Viola selkirkii — great-spurred violet

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)

  Carpel hairs

  the carpels have no hairs

  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

  15 mm

  Flower length

  15 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 flower stalk

  40–70 mm

  Length of peduncle

  35–100 mm

  Marks on petals

  there are no noticeable marks on the petals

  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 hairless
  • the spurred petal of the flower is hairless

  Petal hairs on inner/upper surface

  there are no 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 obovate (roughly egg-shaped, but with the widest point above the middle of the leaf blade)

  Petal tip shape

  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

  6–7 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 oblong (rectangular, but with rounded ends)
  • the sepal outline is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)

  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 obtuse (is bluntly pointed)
  • the sepal tip is rounded

  Sepal uniformity

  all the sepals are about the same size

  Sepals fused only to sepals

  the sepals are separate from one another

  Spur length

  5–7 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 spotted or tinted with red to purple-brown

  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

  4–6 mm

  Fruit length relative to sepals

  the fruit is longer than its associated sepals

  Fruit locules

  three

  Fruit shape

  the fruit is ellipsoid (widest in the middle and tapering to each end)

  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

  NA

  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

  1.5–1.9 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 edges

  the bracteole margins have teeth

  Bracteole length

  5–7 mm

  Bracteole number (Apiaceae)

  0

  Bracteole shape

  the bracteoles are linear (very narrow, with more or less parallel sides)

  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 fuzzy or hairy

  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 teeth

  Leaf blade flatness

  the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges

  Leaf blade hairs

  the leaf blade has simple hairs with no glands, and not tangled or wooly

  Leaf blade length

  10–60 mm

  Leaf blade primary vein pattern

  the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the primary vein

  Leaf blade shape

  the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)

  Leaf blade surface colors

  • the upper side of the leaf blade has obvious spots, mottles or stripes
  • the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color

  Leaf blade texture

  the leaf blade is scarious (thin and dry like paper) or membranaceous (thin and flexible and almost translucent like a membrane)

  Leaf blade vein pattern

  the major veins of the leaf blade branch, but do not rejoin

  Leaf blade veins

  the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base towards the tip (it may or may not have secondary veins)

  Leaf blade width

  10–40 mm

  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

  the hairs are flat against the leaf surface, mostly pointing towards the leaf tip

  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

  20–130 mm

  Leaf teeth and lobes

  the leaf blade margin has rounded teeth

  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 have teeth on them

  Stipule features

  NA

  Stipule fused to leaf stalk

  the stipules are fused to the petioles for some or most of their length

  Stipule length

  5–8 mm

  Stipule shape

  • the stipules are lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
  • the stipules are ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)

  Stipules

  the plant has stipules

• Place

  Habitat

  terrestrial

  New England state

  • Connecticut
  • Maine
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • Vermont

  Specific habitat

  • edges of forests
  • forests
  • man-made or disturbed habitats

• 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

  5–16 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

Not classified

In New England

From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key