Viola bertolonii

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids I
Ordo: Malpighiales

Familia: Violaceae
Genus: Viola
Species: Viola bertolonii
Subspecies: V. b. subsp. messanensis
Name

Viola bertolonii Pio emend. Merxm. & Lippert
Synonyms

Viola heterophylla Bertol. [Illegitimate]

Distribution

It is only present in south eastern France (possibly) and in north western Italy, in the Apennines of Liguria (Regional Park of Monte Beigua, Piani di Praglia, Monte Pracaban, Monte Leco, Punta Martin) and Piedmont (Natural Park of Capanne di Marcarolo).
References

Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 2, 5: 116. 1836

Links

International Plant Names Index. 2017. Viola bertolonii. Published online. Accessed: Oct. 06 2017.
The Plant List 2013. Viola bertolonii in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2017 Oct. 06.

Vernacular names
français: Violette de Bertoloni

Viola bertolonii is a species of violet known by the common name Bertoloni's pansy, belonging to the Violaceae family.

Etymology

The genus name, derived from the Latin word “viere” meaning “to tie”, possibly refers to the flexuosity of these plants. The species epithet honors the Italian botanist Antonio Bertoloni (1775–1869).
Description
Close-up on a flower of Viola bertolonii

The biological form of Viola bertolonii is hemicryptophyte scapose,[1] as its overwintering buds are situated just below the soil surface and the floral axis is more or less erect with a few leaves. It has a particularly low chromosome number (2n = 20) and possibly dates back to the late Tertiary.

Viola bertolonii is a rare herbaceous perennial plant with a prostrate-ascending stem about 5–15 centimetres (2.0–5.9 in) high.[1] The basal leaves are small, from round to oval, with an elongated petiole, while the upper leaves are linear and narrow, with pinnate stipules. The large blue-violet flowers have a corolla of about 2–4 centimetres (0.79–1.57 in) wide. The flowering period extends from April through June.[1]
Distribution

It is an endemic with a quite restricted distribution range. It is only present in south eastern France (possibly) and in north western Italy,[1][2] in the Apennines of Liguria (Regional Park of Monte Beigua, Piani di Praglia, Monte Pracaban, Monte Leco, Punta Martin) and Piedmont (Natural Park of Capanne di Marcarolo).
Habitat

The species is strictly associated with ultramafic serpentine substrates. It grows on ophiolites in mountain environments in meadows and rocky slopes, at an altitude of 600–1,000 metres (2,000–3,300 ft) above sea level.[1]
Subspecies

Viola bertolonii subsp. bertolonii
Viola bertolonii subsp. messanensis[3][4]

References

Pignatti S. - Flora d'Italia – Edagricole – 1982. Vol. II, pag. 110
Distribution in Grin.gov
Subspecies in Biolib

Paola Gastaldo - Compendio della flora officinale italian - Ediz. Piccin, pag. 220

Acta Plantarum