Viola langsdorffii Fisch. ex Gingins
Alaska violet (Aleutian violet)
Violaceae (Violet family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #7544)

Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Viola langsdorffii
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Species Information

General:
Perennial herb from a rhizome, without stolons; stems erect, smooth or sometimes sparsely hairy, 2-15 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves heart-shaped to circular, toothed, smooth to short-hairy on the upper surface, the blades 1.5-5 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, the stalks 6-15 cm long, smooth; stem leaves lacking or few, similar, the stalks much longer than the blades; stipules lanceolate to egg-shaped, entire or remotely glandular-toothed, 3-10 mm long.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, violet, the lower petal 15-25 mm long including the 2- to 4-mm long pouched spur, the lower 3 whitish-based, the lateral pair white-bearded; sepals 5, lanceolate; style heads smooth or bearded.
Fruits:
Capsules, smooth; seeds brown.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Viola langsdorffii

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
 Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max
Elevation (metres)
 1223 65 1650
Slope Gradient (%)
 23 0 80

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

 156 10 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		4 1 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
 D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
 44
Modal BEC Zone Class
 ESSF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

 BAFA(2), CWH(2), ESSF(37), ICH(1), SBS(1), SWB(1)

Habitat and Range

Bogs, fens and mesic to moist, meadows, streambanks and scree slopes in the lowland to alpine zones; frequent in W BC, rare in EC BC; amphiberingian, N to AK and S to OR; NE Asia.

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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