''Viola lanceolata'', commonly known as lance-leaved violet or bog white violet, is a small group of stemless white-flowered violets. It is an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

in the

Violaceae Violaceae is a family of flowering plants established in 1802, consisting of about 1000 species in about 25 genera. It takes its name from the genus ''Viola'', the violets and pansies. Older classifications such as the Cronquist system placed t ...

family, part of the genus ''

Viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

''. It gets its name from its lanceolate

leaf shape The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

and from the habitats in which it thrives.

Distribution

''Viola lanceolata'' originates from North America and can be found in many states in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Its native status is L48 (N), CAN (N), and SPM (N).

Habitat and ecology

''Viola lanceolata'' can be found growing in bogs, swamps, wet meadows and along shores in sandy soil. It is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

plant that blooms between May and June. ''Viola lanceolata'' frequently hybridizes with northern white violet ('' Viola macloskeyi'') to form primrose-leaved violet ('' Viola primulifolia''). It grows in similar habitats but has leaves intermediate between lance shaped and the typical heart-shaped violet leaves of northern white violet.

Morphology

The overall plant is tall and has narrow, lance-shaped leaves. These leaves are sometimes wider in the summer than in the spring and have generally smooth surfaces. Its stem is smooth and slender. Its flower contain 5 white petals located at the top of the stalk. The bottom three petals typically have purple veins. This plant spreads with root-like structures that grow over the surface of the ground (

stolons In biology, stolons (from Latin '' stolō'', genitive ''stolōnis'' – "branch"), also known as runners, are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external s ...

). Its growth habit is a forb/herb.

Fruits

The fruit that it bears are green

elliptical Elliptical may mean: * having the shape of an ellipse, or more broadly, any oval shape ** in botany, having an elliptic leaf shape ** of aircraft wings, having an elliptical planform * characterised by ellipsis (the omission of words), or by conc ...

shaped capsules about a quarter-inch long containing many small round seeds that ripen to dark brown.

References

External links

* * lanceolata Flora of Eastern Canada Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the North-Central United States Flora of Texas Flora of Oregon Flora of Washington (state) Flora of British Columbia Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Violaceae-stub