prairie violet

(Viola pedatifida var. pedatifida)

Conservation Status
prairie violet
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

     
  NatureServe

N5 - Secure

SNR - Unranked

     
  Minnesota

not listed

     
           
Wetland Indicator Status
     
  Great Plains

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Midwest

FACU - Facultative upland

     
  Northcentral & Northeast

FACU - Facultative upland

     
           
 
Description
 
 

Prairie violet is a 3 to 6 tall, erect, perennial forb that rises from a short, slanted or erect caudex and fibrous roots.

There is no central stem. The leaves are all basal and form a rosette. They are on stalks up to 1 long. The leaf blades are 1 to 3 long and 1 to 4 wide. They are dissected almost to the base into usually 3 main divisions. Each division us again deeply cut into 2 to 4 linear segments. The segments are often again lobed. Early leaves and later leaves are equally divided. The upper and lower surfaces may be moderately covered with spreading hairs or almost hairless. The margins are untoothed and have a fringe of hairs.

One to several leafless flower stalks (scapes) rise from the rootstock at the middle of the rosette. The scape is erect, leafless, and hairless, and is topped with a single flower. It is abruptly curved downward near the top. The flowers are usually held above the early leaves but are often overtopped by later leaves.

Two types of flowers are produced: open, cross-pollinated (chasmogamous) flowers; and closed, self-fertilizing (cleistogamous) flowers.

Cross-pollinated flowers are ¾ to 13 16 wide and showy. There are 5 sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 1 style. The sepals are green and shorter than the petals. The petals are violet or pale violet and ¼ to ¾ long. The two upper petals are erect or bent backward. The three lower lobes are spreading, white at the base, and have a tuft of white hairs (beard) near the throat. The lowest lobe has conspicuous, dark purple veins near the throat and a hooked, rounded spur at the base. The 5 stamens are orange and have very short filaments. They do not protrude from the throat of the corolla and are concealed by the beards of the petals. The flowers are not fragrant.

Self-pollinating flowers occur on shorter scapes that may be erect or lie flat on the ground.

The fruit is an egg-shaped to ellipse-shaped, ¼ to long, hairless, yellowish-brown capsule with many brown seeds. The capsule protrudes noticeably beyond the persistent sepals.

 
     
 

Height

 
 

3 to 6

 
     
 

Flower Color

 
 

Violet to pale violet

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
 

Birdfoot violet (Viola pedata) flowers are somewhat larger, up to 1½ wide. The lower 3 petals are not bearded. The stamens protrude conspicuously from the throat of the corolla. It does not produce cleistogamous flowers. It is found in southeast and east-central Minnesota.

 
     
 
Habitat
 
 

Dry to moderate moisture. Prairies, forest and woodland openings. Full sun.

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Flowering

 
 

April to June

 
     
 

Pests and Diseases

 
 

 

 
     
 
Use
 
 

 

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 28, 29, 30.

 
  5/30/2023      
         
 

Nativity

 
 

Native

 
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Subclass Rosidae  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Malpighiales (nances, willows, and allies)  
 

Family

Violaceae (violet)  
  Subfamily Violoideae  
  Tribe Violeae  
  Genus Viola (violets)  
  Subgenus Viola (pansies and violets)  
  Section Nosphinium  
  Subsection Borealiamericanae (eastern American blue violets)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

 

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Viola palmata var. pedatifida

Viola pedatifida ssp. pedatifida

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

bearded birdfoot violet

larkspur violet

prairie birdfoot violet

prairie violet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Bearded

Bearing one or more tufts of hairs.

 

Caudex

A short, thickened, woody, persistent enlargement of the stem, at or below ground level, used for water storage.

 

Cleistogamous

Automatically self-pollinating. Refers to bud-like flowers that do not open but automatically self-pollinate, or to plants with such flowers.

 

Corolla

A collective name for all of the petals of a flower.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Scape

An erect, leafless stalk growing from the rootstock and supporting a flower or a flower cluster.

 
 
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Plant

 
    prairie violet   prairie violet  
           
    prairie violet   prairie violet  
           
    prairie violet      
           
 

Flower

 
    prairie violet   prairie violet  
           
    prairie violet      
           
 

Leaves

 
    prairie violet   prairie violet  
           
    prairie violet   prairie violet  
           
    prairie violet   prairie violet  

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Viola pedatifida PRAIRIE VIOLET
Frank Mayfield
 
  Viola pedatifida PRAIRIE VIOLET  

 

slideshow

       
 
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