Viola reichenbachiana

Wood violet (Viola reichenbachiana )

The wood violet ( Viola reichenbachiana ) is a plant of the genus violets ( Viola ).

Description

The forest - violet grows as a perennial herbaceous plant, reaching heights of growth of up to 25 centimeters. The Laubblattspreite the summer leaves is pointed and heart-shaped at the base. Stems and leaves are hairless. At the base of the stem leaves sit - as opposed to the dog - violets.

A striking contrast to the Hain- Violet is the shortness of the calyx appendages of only about 1 mm - as can be seen in the adjacent profile view of the flower. In addition, the upper petals are narrower and overlap little or not at all. The lower petal has purple veins on a white background. Otherwise, the flower color is bright purple. The flower spur is colored dark purple.

The forest violets can be easily confused with the hybrid Viola x bavarica (Bavarian violets ).

The flowering period extends mainly from March to May Occasionally, however, you can still find in late summer flowering specimens also.

Ecology

The forest - Violet is a rosette plant with leafy, axillary inflorescences. Vegetative Propagation is by rhizomes and root sprouts.

The open flowers in spring bring forth seed. In the closed lasting, so-called cleistogamous flowers takes place self-pollination.

The fruits are drying spreader with a spreading width up to 4.7 m. There is myrmecochory ( ants spread ) instead. Fruit ripening occurs between June and August.

Occurrence

As the site this species preferred moderately sparse forests.

System

The first description was in 1857 by the French botanist Claude Thomas Alexis Jordan in Fl. center France, 3rd edition, Volume 2, page 78 The specific epithet honors the German botanist Heinrich reichenbachiana Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach.

Synonyms for Viola reichenbachiana Boreau are: .. Viola arenicola Chabert, Viola formosa Vuk, Viola sylvatica ( Hartm. ) Fr ex Hartm, Viola sylvestris auct ..