E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Viola howellii A. Gray
Howell's violet
Violaceae (Violet family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ryan Batten  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #67065)

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Distribution of Viola howellii
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Species Information

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General:
Perennial herb from a scaly, thick rhizome, without stolons; stems erect, sparsely hairy, 2-10 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves heart- to kidney-shaped, toothed, smooth to short-hairy, the blades 2-4 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, the stalks 10-15 cm long, smooth; stem leaves similar, the stalks from shorter than to slightly longer than the blades; stipules narrowly oblong, 3-10 mm long, sharp-toothed.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, bluish-violet (white at the base) to white, the lower petal 15-20 mm long including the 2- to 4-mm long, pouched spur, the lower 3 strongly purplish-veined, the lateral pair white-bearded; sepals 5, fringed, oblong, with earlike lobes at the base; style heads sparsely bearded.
Fruits:
Capsules, smooth; seeds light brown.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Mesic to moist woodlands and forests in the lowland zone; rare on S Vancouver Island and the lower Fraser Valley; S to OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Additional Photo Sources

General References