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 rostrata Pursh - Longspur Violet

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Synon.: Lophion rostratum (Pursh) Nieuwland & Kaczmarek 

Common names: Long-spurred violet, violette rostrée; Nagahashisumire ナガハシスミレ   

Description: Plants perennial, caulescent, not stoloniferous, 5–20 cm. Stems 1–7, ascending to erect (often declining during anthesis), glabrous, on caudex from fleshy rhizome. Leaves basal and cauline; basal: 1–5; stipules lanceolate, margins laciniate, apex acute; petiole 1–9.6 cm, glabrous; blade sometimes purple-spotted abaxially and/or adaxially, reniform to ovate, 1–4.5 × 1–4 cm, base broadly cordate to cordate, margins crenate to serrate, mostly eciliate, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces usually pubescent, mostly adaxially toward base, sometimes glabrous; cauline similar to basal except: petiole 0.4–4 cm; distal cauline blades ovate to deltate, 1–4.5 × 1–4 cm, base cordate, apex acuminate to acute.Peduncles 5–9 cm, usually glabrous. Flowers: sepals lanceolate, margins eciliate, auricles 1–2 mm; petals pale lavender-violet on both surfaces, all white basally, lower 3 purple-black-veined, all beardless, lowest 8–20 mm, spur white, purple, or lavender-tinged, elongated, 10–20 mm; style head beardless; cleistogamous flowers axillary. Capsulesellipsoid, 4–6 mm, glabrous. Seeds beige to bronze, 1.3–2 mm. 2n = 20.  

Distributional Range: 

• Asia-Temperate 

  • EASTERN ASIA: Japan [Hokkaidô, Honshu, Shikoku]

• Northern America 

  • EASTERN CANADA: Canada [Québec (s.w.), Ontario]

  • NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, West Virginia]

  • NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Illinois, Minnesota]

  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia]

Habitat:  Rich, mesic to dry, well-drained woodlands, mountains; 200–1800 m 

Notes: Viola rostrata has the longest spur of any North American Viola species. Viola rostrata reportedly hybridizes with V. labradorica (= V. ×malteana House) and V. striata (= V. ×brauniae Grover ex Cooperrider).

References:

1. Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany, ed. 8.

2. Gleason, H. A. & A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada, ed. 2

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

4. Igari, M. 1996. Wild violets of Japan Note: book almost entirely in Japanese

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

6. Magee, D. W. & H. E. Ahles. 1999. Flora of the Northeast. A manual of the vascular flora of New England and adjacent New York.

7. McKinney, L. E. & N. H. Russell. 2002. Violaceae of the southeastern United States. Castanea 67:373.

8. Ohio Flora Committee (E. L. Braun, T. S. Cooperrider, T. R. Fisher, J. J. Furlow). 1967-. The vascular flora of Ohio.

9. Radford, A. E. et al. 1964. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas.

10. Russell, N. H. 1965. Violets (Viola) of central and eastern United States: An introductory survey. Sida 2:14.

11. Scoggan, H. J. 1978-1979. The flora of Canada, 4 vol.

12. Strausbaugh, T. D. & E. L. Core. 1978. Flora of West Virginia, ed. 2.

13. Voss, E. 1972-. Michigan flora.

14. Wofford, B. E. Database of Tennessee vascular plants (on-line resource). URL: https://herbarium.utk.edu/vascular/vascular-database.php?CategoryID=Dicots&FamilyID=Violaceae&GenusID=Viola&SpeciesID=rostrata target='_blank'