Viola sororia (Woolly Blue Violet) - photos and description
Leaves cordate to orbicular
15 cm ruler
Leaf margins are hairy
Young leaves with hairy petioles
Petioles on older leaves are glabrous; above is from same plant
as the hairy petiole shown on this page
Lateral petals only with hairs
Origin: Native.
General: Stemless violet with light purple-blue
flowers. Flower scapes at or below the level of the leaves.
Taxonomic
key to Saskatchewan's Violets.
Flowers: Flowers solitary on scapes. We measured a flower at 18 mm in diameter. Spur was measured at 4 mm long and 3 mm wide, spur petal measured to 18 mm long.
Leaves: Leaves are basal, cordate to orbicular, leaf auricles broad. Leaves crenate (round-toothed) to dentate (saw-toothed). We measured a leaf at 5 cm in length and 4 cm wide. Leaf margins, undersides, and petioles slightly hairy. We observed that young leaves appeared quite hairy, while older leaves had lost their pubescence pretty much entirely.
Height: Leaves measured to 13 cm tall.
Habitat: Moist woodlands along the eastern fringe of the province.
Abundance: Extremely rare in Saskatchewan, listed as an S1 (as of 2021) by the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre.
Similar species: Some authorities list a similar species Viola septentrionalis. I spent an afternoon at the Fraser Herbarium at the University of Saskatchewan before our trip to Hudson Bay looking to photograph Saskatchewan's rare Violet species. I could not distinguish V. sororia specimens from V. septentrionalis in leaf shape, size, pubescence, nothing. ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) lists these 2 species together as V. sororia.
When and where photographed: Above photos taken June 3rd, Porcupine Hills Provincial Forest, about 400 km north east of our home in Regina, SK.