Jump to content
UltravioletPhotography

Early Dog Violet ?


Jim Lloyd

Recommended Posts

Andrea B.

It is some kind of violet which is indeed the species Viola as Werner has noted.

 

To correctly type a violet, if possible, we would need a profile view so the the length of the spur could be seen. And also a good view of the leaf. But there are scads of violets, so identification is not always easy. I'll look in the Collins to see how many you have to choose from. :D

 

BRB

Link to comment
Andrea B.

ok, here we go....

 

Collins Pocket Guide, Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe, 5th Ed, 1996, pages 154-156, lists 24 members of Viola.

 

We can immediately rule out some of them based on color: white, yellow, pale blue, pale lilac, and bi-coloured.

 

That leaves five. Good.

 

V. odorata (Sweet Violet), V. hirta (Hairy Violet), V. riviniana (Common Dog Violet), V. reichenbachiana (Early Dog Violet), V. selkirkii (Northern Violet)

 

At this point I would need a better look at the spur and the sepals cupping the flower.

 

Northern Violet is Scandanavian, so that leaves the first four in the list.

 

I'm going to say 'no' to the Hairy Violet because its leaves are narrower than the round ones shown in your photo.

 

So we are down to the Sweet Violet and two kinds of Dog Violet.

 

The Sweet Violet is scented. The two Dog Violets are not scented.

 

I'm going to say 'no' to the Early Dog Violet again because of narrower leaves. (Although they are not well illustrated in the Collins guide.)

 

That leaves Sweet Violet and Common Dog Violet.

 

Sweet Violet:

  • Low, creeping, downy with long rooting runners.
  • Leaves in a tuft, rounded, enlarging in summer. [leaves are heart-shaped]
  • Flowers 15 mm.
  • Fragrant.
  • Blue-violet (or other colors).
  • Sepals blunt.
  • Blooms Mar-May.
  • Woods, scrub, hedgebanks.

Common Dog Violet:

  • Low, almost hairless.
  • Leaves in a tuft, heart-shaped. Stipules usually toothed.
  • Flowers 15-25 mm.
  • Unscented.
  • Blue-violet.
  • Spur stout, curved, pale, often creamy, notched at tip.
  • Sepals pointed, appendages enlarging when fruiting.
  • Blooms Mar-May.
  • Woods, grassy places, mountains.

So if you can determine the scent (or lack of) and/or look at the sepals and the spurs, then you'll know which one it is.

 

The violet spur is an elongation of the lower petal which forms a kind of tube sticking out behind the flower.

Sepals are the leaf-like bracts which cup the petals underneath.

An sepal appendage is a small projection from the sepal.

A stipule is a small leaflet or scale-like growth at the base of a leaf stalk.

Link to comment
Jim Lloyd

Wow Andrea ! That’s comprehensive!

 

I think Common Dog Violet as I didn’t notice any smell. I will investigate further soon and hopefully get some UV pics

Link to comment
My guess would be Viola pratensis. Flowering time and habitat fit perfectly and it is widely distributed in the UK.
Link to comment
Jim Lloyd

I was going with V.Riviniana based on Andrea’s analysis and various internet sources. I can’t find references to v.pratensis on internet. I have put more detailed photos in the formal section.

 

Link to comment

Pull up the plant. Has is a deep-going rootstock (subterranean rhizome) ? Then it is V. riviniana. Otherwise V. canina which lacks the stout rhizome.

 

Below is what the rootstock of the V. riviniana looks like. Notice the series of scars from older basal leaves (the growth point is constantly moving upwards).

 

J1705219454.jpg

Link to comment
Jim Lloyd

13 different violets recorded in Northumberland !

 

I was out on a bike ride today and saw very many like the one shown here along roadside verges

Link to comment
Andrea B.

Keep your eyes open, as they say!

 

Britain is chock full of terrific botanical and natural history groups. I wish we had more of that here.

On this page is a nice list: The Flora of North-east England

Check out the Wild Flower Society which amongst other things offers grants and holds photo contests. Maybe you can get a grant for photographing, say, 25 wildflowers in UV or something like that. :D

Link to comment
Andrea B.
So, like, if you get a wildflower grant be sure that it includes a plane ticket for me to come over and act as your assistant !!! :lol:
Link to comment
Andy Perrin

13 different violets recorded in Northumberland !

 

I was out on a bike ride today and saw very many like the one shown here along roadside verges

And I thought it was just the US that had all that nasty violets in the media(n)!

Link to comment
Jim Lloyd

So, like, if you get a wildflower grant be sure that it includes a plane ticket for me to come over and act as your assistant !!! :lol:

 

Maximum of £250 won’t cover your first class ticket Andrea - sorry !☹️

Link to comment

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...