|  | 
   
    | Viola pubescens 
      var. scabriuscula Schwein. ex Torr. ex Gray |  | 
   
    |  | 
   
    | 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 |  |