Viola pubescens var. scabriuscula Schwein. ex Torr. ex Gray
Species Image Gallery
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TAXONOMY
 
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
 
Species Synonyms: Viola ericarpon var. leiocarpon Fern. & Wieg.
Viola pensylvanica var. leiocarpon (Fern. & Wieg.) Fern.
Viola pubescens var. leiocarpon (Fern. & Wieg.) Seymour
Common Names: smooth yellow violet
 
DISTRIBUTION
 
Canada: east-central Saskatchewan – southern Manitoba – Ontario – Quebec – New Brunswick – Nova Scotia
Saskatchewan: east-central Saskatchewan; Hudson Bay – Smoking Tent Creek – Armit
Ecoregion: Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Lowland
 
HABITAT
 
Saskatchewan: moist, lush, deciduous, floodplain woods on deep, humus-rich, alluvial soil
Associated species: Canadian white violet, fragrant bedstraw, marsh horsetail
 
RARITY STATUS
 
Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):
Threatened
Nature Conservancy Status:
G5T5 S1
Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:
None
COSEWIC Status:
None
 
Smooth yellow violet is threatened because it is rare and highly regionally restricted in the province. Possible threats have been identified for this species.
 
SPECIES DESCRIPTION
 
Height: 15 – 30 cm
Rhizomes: rhizomes short
Stems: 1 – several, erect or creeping, hairless
Leaves: basal and on the stem; basal leaves 0 – several, stalk long, blades kidney-shaped to oval, tip pointed, margin round-toothed to saw-toothed; stem leaves 2 – 4, near top of stem, stalked, blades oval, base heart-shaped, tip pointed, hairless or nearly so; stipules large, oval to lance-shaped, leafless stipules present on lower half of stem
Inflorescence: flowers solitary, axillary; self-fertilizing flowers from upper axils
Flowers: perfect, irregular; sepals 5, 6 – 10 mm long, hairless, with a narrow white margin, spurs short; petals 5, bright yellow, lower ones 3-veined, lateral petals bearded, spur short
Fruits: capsules 8 – 12 mm long, dark green to yellowish-green, hairless
 
VIOLA KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN
 
1 Plants without leafy stems; leaves and flower stalks arising from a woody base and/or plants with runners
2
1 Plants with leafy stems; flowers axillary, runners and woody bases absent
11
 
2 Leaves deeply divided; plants of prairies and dry areas
V. pedatifida
2 Leaves toothed or lobed but not deeply divided or margin entire; plants of meadows to moist woods or boggy areas
3
 
3 Flowers white, may have purplish lines towards the base
4
3 Flowers blue to violet
7
 
4 Plants without runners; leaves circular to kidney-shaped
V. renifolia
4 Plants with runners; leaves oval to kidney-shaped
5
 
5 Leaves hairy, at least when young; leaf and flower stalks reddish
V. blanda var. palustriformis
5 Leaves hairless; leaf and flower stalks greenish
6
 
6 Leaves 2 – 5 cm long, 2.5 – 3.5 cm wide
V. palustris var. brevipes
6 Leaves 1 – 2 cm long, 1 – 1.5 cm wide
V. macloskeyi ssp. pallens
 
7 Rhizomes thick and fleshy; runners absent; woody base usually short and thick; lateral petals bearded or not; sepals with or without marginal hairs
8
7 Rhizome slender and cord-like; runners present or absent; woody base present or absent; lateral petals always bearded (except V. selkirkii); sepals without marginal hairs
10
 
8 Spurred petal beardless
V. sororia
8 Spurred petal bearded
9
 
9 Sepals with marginal hairs
V. septentrionalis
9 Sepals without marginal hairs
V. nephrophylla
 
10 Runners present; petal spur much shorter than the blade; lateral petals bearded; plants of moist meadows and streams
V. palustris var. palustris
10 Runners absent; petal spur to 2/3 as long as blade; lateral petals beardless; plants of woods and rocky slopes
V. selkirkii
 
11 Leaves lance-shaped to narrowly oval; flowers yellow, may have purple veins at the base
12
11 Leaves heart-shaped to kidney-shaped; flowers yellow, white or blue
13
 
12 Leaves usually at least three times as long as wide, lance-shaped to elliptic
V. nuttallii
12 Leaves less than three times as long as wide, narrowly oval
V. vallicola var. vallicola
 
13 Flowers yellow, with purplish-brown veins; plants of rich deciduous woods
V. pubescens var. scabriuscula
13 Flowers white to lilac or blue; plants of woods or meadows
14
 
14 Flowers white inside, yellow at base and with purplish veins or purple tinge on outside; stipules entire
V. canadensis var. rugulosa
14 Flowers blue to lilac; stipules toothed
15
 
15 Leaves thin, hairless; stipules oval; flowers lilac
V. conspersa
15 Leaves thick, glabrous to densely pubescent; stipules linear; flowers deep blue
16
 
16 Leaves densely hairy
V. adunca var. adunca
16 Leaves hairless
V. labradorica