Your help is appreciated. We depend on donations to help keep this site free and up to date for you. Can you please help us?

Donate

Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Viola brittoniana — coast violet

Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.

Facts

Viola brittoniana is a rare, acaulescent blue-flowered violet that occurs on the greater coastal plain in New England. It has distinctive leaves with narrow lobes and deep sinuses.

Habitat

Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), bogs, floodplain (river or stream floodplains), forest edges, forests, marshes, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes

New England distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.

North America distribution

Adapted from BONAP data

enlarge

Characteristics

Habitat
terrestrial
New England state
  • Connecticut
  • Massachusetts
Flower petal color
blue to purple
Leaf type
the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
Leaf arrangement
basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
Leaf blade edges
the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
Flower symmetry
there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
Number of sepals, petals or tepals
there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
Fusion of sepals and petals
both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
Stamen number
  • 1 or 2
  • 5
Fruit type (general)
the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
Fruit length
10–18 mm
Show all characteristics

  • Clonal plantlets

    Bulbils
    the plant does not appear to have bulbils
    Bulblets replace flowers
    there are no bulblets where the flowers are located

  • Flowers

    Anther attachment
    the anther is attached by its base to the filament
    Anther opening
    the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers
    Anther spurs
    there are spurs on the anthers
    Anther tube length
    0 mm
    Calyx growth after flowering
    the calyx does not grow to cover or partially cover the fruit
    Calyx symmetry
    there is only one way to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is bilaterally symmetrical)
    Carpels fused
    the carpels are fused to one another
    Cilia on petals
    the petal margins do not have cilia
    Cleistogamous flowers
    • the plant has some cleistogamous flower
    • there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
    Corolla morphology
    NA
    Corolla palate
    no
    Corona lobe length
    0 mm
    Epicalyx
    the flower does not have an epicalyx
    Epicalyx number of parts
    0
    Filament surface
    the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
    Flower appearance
    • the flowers appear after the leaves have appeared
    • the flowers appear at the same time as the leaves
    Flower description
    the flower has a superior ovary, and lacks a hypanthium
    Flower diameter
    20–35 mm
    Flower length
    13–22 mm
    Flower number
    1
    Flower orientation
    the flower bends downwards or hangs downwards
    Flower petal color
    blue to purple
    Flower reproductive parts
    the flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
    Flower symmetry
    there is only one way to evenly divide the flower (the flower is bilaterally symmetrical)
    Flowers sunken into stem
    no
    Form of style
    the style is knob-like at the tip, and unbranched
    Fringed petal edges
    the petals are not fringed
    Fused stamen clusters
    NA
    Fusion of sepals and petals
    both the petals and sepals are separate and not fused
    Hairs on flower stalk
    the flower stalk has no hairs on it
    Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
    NA
    Hypanthium
    the flower does not have a hypanthium
    Hypanthium length
    0 mm
    Inflorescence one-sided
    the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
    Inner tepals (Rumex)
    NA
    Interior flower disk
    the flower does not have an interior disc
    Length of peduncle
    Up to 150 mm
    Nectar spur
    the flower has one or more nectar spurs
    Number of branches in umbel
    0
    Number of carpels
    3
    Number of pistils
    1
    Number of sepals, petals or tepals
    there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
    Number of styles
    1
    Ovary position
    the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
    Perianth shape
    NA
    Petal and sepal arrangement
    the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
    Petal and sepal colors
    blue to purple
    Petal appearance
    the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
    Petal base
    • the petal narrows abruptly at the base
    • the petal narrows gradually or does not narrow at the base
    Petal folding in bud
    the petals in bud are arranged in a cycle with edges overlapping like roof shingles (imbricate)
    Petal folds or pleats
    the petals of the flower do not have folds or plaits
    Petal glandular dots or scales
    no
    Petal hairs (Viola)
    the side petals of the flower are hairy with hairs that are narrow or very slightly expanded at the tip, but not knob-shaped
    Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
    there are hairs on the inner/upper petal surface
    Petal length relative to sepals
    the petals are longer than the sepals
    Petal nectaries
    the petals do not have nectaries
    Petal number
    5
    Petal shape
    • the petal outline is oblong (rectangular, but with rounded ends)
    • the petal outline is obovate (roughly egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)
    Petal tip shape
    • the petal tip is retuse (with a blunt or rounded apex and a notch at the center)
    • the petal tip is rounded
    Petal tips (Cuscuta)
    NA
    Raceme attachment (Veronica)
    NA
    Reproductive system
    all the flowers have both carpels and stamens (synoecious)
    Scales inside corolla
    no
    Sepal and petal color
    the sepals are different from the petals
    Sepal appearance
    the sepals are green or brown, and leaf-like in texture
    Sepal appendages
    the sepals do not have appendages on them
    Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
    NA
    Sepal auricles
    there is one auricle per sepal
    Sepal cilia
    the sepals do not have cilia
    Sepal color
    green to brown
    Sepal features
    NA
    Sepal length
    6–10 mm
    Sepal number
    5
    Sepal orientation
    the sepals are pressed against the corolla, or jutting stiffly upward
    Sepal relative length
    NA
    Sepal shape
    the sepal outline is lanceolate (lance-shaped; narrow, gradually tapering from the base to the tip)
    Sepal texture
    the sepals are either very thin but flexible, like a membrane, or they are leaf-like in texture
    Sepal tip shape
    • the sepal tip is acuminate (tapers to a very narrow point)
    • the sepal tip is acute (is sharply pointed)
    Sepal uniformity
    all the sepals are about the same size
    Sepals fused only to sepals
    the sepals are separate from one another
    Spur length
    Up to 3.2 mm
    Spur number
    1
    Stamen appendages
    stamen appendages are present
    Stamen attachment
    • the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals
    • the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals
    Stamen morphology
    the stamens within each cycle are the same
    Stamen number
    • 1 or 2
    • 5
    Stamen position relative to petals
    the stamens are lined up with the sepals
    Stamen relative length
    anything
    Stamens fused
    the stamens are not attached to one another
    Staminodes
    there are no staminodes on the flower
    Stigma position
    the stigmas are positioned at the tip of the style
    Style petal-like
    the styles are not petal-like
    Style relative length
    the stigma does not protrude beyond the mouth of the corolla
    Surface of ovary
    the ovary surface has no points, bumps or wrinkles
    Umbel flower reproductive parts
    NA
    Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
    NA

  • Fruits or seeds

    Achene relative orientation
    NA
    Achene shape
    NA
    Achene surface (Polygonum)
    NA
    Achene type
    NA
    Berry color
    NA
    Capsule color (Viola)
    the capsule is entirely green
    Capsule ribs
    the capsule has no prominent ribs or wings
    Capsule splitting
    the capsule splits by three main valves, teeth or pores
    Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
    NA
    Fruit beak length
    0 mm
    Fruit cross-section
    the fruit is round in cross-section
    Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
    NA
    Fruit length
    10–18 mm
    Fruit length relative to sepals
    the fruit is longer than its associated sepals
    Fruit locules
    three
    Fruit shape
    the fruit is ovoid (egg-shaped)
    Fruit stalk orientation
    the fruits curve or droop downwards
    Fruit type (general)
    the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
    Fruit type (specific)
    the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
    Hair type on fruit
    the hairs on the fruits are simple (not branched), don’t have glands, and are not woolly
    Hairs on fruit
    the fruits are not hairy
    Legumes (Fabaceae)
    NA
    Mericarp length
    0 mm
    Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
    NA
    Other markings on berry
    NA
    Ovary stipe
    the ovary or fruit does not have a stipe
    Ovary stipe length
    0 mm
    Placenta arrangement
    the plant has parietal placentation, where ovules develop on the wall or slight outgrowths of the wall forming broken partitions within a compound ovary
    Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
    NA
    Schizocarpic fruit compression
    NA
    Schizocarpic fruit segments
    0
    Seed length
    1.8–2 mm
    Seed relative length
    the seed is longer than it is wide
    Seed surface
    the seed is smooth or without clear markings
    Seeds comose
    no hairs
    Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
    NA
    Wings on fruit
    the fruit does not have wings on it
    prickles on fruits
    the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures

  • Glands or sap

    Glands on leaf blade
    the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
    Sap
    the sap is clear and watery
    Sap color
    the sap is clear

  • Growth form

    Growth form
    the plant is an herb (it has self-supporting stems)
    Horizontal rooting stem
    the plant does not have stolons
    Lifespan
    the plant lives more than two years
    Parasitism
    the plant is not parasitic
    Plant color
    the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
    Plants darken when dry
    no
    Spines on plant
    the plant has no spines
    Underground organs
    the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)

  • Leaves

    Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
    0
    Bracteoles
    the plant has bracteoles between the primary bracts and the flowers
    Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
    NA
    Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
    0 mm
    Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
    0
    Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
    0 mm
    Floral bracts
    the flower has one or more bracts associated with it
    Hairs on leaf stalk
    the petiole has no hairs on it
    Hairs on underside of leaf
    the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
    Hairs on upper side of leaf
    the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or it has very few hairs
    Hooked hairs on underside of leaf
    no
    Inflated hairs on leaf
    the leaf blade does not have inflated hairs on it
    Leaf arrangement
    basal: the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant
    Leaf blade base
    the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
    Leaf blade base shape
    the base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, has rounded lobes at the base)
    Leaf blade base symmetry
    the leaf blade base is symmetrical
    Leaf blade bloom
    the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
    Leaf blade edges
    the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
    Leaf blade flatness
    the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
    Leaf blade hairs
    NA
    Leaf blade length
    40–90 mm
    Leaf blade shape
    • the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
    • the leaf blade is reniform (kidney-shaped; wider than long)
    • the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
    Leaf blade surface colors
    the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
    Leaf duration
    the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
    Leaf form
    the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
    Leaf hair orientation
    NA
    Leaf sheath length
    0 mm
    Leaf shiny
    the upper side of the leaf is dull or slightly shiny
    Leaf spines
    there are no spines on the leaf edges
    Leaf stalk
    the leaves have leaf stalks
    Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
    the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
    Leaf stalk base
    the petiole base is narrow where it attaches to the stem
    Leaf stalk length
    Up to 220 mm
    Leaf teeth and lobes
    • the leaf blade margin has outward-pointing teeth
    • the leaf has lobes that radiate from the base, somewhat like a hand
    Leaf tip
    the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
    Leaf tufts in axils
    • NA
    • there are no clusters of smaller leaves growing out of axils
    Leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Leaf types
    NA
    Leaf variation
    NA
    Leaflet number
    0
    Leaflet petiolules
    NA
    Leaves per node
    the leaves are growing only at the base of the plant (i.e., basal)
    Pinnately compound leaf type
    NA
    Specific leaf type
    the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
    Stipels
    NA
    Stipule edges
    • the stipule margins do not have teeth
    • the stipule margins have teeth on them
    Stipule features
    NA
    Stipule fused to leaf stalk
    the stipules are not fused to the petioles
    Stipule length
    Up to 20 mm
    Stipule shape
    the stipules are linear (very narrow with more or less parallel sides)
    Stipules
    the plant has stipules

  • Place

    Habitat
    terrestrial
    New England state
    • Connecticut
    • Massachusetts
    Specific habitat
    • bogs
    • edges of forests
    • forests
    • man-made or disturbed habitats
    • marshes
    • meadows or fields
    • river or stream floodplains
    • shores of rivers or lakes

  • Scent

    Plant odor
    the plant does not have much of a smell

  • Stem, shoot, branch

    Branched tendrils
    NA
    Direction of stem hairs
    NA
    Flowering stem cross-section
    NA
    Hair between stem nodes
    NA
    Hairs between stem nodes
    NA
    Hooked hairs on stem between nodes
    NA
    Leaves on stem
    the flowering stem has no leaves above the base
    Length of hairs between stem nodes
    0 mm
    Plant height
    2–45 cm
    Stem bloom
    NA
    Stem hair distribution
    NA
    Stem nodes swollen
    NA
    Stem orientation
    NA
    Stem roughness between nodes
    NA
    Stem spacing
    NA
    Stem succulence
    NA
    Tendril origin
    NA
    Tendrils
    the plant does not have tendrils
    Wings on stem
    NA

Wetland status

Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)

In New England

Distribution

Connecticut
present
Maine
absent
Massachusetts
present
New Hampshire
absent
Rhode Island
absent
Vermont
absent

Conservation status

Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.

Connecticut
extremely rare (S-rank: S1), endangered (code: E)
Maine
historical (S-rank: SH), potentially extirpated (code: PE)
Massachusetts
rare (S-rank: S2), threatened (code: T)

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key

5.  Viola brittoniana Pollard NC

coast violet. Viola atlantica Britt.; V. pedatifida G. Don ssp. brittoniana (Pollard) McKinney 
• CT, MA. Fields, meadows, trail edges, and forest clearings adjacent to rivers and coastal marshes, also peaty river shores. Previous reports of this species in ME were based on collections of a hybrid between Viola brittoniana and V. sororia (specimens at GH!, NEBC!).

5×7. Viola brittoniana × Viola cucullata → Viola ×‌notabilis Bickn. is a very rare violet hybrid known from CT, MA, ME (the ME population is an escape from cultivation, the others are naturally occurring hybrids in wild populations). This hybrid is recognized by its ± glabrous herbage, robust size (characteristic of many V. cucullata hybrids), its variably lobed leaves with lobes broader and shorter than in V. brittoniana, and its longer, more cylindrical hairs on the lateral petals (not conspicuously knob-shaped as in V. cucullata).

5×11. Viola brittoniana × Viola lanceolata → This very rare violet hybrid is known from MA. It is relatively easy to distinguish due to the very different morphologies of the parental species. It is a relatively glabrous plant with cyanic corollas, short stolons later in the season, broad-lanceolate to narrow-ovate leaf blades that are lobed with an elongate central lobe and short lateral lobes (rather than triangular-ovate to suborbicular and with elongate lobes nearly as long as the entire blade in V. brittoniana).

5×18. Viola brittoniana × Viola pectinata → This very rare violet hybrid is known from CT, MA. It has lobed leaf blades somewhat similar to Viola brittoniana except that the lobes are broader relative to length and the sinuses are not as deep. Further, the early leaves are usually less 
lobed relative to the later leaves. Given the floral and fruiting similarity of V. brittoniana and V. pectinata, the flowers appear as in both taxa (i.e., there is no altering of the reproductive morphology as there would be in other hybrids; e.g., shorter and broader tipped petal hairs in hybrids with V. cucullata, relatively broader sepals with some cilia 
in hybrids with V. sororia).

5×25a. Viola ×‌mulfordae Pollard is a very rare violet hybrid known from CT, MA. It resembles V. brittoniana in its conspicuous lobed leaf blades, but the lobes are shorter and broader than in V. brittoniana and often with an elongate central lobe (contributing to the longer-than-wide aspect of the leaf blade). Further, the petioles and leaf blades are pubescent (glabrous in V. brittoniana).

5×27. Viola brittoniana × Viola sororia → Viola ×‌insolita House is a very rare violet hybrid known from CT, ME. It has variably lobed leaves (with broader and shorter segments than in V. brittoniana) with a prominent central lobe that are at least sparsely pubescent, sepals with cilia (at least on the auricles), prostrate to ascending cleistogamous peduncles, green or purple-spotted capsules, and brown seeds (pale brown to orange-yellow in V. brittoniana, light yellow-brown to brown or dark brown in V. sororia).

Native to North America?

Yes

Sometimes confused with

Viola palmata:
sepals ovate, rounded to obtuse at the apex, usually at least sparsely ciliate, capsules green and spotted or suffused with purple, and plant heterophyllous, the early leaves unlobed and the later leaves lobed (vs. V. brittoniana, with sepals lanceolate, acuminate at the apex, eciliate, capsules green, and plants homophyllous, all the leaves lobed).
Viola subsinuata:
sepals ovate, rounded to obtuse at the apex, usually at least sparsely ciliate, capsules green and spotted or suffused with purple, and leaf blades usually pubescent(vs. V. brittoniana, with sepals lanceolate, acuminate at the apex, eciliate, capsules green, and leaf blades essentially glabrous).

Synonyms

  • Viola atlantica Britt.
  • Viola pedatifida G. Don ssp. brittoniana (Pollard) McKinney

Family

Violaceae

Genus

Viola