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
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Common name: Фиалка донская
Description: Perennial herbaceous plant 15-20 cm high with a powerful branched rhizome and ascending stems. The stem is cylindrical with two ribs. The leaves are rounded, deep heart-shaped at the base, with scattered short hairs. Basal leaves on long petioles 3-6 cm long and wide, rounded or bud-shaped, deep and narrowly hollow at the base, rounded or obtuse at the apex. Scaly-shaped leaves located at the base of shoots are dark brown. Flowers in the axils of the upper leaves 10-13 mm, light purple. Spur 4-6 mm, pale, straight or slightly curved, at the apex notched, approximately equal to half of the lower lobe. Petals are obovate, lateral - clipped, lower 9-13 mm long. The fruit is an oblong-ovate pointed capsule.
Distributional Range: Native Europe EASTERN EUROPE: Belarus, Russian Federation-European part, [European part (w.-c.)] Ukraine
Habitat: East European forest-steppe species: grows in deciduous forests of the chernozem strip, can go to glades and edges, preferring rich neutral soils underlain by limestone. It blooms in April-May, the fruits ripen in June-July. It is distributed by seeds that spill out of the box and are carried by ants.
References:
Czerepanov, S. K. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR) Cambridge University Press.
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.