Viola praemorsa explained

Viola praemorsa is a species of violet known by the common names canary violet,^[1] Astoria violet,^[2] yellow montane violet, and upland yellow violet.^[3]

Description

This rhizomatous perennial herb grows up to 30 centimeters in maximum height. The thick, fleshy leaf blades are lance-shaped to oval with pointed or rounded tips, the basal ones up to 8.5 centimeters long and those higher on the stem the same or slightly longer. The leaf blades are often coated densely in hairs and are borne on long petioles. A solitary flower is borne on a long, upright stem. It has five yellow petals, the lowest three veined with brownish purple, and the upper two often with brownish purple coloring on the outer surfaces.^[2]

Taxonomy

There are three subspecies:^[4]

• Viola praemorsa subsp. praemorsa (Dougl. ex Lindl) – occurs in British Columbia, California, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.
• Viola praemorsa subsp. flavovirens (Pollard) Fabijan – occurs in Idaho, Montana, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
• Viola praemorsa subsp. linguaefolia (Nutt.) M.S. Baker & J.C. Clausen ex M.E. Peck – occurs in Alberta, California, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Distribution and habitat

Viola praemorsa is native to western North America from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada; to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado in the U.S.^[1] It occurs on mountain slopes, usually where forests or grassy meadows are present, in moist or dry soil.^[2] In California, it often occurs in yellow-pine forests.^[2] In Canada, where it is an endangered species, V. praemorsa subsp. praemorsa is associated with Garry oak ecosystems.^{[5] [6]}

External links

• Washington Burke Museum
• Photo gallery

Notes and References

1. Web site: Profile for Viola praemorsa (canary violet) . PLANTS Database . . August 21, 2011.
2. Web site: Jepson Manual treatment for Viola praemorsa . R. John Little . Jepson Manual Online . . 1993 . August 21, 2011.
3. Web site: NatureServe Explorer 2.0 . 2024-06-30 . explorer.natureserve.org.
4. Douglas . George W. . Ryan . Michael J. . 1998 . Status of the Yellow Montane Violet, Viola praemorsa ssp. praemorsa (Violaceae) in Canada . The Canadian Field-Naturalist . 112 . 3 . 491–495 . 10.5962/p.358454 . 0008-3550. free .
5. Web site: 2003-06-05 . Yellow Montane Violet praemorsa subspecies (Viola praemorsa ssp. praemorsa). 29 Jun 2022 . Species at risk public registry - Species search. Government of Canada.
6. COSEWIC. 2007. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the yellow montane violet, praemorsa subspecies, Viola praemorsa ssp. praemorsa, in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vii + 24 pp. (www.sararegistry.gc.ca/status/status_e.cfm).