The photo above shows a close-up view of the flowers and leaves of goosefoot violet as seen at the Ray Ridge Viewpoint in the Umatilla National Forest of southeastern Washington..................June 25, 2007.
Viola purpurea
Subspecies integrifolia, purpurea and venosa are found from the eastern Cascade Mountain foothills east to the Idaho border in Oregon and Washington (the former two occur only in Oregon)
Synonyms: Ssp. integrifolia - none; Ssp. purpurea - Viola purpurea ssp. dimorpha; Ssp. venosa- Viola purpurea ssp. geophyta, Viola purpurea var. venosa
Goosefoot violet is an erect, deciduous wildflower from 5-15 cm tall with leafy stems arising from a shallow, scaly rhizome. The herbage is minute hairy, often blue-green on the upper leaf surfaces and purplish or purple-veined on the lower surfaces. The leaf blades are thick, fleshy,m from 1-3 cm long, ovate to orbicular in shape with rounded teeth or more deeply incised. The petioles range from 2-6 cm long. The flowers are yellow with brown penciling on the lower 3 petals. The flowers range from 5-12 mm long, which includes a short spur.
Goosefoot violet may be found in a variety of dry, open sites, from roadsides, prairie, sagebrush, and open ponderosa pine forests.
Goosefoot violet may be found east of the Cascade Mts. from Chelan County, WA south to California and east to Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arizona.
