Viola monacanora J.L.Hastings & H.E.Ballard

Locations ofViola monacanora J.L.Hastings & H.E.Ballard in Virginia

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Detail

Family
Violaceae
Botanical Name
Viola monacanora J.L.Hastings & H.E.Ballard
Common Name
Blue Ridge Violet
Synonym(s)
Flora of Virginia Name/Status
Not in Flora of Virginia; named and described after its publication
Comments
Viola monacanora is a recently described species that appears to be endemic to the Blue Ridge in Virginia and North Carolina. It is a cut-leaved violet that, in our area, is most similar to Viola subsinuata, specimens of which need to be re-examined for possible misidentifications. The map is based only on specimens cited in Ballard et al. (2023); the map in that monograph contains records for seven additional counties, but we have been unable to determine their source. Further field and herbarium work is needed to better characterize this species' ecology and distribution. For more information see Ballard, H.E., J.T. Kartesz, and M. Nishino. 2023. A taxonomic treatment of the Violets (Violaceae) of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Jour. Torrey Bot. Soc. 150(1): 3-266.
Habitat
Ballard et al. (2023) describe the habitat as "moist rocky loam in rich mesic forests at higher elevations." Based on the specimens cited, the actual elevation range would be "middle to higher," i.e., from ca. 2500 to 4000 ft., and occurrences are on substrates weathered from a variety of basic to sub-acidic metavolcanic, granitic, and metasedimentary rocks. Hybrids with Viola sororia are reported to be common. The bulk of the known occurrences are on the full length of the Virginia Blue Ridge, from northern Virginia to the North Carolina line.
Native Status
Native

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