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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. | |||||||||
| SMOOTH WHITE VIOLET | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Viola macloskeyi ssp. pallens | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Smooth white violet has both rhizomes and runners. The leaves are 1 to 3 cm wide and are kidney-shaped. The margin is smooth or slightly round-toothed. The flowers are solitary on long, basal stalks. The flowers are very fragrant. The petals are white and the lower ones have brownish-purple veins. The lateral petals are usually hairless or only slightly hairy at the base. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Smooth white violet grows in marshy fens and bogs. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in eastern Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, and Churchill River Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Smooth white violet is endangered because of rarity in Saskatchewan. This species is limited to eastern Saskatchewan and most local populations are small. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SMOOTH WHITE VIOLET | |||||||||
| * Are the petals white with purplish-brown veins? * Are the leaves kidney-shaped? * Are the flowers fragrant? * Did you find it in eastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found smooth white violet! | |||||||||
