Viola "palmata avipes"
Common names:
Appalachian Bird's-foot Violet
Synonyms:
None.
Description:
Foliage and peduncles moderately to densely hirtellous or hirsute, blue- or gray-green, lower surface of leaf blades strongly purple-tinged, peduncles and calyx strongly purple-spotted, margins of leaf blades ciliate, peduncles sparsely to moderately hirtellous or hirsute; larger leaf blades deeply pedately divided into 5 main lobes, the terminal primary linear-lanceolate division unlobed, lateral primary divisions widely divergent and each bilobate with the upper lobe linear-lanceolate and lower lobe bent downward and asymmetrically cleft with a smaller bottom lobe, these overlapping at the inner edges in life, sinuses between primary divisions reaching nearly to the petiole summit; calyx ciliate; lowest sepals ovate, broadly rounded at apex; cleistogamous capsule heavily purple-spotted or blotched, on an initially prostrate peduncle arching upward abruptly just prior to dehiscence. Other features as in V. palmata sensu lato.
Ecology:
Moist sandy loam on shallow to steep slopes of open dry-mesic forests. The few plants on the Allegheny/Bath Count Line grew among heavy leaf litter in a very small area near the base of the steep slope below a large shale barrens complex, while the larger number of plants at the Floyd County site grew scattered in rocky soils in open rich dry-mesic forest.
Distribution:
Two small populations known, on the Allegheny/Bath County line and in Floyd County, VA.
Rarity:
None.
Phenology:
Phenology presumably the same as V. palmata sensu lato.
Affinities:
This species belongs to the Acaulescent Blue Violet lineage, sect. Nosphinium W.Becker, subsect. Boreali-Americanae (W.Becker) Gil-ad, in the Palmata species group.
Hybrids:
None.
Comments:
This is a very distinctive local endemic, occurring as scattered plants in very small populations. Thus far only two populations are known, one each from the Allegheny/Bath County line and Floyd County of Virginia, both the result of accidental discovery during fieldwork (no herbarium specimens exist). It should be vigorously sought in the Ridge and Valley region of western Virginia.
Literature Cited:
None.
Chasmogamous flowering habit by Harvey Ballard
Map of regionally endemic taxa in the Palmata species group by Harvey Ballard