[Columbia and Great Basin Wildflower ID Key- 5 Petals]

The Violet Family East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington

Violaceae

Sweet White Violet: Viola macloskeyi

Sweet White Violet: Viola macloskeyi

Partial Listing of Members of the Violet Family Found East of the Cascade Mountains of Oregon and Washington:

Long-spurred Violet, Western Longspur Violet, Hookedspur Violet, Early Blue Violet: Viola adunca var. adunca (Synonynms: Viola adunca var. adunca, Viola adunca var. bellidifolia, Viola adunca var. cascadensis, Viola adunca ssp. oxyceras, Viola adunca var. oxyceras, Viola adunca var. uncinulata, Viola bellidifolia, Viola cascadensis) - Flowers purple or violet, often with white throat with purple pencilling. Spur behind petals is slender & 1/2 the length of the lowest petal. Leaves lance-shaped.

Wild Pansy, European Field Pansy: Viola arvensis (formerly Viola tricolor var. arvensis) - Flowers whitish or light yellow with a bluish tinge. Annual of european origin.

Baker's Violet, Yellow Prairie Violet: Viola bakeri (Synonyms: Viola nuttallii, Viola nuttallii var. bakeri) -

Beckwith's Violet: Viola beckwithii - Flowers with lower petals whitish with yellow only at their base, the upper pair reddish-purple in color..Leaves pinnatifid rather than simple.

Canada Violet, Canadian White Violet, Creepingroot Violet, Western Canadian Violet: Viola canadensis var. rugulosa (Synonym: Viola canadensis, Viola canadensis ssp. rydbergii, Viola rugulosa, Viola rydbergii) - Petals whitish with some yellow shading. Leaves heart-shaped, the blades shallowly cordate at their base.

Douglas' Golden Violet: Viola douglasii -

Stream Violet, Pioneer Violet: Viola glabella - Yellow flowers. The lower petal has lines on it. Leaves are heart-shaped. Herbaceous wildflower to 6 inches tall.

Sweet White Violet, Small White Violet: Viola mackloskeyi ssp. macloskeyi -

Sweet White Violet, Small White Violet: Viola macloskeyi ssp. pallens - Flowers white with purplish lines.

Northern Bog Violet: Viola nephrophylla (Synonyms: Viola affinis, Viola arizonica, Viola cognata, Viola mccabeiana, Viola nephrophylla var. arizonica, Viola nephrophylla var. cognata, Viola nephrophylla var. nephrophylla, Viola sororia, Viola sororia ssp. affinis, Viola sororia var. affinis) - Petals violet or violet-purple. Leaves reniform or orbicular with a heart-shaped base.

Yellow Prairie Violet: Viola nuttallii - This species is now broken up into new, separate species. Yellow flowers. The lower petal has lines on it. Leaves are oblanceolate. Herbaceous wildflower to 6 inches tall.

Sweet Blue Violet: Viola odorata -

Darkwoods Violet, Evergreen Yellow Violet, Round-leaf Violet, Round-leaved Violet: Viola orbiculata (Synonyms: Viola sempervirens var. orbiculata, Viola sempervirens var. orbiculoides) - Flowers yellow. Leaves thin, heart shaped, but about as broad as long with rounded tips. No purple flecks appear on the leaf surface. The leaves do not persist through the winter.

Marsh Violet: Viola palustris - Flowers white to lavendar with green to lilac-tinged purple lines on the lower 3 petals. Leaves oval or kidney-shaped to broadly heart-shaped, 2.5-3.5 cm wide. Flowers and leaves arise independently from the rhizome. Common in moist meadows and along streams.

Canary Violet, Upland Yellow Violet, Wavyleaf Violet: Viola praemorsa ssp. linguifolia (Synonyms: Viola flavovirens, Viola linguifolia, Viola nuttallii var. linguifolia, Viola nuttallii var. major , Viola praemorsa ssp. arida, Viola praemorsa ssp. flavovirens, Viola praemorsa ssp. major, Viola praemorsa ssp. oregona, Viola praemorsa var. altior, Viola praemorsa var. linguifolia, Viola vallicola var. major) - Flowers yellow. The upper petals are generally brownish-backed. Flowers 8-15 mm long. Leaf blades nearly glabrous to fairly densely hairy but still greenish. Blades thinner and less fleshy, generally ovate in outline and over 5 cm long.

Canary Violet, Upland Yellow Violet, Yellow Montane Violet: Viola praemorsa ssp. praemorsa (Synonyms: Viola nuttallii ssp. praemorsa, Viola nuttallii var. praemorsa) - Flowers yellow. The upper petals are generally brownish-backed. Flowers 8-15 mm long. Leaf blades nearly moderately to fairly densely hairy but still greenish. Blades thick and fleshy, generally ovate in outline and over 5 cm long.

Goosefoot Violet, Purplish Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa - Yellow flowers. The lower petal has lines on it. Leaves are heart-shaped, with toothed margins from midlength to the tip. Leaves green but purplish tinged. Herbaceous wildflower to 6 inches tall.

Evergreen Violet, Redwood Violet, Redwoods Violet: Viola sempervirens - Yellow flowers. Found from the east base of the Cascade west to the Pacific.

Cut-leaf Violet, Shelton's Violet, Fan Violet: Viola sheltonii - Yellow flowers. The lower petal has lines on it. The leaves are ovate, but deeply cut. A plant of pine-oak forests.

Sand Violet: Viola affinis or Viola sororia ssp. affinis (formerly Viola nephrophylla) - Interestingly enough, the Oregon Plant Atlas shows several sites in central and eastern Oregon for this species. The USDA site shows that it is not found west of the central portion of the US!

Johnny Jumpup: Viola tricolor - Garden escapee.

Sagebrush violet, Rainier Violet, 3-nerved Violet: Viola trinervata - Flowers bicolored, the upper pair deep reddish-violet, the lower 3 pale to medium lilac with yellow or whitish base & purple pencilling. Leaves compound, the segments leathery, prominently 3-nerved, smooth-surfaced, and elliptic in shape.

Sagebrush Violet, Valley Violet, Valley Yellow Violet, Yellow Sagebrush Violet: Viola vallicola var. major (Synonyms: Viola nuttallii, Viola nuttallii ssp. vallicola, Viola nuttallii var. major, Viola nuttallii var. vallicola, Viola russellii, Viola vallicola var. vallicola) -


Viola praemorsa ssp. linguifolia

Upland yellow violet: Viola praemorsa ssp. linguifolia

Paul Slichter E-mail