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Yellow violet is a native perennial, the only yellow violet species in Jackson Park (indeed, in all of Illinois). One or more stems arise from an axil of a stem leaf; they are up to 6" tall with a single 3/4" long flower at their tips. Each flower consists of five light green sepals, five yellow petals, five stamens, and a single style; the stamens and style cannot be seen from the exterior. On the lower petal, the flowers have purple lines (nectar guides) and a spur reduced to a small pouch. The two lower, lateral petals have small tufts of hair that obscure the throat of the flower and hide the stamens and style; the two upper, lateral petals are beardless and have only faint lines (nectar guides), if any. The fruit of this species is a bullet-shaped (hairless in the Jackson Park forms) capsule nestled in the calyx with the remnant of the style at its tip, initially green but turning brown as it matures; it ultimately splits along three suture lines to fling the seeds away from the plant.

Viola

Viola pubescens

yellow violet [Blooms: Apr-May]

Common blue violet flowers are 3/4-1" across with the calyx formed from five elongate oval, dark green sepals with a pointed tip, five petals (two upper, two lateral petals with white hairs ("beards") that occlude the throat of the flower, and one lower petal with a white patch and superimposed dark blue lines near the throat). The lower petal has a pouch (the "spur") that extends backwards past the base of the sepals; the spur houses the ovary, single style, and stigma (positioned just behind the petal beards) and, more posteriorly, the nectary. The two stamens surround the ovary and can't be seen without dissecting the flower. Flower color may range from deep violet to white with a purple center, all fading to pale yellow in the center. The fruit is a bullet-shaped capsule 1/4-1/2" long that is nestled in the calyx with the remnant of the style at its tip, initially green but turning brown as it matures; it ultimately splits along three suture lines to fling the approximately 75 seeds, beige or bronze in color, 1.5-2.5 mm long, away from the plant. Much of the reproduction occurs from vegetative clones produced from the rhizomes. Common blue violet prefers light sun or partial shade and a rich soil.

Viola

Viola sororia

common blue violet [Blooms: Apr-May]