Australian Tropical Rainforest Plants - Online edition

Viola perreniformis (L.G.Adams) R.J.Little & Leiper


Herb (herbaceous or woody, under 1 m tall)
Click/tap on images to enlarge
Flowers, Leaves. © CSIRO
Herbarium specimen. © CSIRO
Family

Little, R.J. & Leiper, G. (2013) Austrobaileya 9(1): 82-83.

Common name

Violet, Ivy-leaved; Ivy-leaved Violet

Stem

Softly pubescent herb, rarely glabrous.

Leaves

Leaves in a basal rosette. Venation palmate; leaf blade reniform to suborbicular with a deeply cordate base, 14-23 x 9-11 mm, adaxial surface sparsely pubescent, scattered hairs on veins on abaxial surface, margin with glandular teeth. Petiole up to 55 mm long. Stipules dark reddish brown.

Flowers

Inflorescence longer than the leaves. Scape up to 90 mm long, pubescent, curved downwards before flowering. Bracteoles 2, linear, 2.5-3 mm long, in middle of scape. Sepals 4.5-5 mm long, with basal appendages. Corolla 7-13 mm long, ca. concolorous, pale blue-violet; lateral petals entire, bearded with tongue-shaped papillae and distinctly twisted; anterior petal shallowly saccate. Top of anthers forming a hood-like structure. Style 2 mm long with a slight bent near base. Ovary 1.5-2 mm, green with purplish spots near apex.

Fruit

Fruit a 3-valved capsule, 9 x 4 mm, valves boat-shaped, style persistent. Testa brown, ovate and 1.5 x 0.9 mm, glabrous and shiny.

Seedlings

Features not available.

Distribution and Ecology

Occurs in NEQ, CEQ and southwards to coastal central New South Wales. In NEQ it has an altitudinal range from 70-1160 m and grows in moist shady places in rainforest, Eucalypt forest, Syncarpia forest and closed Eucalypt woodland.

Natural History & Notes

This taxon is possibly Viola hederacea subsp. perreniformis L.G.Adams

Synonyms

Viola hederacea subsp. perreniformis L.G.Adams, Flora of Australia 8: 386 (1982). Type: ca 40 km SE of Gladstone, Many Peaks Range, 1.2 km WSW of Mt. Castletower, Port Curtis District, Qld, 2 June 1977, M.D.Crisp 2751 & R.K.Ellyard.

 

RFK Code
4178
Copyright © CSIRO 2020, all rights reserved.