Violaceae . . . . . Violet family


Viola . . . . . . Violets

Choose between the following 6 Violets and 4 Pansies.


Violets:
Sweet violet
Early dog violet
Common dog violet
Heath dog violet

Pale Dog violet
Marsh violet
Hairy violet

Note that V. riviniana and V. reichenbachiana have a rosette of lvs, the other dog violets do not

Note that there are a number of other rare spp, e.g. V. rupestris (Teesdale violet) with hairy leaves and is rare on limestone in N En and V. hirta (Hairy violet) with hairy lvs and blue-violet fls

Pansies:
Field Pansy
Pansy
Mountain pansy
Dwarf pansy

Horned Pansy

Viola arvensis . . . Field Pansy

Usually yellow/cream (c.f. V. tricolor which is larger and usually has some blue or purple), sepals as long as petals

Viola canina . . . Heath dog violet

V. canina has bluish flowers and yellowish spur; widely distributed

See also V. lactea.

Viola cornuta . . . Horned violet

An alien scattered uncommonly esp. in NE Sc

Viola hirta . . . Hairy violet

Hairy roundish, lvs; local across E, W and E Sc, rare in Ire

Viola kitaibeliana . . . Dwarf pansy

A tiny plant with flowers often much <5 mm; very local in short turf by the sea Scillies and CI

Viola lactea . . . Pale dog violet

V. lactea is a local sp on dry heaths S & W from Anglesea to the New Forest and scattered in Ire; short pale spur and stipule of upper lf longer than petiole

Viola lutea . . . Mountain pansy

Can vary from yellow to purple; stipules at base of lf stalk like lobed lvs; Quite frequent on base-rich mountains

Viola odora . . . Sweet violet

Flowers early, with large leaves

Viola palustris . . . Marsh violet

Bogs, marshes and wet heaths, also on mountains in Ire and W & N of Br

Viola reichenbachiana . . . Early or wood dog violet

Straight unnotched spur darker than petals; woods and hedges; common in S Br and Ire but almost absent from Sc

see also under Viola riviniana below

Viola riviniana . . . Common dog violet

Very common over all BI; Note that V. riviniana (common dog violet) has overlapping petals and curved, creamy spur, notched at tip vs. straight, dark unnotched spur in V. reichenbachiana (wood dog violet)


Viola tricolor . . . Pansy

Common