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odd violet ID?

17 years ago

In medium shade, deeper shade than violets generally seem to like, I found a new white violet - not a Canada violet - an elongated bloom, with longish petals, and the fused part of the flower being especially long - no stripes - a luminescent white with a slight bluish cast. Ordinary heart-shaped leaves.

I would take pictures except that the deer, ignoring the thousands of Canada violets in my yard, ate this one down to bare stems after I cleared the garlic mustard that was encroaching on it. Perhaps it will recover. &%$# deer.

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Comments (6)

birdgardner
Original Author
17 years ago
Okay - what I was taught were Canada violets (the ones all over my yard) are really Common Blue violets (V. sororia) apparently in two colors: blue, and white with blue striping, both with the outer two petals bearded.

The new violet was most like Canada violet (V. canadensis) or pale violet (V. striata) except that I don't remember the flowers growing out of leaf stalks. Maybe they were - it was taller than my Common violets. And I don't remember any markings on it. I don't remember any bearding. No scent.

It wasn't V. pallens, Northern violet - I found some of those a month earlier.

I will put a cage over it and see if it comes back.
garlicgrower
17 years ago
Could it be the lance leaved violet?

http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/violalanc.html

I've been trying to find this again after 15 years...
Best wishes
Maryanne in WMass

Here is a link that might be useful: Lance leaved violet
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Thanks for the help--I'll try the Name That Plant Forum for confirmation, but I went through this Vascular Plant Image Library yesterday under the Viola section and found these two that seem to match. I was almost certain that they were violets because of the flowers. The leaves on both types are odd for violets. The first one, as far as can tell, is Lance-leaved Violet (Viola lanceolata)and the second one is Arrow-leaved Violet (Viola sagittata). Here is a link that might be useful: Lance-leaved Violet
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Irina's and everyone's advice is good. Thanks for sharing your gems. They look like minis that are very popular now that most likely the local nursery bought wholesale from a commercial grower. Such growers do not sell someone else's hybrids. Nor do they name the plants. As Irina stated, they usually are grown in the general area or state where you live then transported to nurseries. They typically are unnamed because they are grown in large quantities for commercial use. Nurseries typically purchase from various sources. They may or may not know which nursery because several steps are involved. Those who truck them are different from the retail nursery employees. People who work in nurseries are not aware that AVs are named because most likely the AVs were not named. The only way to get named violets is to buy them directly from the hybridizer through one of the mail order companies. Most commercial growers do not replicate named violets. They hybridize their own for bulk wholesale. I have purchased dozens of tiny AVs for resale similar to those for club sales to the public. So I learned this by consulting with the nursery employees. Keeping them in pristine condition is a bit of a challenge. They like a bit of humidity. They look like micro-minis. Enjoy!
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birdgardner
Original Author
17 years ago
Not lance leaved violet, thanks.
Judy_B_ON
17 years ago
Here is a link to 14 pages of pictures of violets --- good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Violets
janet_e
17 years ago
The possibilities that occur to me are long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata) and dog violet (Viola conspersa). Both of them have a long spur (the extension of the lower petal behind the flower). I would call them pale purple, not white, but perhaps your violet is paler than average.

Here is a link that might be useful: long-spurred violet
birdgardner
Original Author
17 years ago
Janet, thank you for that link! I followed it a little further - my violet had a blunt rounded spur like Great-spurred violet, Viola kirkii. It was definitely taller and paler than shown in the picture but it is certainly the closest yet.

I caged it and it is coming back. Maybe it will rebloom and I can post a picture.

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