Viola primulifolia

Viola primulifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Violaceae
Genus:	Viola
Species:	V. primulifolia
Binomial name
Viola primulifolia L.

Viola primulifolia, commonly called the primrose-leaf violet,[1] is a species of flowering plant in the violet family. It is native to eastern North America,[2] and possibly also to the Pacific Northwest.[3] Its natural habitat is wet acidic areas that are usually at least semi-open.[4]

It is a low, stemless perennial that produces white flowers in the spring.[5] It can be distinguished from the similar-looking Viola lanceolata and Viola blanda by its leaves that are ovate, with rounded to truncate bases, and are 1.5-2 times as long as wide.[4]

While typical Viola primulifolia occurs in a large area of the east, a variety of this species is sometimes credited to occur in a small area of western California and Oregon, under the name of V. primulifolia var. occidentalis.[6] These populations, which are considered rare and highly localized, have alternatively been referred to as Viola lanceolata ssp. occidentalis.[7]

References

1. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States
2. "Viola primulifolia". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
3. Flora of North America
4. Chester, Edward (2015). Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee.
5. IllinoisWildflowers
6. Calflora
7. PLANTS Profile for Viola lanceolata occidentalis Retrieved 2017-08-05