''Viola purpurea'' is a species of

violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

with yellow flowers and the common name goosefoot violet.

Habitat and Range

''Viola purpurea'' grows in foothills and mountains across much the western United States, including the Cascade Mountains, the coastal ranges and Sierra Nevada in California, and the Rocky Mountains. Hitchcock, C.L. and Cronquist, A. 2018. Flora of the Pacific Northwest, 2nd Edition, p. 233. University of Washington Press, Seattle. In the Wenatchee Mountains in Washington State it is notable for being common on

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially anti ...

Description

This is a small plant which bears thick to fleshy toothed or ridged oval leaves which are mostly green but may have a purplish tint to them. The leaves have prominent indented veins. The flowers are made up of bright yellow petals, the lowermost being streaked or veined with purple and the lateral petals with purplish undersides.

Taxonomy

There are several subspecies, most of which are known by the common name goosefoot violet. These subspecies are found across the western United States from Wyoming to California. It is a member of the chaparral plant community and the foothills and low elevation mountains.

Subspecies of ''Viola purpurea''

* ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''charlestonensis'' , found as high as 8500 ft elevation. * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''dimorpha'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''geophyta'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''integrifolia'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''mesophyta'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''mohavensis'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''purpurea'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''quercetorum'' * ''Viola purpurea'' subsp. ''venosa'', most widely distributed variety.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q7933083 purpurea Flora of the Western United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status