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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. | |||||||||
| SELKIRK’S VIOLET | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Viola selkirkii | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Selkirk’s violet grows as tall as 15 cm from long, slender rhizomes. The leaves are heart-shaped with a round-toothed margin. The stipules are lance-shaped and the margin is smooth or few-toothed. The flowers are solitary on basal stalks that are equal to or longer than the leaves. The flowers are irregular and have five hairless sepals. The petals are all beardless and are pale violet in colour. The lower three petals have darker violet veins. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Selkirk’s violet grows in moist, rich woods. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition, Mid-Boreal Upland, Mid-Boreal Lowland, and Churchill River Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Selkirk’s violet is vulnerable because it is rare or uncommon in Saskatchewan. This species is usually locally numerous within limited areas. No immediate threats are known but may occur in the future. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SELKIRK’S VIOLET | |||||||||
| * Are the petals pale violet? * Are the flowers on long basal stalks that are taller than the leaves? * Do the leaves have a round-toothed margin? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found Selkirk’s violet! | |||||||||
