Viola nephrophylla Greene
northern bog violet
Violaceae (Violet family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #20029)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Viola nephrophylla
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Perennial from a thickened rhizome, without stolons, plants up to 25 cm tall; stems lacking.
Leaves:
Basal leaves heart-shaped to triangular, toothed, smooth or nearly so, the blades 3.5-7 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, the stalks 5-25 cm long; stem leaves lacking; stipules linear-lanceolate, entire.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of single, axillary flowers; petals 5, bluish-violet, the lower petal 10-20 mm long including the 2- to 3-mm long pouched spur, the lower 3 bearded and more or less whitish at the base, the lateral pair sometimes not bearded; sepals 5, lanceolate; style heads smooth.
Fruits:
Capsules, smooth, 8-10 mm long; seeds brown.
Notes:
Two varieties occur in BC

1. All petals bearded................... var. cognata (Greene) C.L. Hitchc.

1. Only the lower three petals bearded........................ var. nephrophylla

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Viola nephrophylla

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)
1211 326 2150
Slope Gradient (%)
6 0 100

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

198 90 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
6 3 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
D
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
53
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF

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

AT(1), BWBS(1), ESSF(18), ICH(11), IDF(6), MS(3), SBPS(5), SBS(7)

Habitat and Range

Moist to wet meadows, thickets, marshes, open woodlands and streambanks in the montane to alpine zones; frequent in SE BC, rare northward, absent along the Coast N of 50degreeN; N to NT, E to NF and S to ME, NH, PA, WV, IN, IO, LA, TX, NM, AZ and CA.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Viola maccabeana M.S. Baker
Viola maccabeiana
Viola nephrophylla var. arizonica (Greene) Kearney & Peebles
Viola nephrophylla var. cognata (Greene) C.L. Hitchc.
Viola pratincola Greene
Viola retusa Greene