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 tanaitica Grosset

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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:

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

2. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.

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