Primrose-leaved Violet
Viola primulifolia Linnaeus
Primrose-leaved Violet: https://marylandbiodiversity.org/species/10358
Synonyms
Viola x primulifolia L. (pro sp.) [lanceolata x macloskeyi] 
Tags

Map Snapshot

228 Records

GAALWAFRCLMOHOBABCHACEPGAACVCHSMKEQACNTADOWISOWO

Status

The Primrose-leaved Violet is sometimes referred to as a nothospecies. This means that it is a hybrid that can freely cross with other like hybrid plants. So, it is is really both a species and a hybrid at the same time. Its parent species are Viola macloskeyi and Viola lanceolata. (B. Harms, pers. comm.) Typical of wet power line cuts alongside Lance-leave Violet.

Relationships

Host plant for Aphrodite Fritillary.

A potential larval host for Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene).

Resources

View at iNaturalist Search Google Images Search MBP Facebook posts
View at Maryland Plant Atlas Search Flora of North America Search Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium Search Norton-Brown Herbarium Search MNPS Facebook posts

Citations

No citations linked for this taxon yet.

Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

Source: Wikipedia

Viola primulifolia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species:
V. primulifolia
Binomial name
Viola primulifolia
Varieties[1]
  • Viola primulifolia var. occidentalis A.Gray
  • Viola primulifolia var. primulifolia

Viola primulifolia, commonly called the primrose-leaf violet,[2] is a species of flowering plant in the violet family. It is native to eastern North America,[3] and possibly also to the Pacific Northwest.[4] Its natural habitat is wet acidic areas that are usually at least semi-open.[5]

It is a low, stemless perennial that produces white flowers in the spring.[6] It can be distinguished from the similar-looking Viola lanceolata and Viola blanda by its leaves that are ovate, with rounded to truncate bases, and are 1.5-2 times as long as wide.[5]

While typical Viola primulifolia occurs in a large area of the east, a variety of this species occurs in a small area of the Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, under the name of V. primulifolia var. occidentalis.[7][8] These populations, which are considered rare and highly localized, have alternatively been referred to as Viola lanceolata ssp. occidentalis.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Viola primulifolia L." Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States". Archived from the original on 2018-10-06. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  3. ^ Kartesz, John T. (2014). "Viola primulifolia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  4. ^ Flora of North America
  5. ^ a b Chester, Edward (2015). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee.
  6. ^ IllinoisWildflowers
  7. ^ Calflora
  8. ^ "Viola primulifolia subsp. occidentalis". Jepson eFlora. The University and Jepson Herbaria, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  9. ^ PLANTS Profile for Viola lanceolata occidentalis Retrieved 2017-08-05