral ones 4–6.5 × 0.8–2 mm (in both cases excluding the appendage); appendage suborbicular to truncate, on upper sepals 0.4–0.8 × 0.8–1.5 mm, on lateral ones 0.3–0.8 × 0.6–1.5 mm, all 0.04–0.18 times as long as the rest of the sepal. Corolla 17–22 × 12–18 mm in front view, 1.15–1.5 times as high as wide, flat in front view. Petals red-violet to blue, whitish at the base (very rarely entirely white), margin not or only slightly overlapping; upper petals recurved, narrowly obovate, 10–15 × 3.5–6 mm, 2.3–3.4 times as long as wide; lateral petals narrowly obovate, 12–15 × 4–6 mm, 2.3–3.2 times as long as wide, with hyaline hairs at the throat; spurred petal slightly concave, 1111–15 × 5–8 mm excluding the spur, 1.5–2.3 times as long as wide, without or with few and indistinct veins at the throat; spur violet or white, cylindric, straight, pointed, 4.5–6.5 × 2–3 as the sepal appendages. Style papillose near the tip. Cleistogamous flowers 3–4 mm, sepal appendages all of the same size. Capsule ovoid, trigonous, obtuse, 7–10 mm, glabrous, explosive. Seeds ovoid, 1.8–2.1 × 1–1.3 mm, pale to light brown; elaiosome small. – Early spring to mid-spring (chasmogamous flowers), mid-spring to mid-summer (cleistogamous flowers).

2n=20 (D Sjæ, F A, S Sk). – [2n=20]

Distributional Range: Native Africa NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Morocco Asia-Temperate WESTERN ASIA: Turkey [Bolu, Rize] Asia-Tropical INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: India, [Jammu and ashmir] Pakistan Europe NORTHERN EUROPE: Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, United Kingdom MIDDLE EUROPE: Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland EASTERN EUROPE: Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation-European part, [European part] Ukraine SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Albania, Bulgaria, Former Yugoslavia, Greece, Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Romania SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: France (incl. Corsica), Spain (n.). Uncertain Asia-Temperate WESTERN ASIA: Iran [Gīlān]

Habitat:  Nutrient-rich and usually lime-rich mull soil on shady, moderately dry to moderately damp places. – Herb-rich deciduous woodland, moist woodland with Ulmus and Fraxinus, Corylus groves, wooded meadows; apophytic in hedges, parks and gardens.

Biology. The chasmogamous flowers can remain open for up to 15 days without signs of senescence

Hybridization. Hybridization. Hybrids of Viola reichenbachiana are known with V. canina, V. mirabilis , V. pumila , V. riviniana , V. rupestris subsp. rupestris , V. stagnina  and V. uliginosa .

Similar taxa. When not flowering, Viola reichenbachiana and V. riviniana (11 ) are hard to tell apart

References:

1. Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).

2. Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.

3. Czerepanov, S. K. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press.

4. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.

5. Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage

6. Fennane, M. & M. I. Tattou. 1998. Catalogue des plantes vasculaires rares, menacées ou endémiques du Maroc. Bocconea 8:189.

7. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening

8. Jahandiez, E. & R. Maire. 1931-1941. Catalogue des plantes du Maroc. Note: = Viola sylvestris subsp. reichenbachiana (Jord.) Br.-Bl.

9. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. Note: = Viola sylvestris Lam. pro parte emend. Rchb.

10. Laasimer, L. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of the Baltic countries; compendium of vascular plants.

11. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third.

12. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan. Note: = Viola sylvestris Lam. pro parte emend. Rchb.

13. Pignatti, S. 1982. Flora d'Italia.

14. Quézel, P. & S. Santa. 1962-1963. Nouvelle flore de l'Algerie. Note: = Viola sylvestris subsp. reichenbachiana (Jord.) Tour.

15. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica. Note: only a fruiting specimen seen

16. Sharma, B. D. et al., eds. 1993-. Flora of India.

17. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.