VIOLA REICHENBACHIANA

Family and Genus:- See- VIOLACEAE/Sect. VIOLA/Subsect. ROSTRATAE

Common Names:- Early dog-violet

Homotypic Synonyms:- Viola idaea

Meaning:- Viola The Latin name applied to several fragrant plants.

Reichenbachiana (L) For Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach

(1793-1879) of the Dresden Botanic Garden, Germany

General description:- Perennial with basal leaf rosette

Stems:-

1) Up to 15 cm, ascending to erect

Leaves:-

1) Long-petiolate, glabrous to sparsely pubescent.

a) lamina, ovate, 1-1.5 times as long as wide, deeply cordate, crenate, acute.

2) Stipules, linear-lanceolate, with marginal fimbriae longer than the width of the

stipule.

Flowers:-

1) 1·2-1·8 cm.

2) Sepals, lanceolate, acute, calycine appendages very short, inconspicuous in

fruit.

3) Petals, narrow, violet, often darker at the base.

4) Spur, 3-6 mm, slender, subacute, not notched, violet.

5) Style, Head hairy.

Fruit:-

1) Capsules, trigonous, explosive, on erect peduncles.

2) Seeds, with an inconspicuous elaiosome.

Key features:-

1) Calycine appendages, not more than 1 mm, inconspicuous.

2) Stipules, narrowly lanceolate, long-fimbriate.

Click here for a glossary of terms used

Habitat:- Shady woodland habitats. (100-)400-1500 m.

Distribution:- On mainland Greece from Mts Taigetos and Parnonas to the N

borders; also reported from the Ionian Islands. - Widespread in Europe and

extending to Caucasus. Very rare on Crete currently known from only one location

in the Psiloritis mountains..

Flowering time:- Late Mar-June.

Photos by:- Courtesy of Wiki-Commons