Viola renifolia

Kidney Leaf Violet

Flora, fauna, earth, and sky...
The natural history of the northwoods

Name:

• Viola, from the Latin for violet
• renifolia, from the Latin ren, "kidney", and folius, "leaf"; hence "kidney shaped leaf"
• Common Name, from shape of the leaf
• Other common names include Kidney-leaved Violet, Kidney-leaved White Violet

Taxonomy:

• Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
  • Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)
    • Class Magnoliopsida, the Dicotyledons
    • Subclass Dilleniidae
      • Order Violales, the Violets
        • Family Violaceae, the Violets
          • Genus Viola, the Violets
• Taxonomic Serial Number: 22156
• Also known as Viola renifolia var. brainerdii
• Hybridizes with Viola blanda, a close relative.

Description:

• A native perennial, 2"-4" tall.
• Leaves reniform, or kidney-shaped, 1"-2½" long.
• Stolons not present, unlike some similar species.
• Flowers 10-15 mm long corolla has white petals; the lower three are purple-penciled.
• Fruit a purplish capsule.
• Seeds brown, 1-5 mm long.

Identification:

Distribution:

• Newfoundland to British Columbia, south to New York, Colorado, and Washington.

Habitat:

• Cool, damp sites in moist coniferous forests at low to middle elevations.
• Usually found in cedar swamps, woods, and thickets of other conifers in the Lake States.
• Seeds have been found in organic but not mineral soils.

Fire:

Associates:

• Trees: White Spruce (Picea glauca), Black Spruce (Picea mariana), Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera), Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
• Shrubs: Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), Twinflower (Linnaea borealis)
• Herbs: Wild Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), Large Leaf Aster (Aster macrophyllus), Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia borealis), Gold Thread (Coptis trifolia), Bedstraws (Galium ssp.), Oak Fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris), Canada Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense), Bishop's Cap (Mitella nuda), One Flowered Pyrola (Moneses uniflora), Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum), One Sided Pyrola (Pyrola secunda), Rose Twisted Stalk (Streptopus rosea), Starflower (Trientalis borealis), Violets (Viola spp.)

History:

Uses:

Reproduction:

• Reproduces by seed.

Propagation:

• By seed or division.

Cultivation:

• Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
• May be available by mail order from specialty suppliers.

Links:

• Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

Comments: