Viola subsect. Viola

Knoche, Gerd & Marcussen, Thomas, 2016, Viola barhalensis (Violaceae), a new species from northeastern Turkey, Phytotaxa 275 (1), pp. 14-22 : 17

Key to the species of Viola subsect. Viola in Turkey

The occurence in Turkey of Viola suavis Marschall von Bieberstein (1819: 164) is in need of confirmation. At least in the eastern parts of the Caucasus and in Iran this name appears to have been misapplied to the West Asian V. sintenisii W. Becker (1909: 1) ( Marcussen et al. 2005, Yousefi et al. 2012, Saeidi Mehrvarz et al. 2013). Plants of V. alba von Besser (1809: 171) from northern Turkey clearly belong to subsp. alba (syn.: V. thessala Boiss. & Spruner in Boissier 1849: 51), which extends further eastwards into the Caucasus and northern Iran, and westwards into Central Europe, while plants from southern Turkey appear to belong to the Mediterranean subsp. dehnhardtii ( Tenore 1830: 12) W. Becker (1902: 257) . The two subspecies differ in numerous quantitative traits ( Marcussen 2003) but the variation has not been investigated for Turkish plants.

1. Plants with rooting stolons up to 30 cm long, sometimes underground (or occasionally absent in Viola alba subsp. dehnhardtii ) ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................2.

- Plants without stolons, but often with branched rhizomes................................................................................................................4.

2. Stolons stout, up to 2 mm thick or more; flowers light blue-violet; lateral petals scarcely bearded at base; bracteoles usually in the lower third of the peduncle, 4–12 mm long; stipules lanceolate and long-fimbriate....................................................... Viola suavis

- Stolons long and slender, less than 2 mm thick; flowers violet or all white; lateral petals usually densely bearded at base; bracteoles usually in the middle or upper third of the peduncle, 4–5 mm long; stipules variable.....................................................................3.

3. Stipules narrowly lanceolate and remotely long-fimbriate; leaf apex acute ( subsp. alba ) or obtuse ( subsp. dehnhardtii ) ................. ............................................................................................................................................................................................. Viola alba

- Stipules ovate and densely short-fimbriate; leaf apex obtuse ........................................................................................ Viola odorata

4. Leaves with hairs longer than 0.2 mm, or glabrescent, cuneate to subcordate basally; stipules short- or long-fimbriate................5.

- Leaves puberulous from 0.2 mm hairs, subcordate basally; stipules long-fimbriate........................................................................8.

5. Capsules glabrous; leaves pubescent or glabrescent; stipules ovate-lanceolate to linear, long-fimbriate; flowers violet; spur 2–3 mm, violet or whitish.................................................................................................................................................. Viola sandrasea

- Capsules and leaves always pubescent..............................................................................................................................................6.

6. Stipules long-fimbriate, linear-lanceolate to linear; corolla and spur deep violet; spur 3.0– 5.5 mm ............................ Viola isaurica

- Stipules short-fimbriate, narrowly ovate to linear-lanceolate; corolla violet or pinkish-purple; spur 2–3 mm ................................7.

7. Leaf base truncate to subcordate; stipules narrowly ovate to lanceolate; corolla violet, spur pale violet.................. Viola yildirimlii

- Leaf base cuneate; stipules lanceolate to linear-lanceolate; corolla and spur pinkish-purple .............................. Viola kizildaghensis

8. Petioles up to 30 mm; stipules linear-lanceolate; capsules scabrous-pubescent ..................................................... Viola bocquetiana

- Petioles up to 120 mm; stipules broadly ovate to lanceolate; capsules glabrous ..................................................... Viola barhalensis