Image of teesdale violet

Description:

Slo.: skalna vijolica beli razliek - syn.: Viola arenaria DC - Habitat: Mountain pasture; moderately inclined mountain slope, south aspect; calcareous, colluvial, skeletal ground; dry, sunny, open place; exposed to direct rain; elevation 610 m (2.000 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region. Substratum: soil. Comment: Viola rupestris is considered a rather scattered to rare violet although it is widely distributed in European mountains and west Asia. It is usually growing on dry to semidry, grassy places. It is a small plant (lower than 10 cm) with leaves smaller than 2 cm and blue-violet flowers. But sometimes one can find also white flowering plants and such, which grow on rocks or rocky walls. In Trenta valley white and blue-violet plants growing in grassland and on stony walls can be found. In Slovenia almost thirty species of violets are known. Distinguishing among them is not always simple. Many traits (including color of flowers, shape of leaves, hairiness and odor) are variable and hybrids are frequent. In addition juvenile plants differ significantly from mature (summer) ones (particularly in leaves and hairiness). Viola rupestris belongs to a group of violets, which have true stalk with nodes and stalk leaves and two or more ground leaves in a rosette. Calyx leaves are pointed. Characteristic traits are also: flower stalks are covered with very short (0.1 mm!) and dense (unfortunately, not always) hairs; ovary is also hairy and two very, very small, opposite flower-stalk leaves are positioned above one half of the length of the flower-stalk, sometimes just below the flowers themselves. Ref.: (1) Personal communication with Dr. Igor Dakskobler, Natural History Institute 'Jovan Hadi', SAZU. (2) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora fr sterreich, Liechtenstein und Sdtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 432. (3) A. Martini et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnina Zaloba Slovenije (2007), p 417. (4) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 436. (5) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 400. (6) H. Haeupler, T. Muer, Bildatlas der Farn- und Bluetenpflazen Deutschlands, Ulmer (2000), p 142.