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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE VIOLET FAMILY | |||||||||
| Violets can be annual or perennial herbs or shrubs. The leaves are simple and may be basal or on a leafy stem. This family has stipules, or paired bracts, below the leaves. The stipules are usually attached to the base of the leaf stalk. The flowers are usually irregular in shape. There are five sepals which may or may not have ear-like lobes at the base. There are five petals that range from white to yellow, green or purple in colour. The lower petals are usually spurred. | |||||||||
| AMERICAN DOG VIOLET | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Viola conspersa | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| American dog violet grows from a taproot. The stem is leafy and erect. The leaves are oval to kidney-shaped with a heart-shaped base. The leaves and the stipules are both toothed. The flowers are solitary on stalks in the axils of the leaves. The petals are pale violet in colour and the petals on the sides are hairy. The fruit is a 3-valved capsule. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| American dog violet grows in moist woods and clearings. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in eastern Saskatchewan in the Mid Aspen Parkland, Boreal Transition, and Mid-Boreal Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| American dog violet is endangered because it is rare in Saskatchewan. Possible threats have been identified, including occurrences in heavy populated areas, fragile habitats, or areas of possible planned developments. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY AMERICAN DOG VIOLET | |||||||||
| * Are the petals pale violet? * Is the stem leafy? * Do the sepals lack marginal hairs? * Did you find it in eastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found American dog violet! | |||||||||
