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Western Wetland Flora

Field Office Guide to Plant Species

Northern Bog Violet
Viola nephrophylla Greene

JPG -- Species Photo JPG -- Distribution Map

Family: Violet (Violaceae)
Flowering: April-June
Field Marks: This is one of the stemless violets whose leaf stalks and flower stalks arise directly from underground rhizomes. This species has purple flowers and lacks stolons that trail across the soil.
Habitat: Around springs, in bogs.
Habit: Perennial herb with a thickened rhizome and long, fibrous roots; stolons not present.
Stems: Underground as a thickened rhizome; flowering stems without leaves, smooth, up to 10 inches long.
Leaves: All basal, heart-shaped, up to 2 1/2 inches long and wide, round-toothed, smooth, on long, smooth stalks up to 6 inches long.
Flowers: Solitary on long stalks that arise directly from the rhizomes, the flower stalks often longer than the leaves.
Sepals: 5, green, ovate-lanceolate, free from each other, smooth.
Petals: 5, purple, free from each other, 1/2-3/4 inch long, 3 of them with a dense tuft of hairs, 1 of them spurred.
Stamens: 5.
Pistils: Ovary superior.
Fruits: Capsules oblongoid to ovoid, 1/4-1/2 inch long, smooth; seeds pale, shiny, up to 1/10 inch long.

Previous Species -- Small White Violet (Viola macloskeyi)
Return to Species List -- Group 8

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Page Last Modified: Saturday, 02-Feb-2013 06:28:44 EST
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