{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image = Viola adunca 5819.JPG |status = G5 |status_system = TNC |genus = Viola (plant) |species = adunca |authority = Sm. |synonyms = ''Viola bellidifolia''<br />''Viola cascadensis'' }}
'''''Viola adunca''''' is a species of violet known by the common names '''hookedspur violet''', '''early blue violet''', '''sand violet''', and '''western dog violet'''. It is native to meadows and forests of western North America, Canada, and the northern contiguous United States.<ref name="Sullivan2015">{{cite web | url= http://www.wildflowersearch.com/search?&PlantName=Viola+adunca | last= Sullivan | first= Steven. K. | date= 2015 | title= ''Viola adunca'' | website= Wildflower Search | access-date= 2015-04-23 }}</ref><ref name="PLANTS">{{PLANTS |symbol=VIAD |taxon=Viola adunca |access-date=9 December 2017}}</ref>
==Description== left|thumb|Subspecies ''adunca''. The compact arrangement of {{nowrap|{{convert|5|-|40|mm|abbr=on|frac=8}}}} round-ovate blunt-tipped leaves, edges generally crenulate, on {{convert|5|-|70|mm|abbr=on|frac=8}} stalks, and violet flowers are characteristic of the species.
This is a compact plant growing from a small rhizome system. The leaves are spade- or heart-shaped, sometimes with broadly wavy margins. They are generally 0.5 to 4 centimeters long.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Taylor|first=Ronald J.|title=Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary|publisher=Mountain Press Pub. Co|year=1994|isbn=0-87842-280-3|edition=rev.|location=Missoula, MT|pages=168|language=en|oclc=25708726|orig-year=1992}}</ref> The single-flowered inflorescence grows at the end of a very thin peduncle reaching about {{Convert|7.5|cm|sp=us|frac=4|abbr=on}} high.<ref name=":0" /> The nodding flower is a violet about {{Convert|1.5|cm|abbr=on|frac=4}} long,<ref name=":0" /> with five purple petals. The lower three petals have white bases and purple veining. The two side petals are white-bearded near the throat. The lower petal is spurred, often with a slight hook at the tip.<ref name="Klinkenberg2014">{{cite web | url= http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Viola%20adunca | editor-last= Klinkenberg | editor-first= Brian | date= 2014 | title= ''Viola adunca'' | website= E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. | publisher= Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver | access-date= 2015-04-23}}</ref><ref name="WTU Herbarium2015">{{cite web | url= http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Viola&Species=adunca | editor-last= Giblin | editor-first= David | date= 2015 | title= ''Viola adunca'' | website= WTU Herbarium Image Collection | publisher= Burke Museum, University of Washington | access-date= 2015-04-23}}</ref><ref name="Jepson">{{cite web | url= http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_JM_treatment.pl?7799,7800,7801 | date= 1993 | title= ''Viola adunca'' | website= Jepson Flora Project: Jepson Interchange | publisher= Jepson Herbarium; University of California, Berkeley | access-date= 2015-04-23}}</ref> It is a perennial<ref name="plants.usda.gov">{{Cite web|url=https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_viad.pdf|title=USDA Plants Database|website=Plants.usda.gov|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> blooming in late spring.<ref name=":0" />
There are several varieties of ''V. adunca''; a white-petaled form has been noted in Yosemite National Park.
It has also been observed in Southern Ontario in tall grass prairies on the sand plain and in black oak savannas.
==Ecology== ''Viola adunca'' is the larval host plant of Myrtle's silverspot. Bees and other insects pollinate it. Polites mardon uses it as a nectar source, and birds and mice use the seed as a food source.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.sonoma.edu/cei/prairie/ecology/concepts.shtml|title = Center for Environmental Inquiry at Sonoma State University}}</ref>
==Conservation status in the United States== The species is listed as endangered in Massachusetts<ref name="PLANTS" /> and in Connecticut.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20151023162806/http://www.ct.gov/deep/lib/deep/wildlife/pdf_files/nongame/ETS15.pdf "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015"]. State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2 January 2017. (Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.)</ref>
==Uses== The leaves and flowers are edible, and can be eaten in salads, as potherbs, or brewed as tea. These plant parts are high in vitamins A and C. However, the rhizomes, fruit, and seeds are poisonous to humans and can cause upset stomach, intestinal problems, respiratory and circulatory depression.<ref name="plants.usda.gov"/>
===Native American ethnobotany=== The Blackfoot apply an infusion of the roots and leaves to sore and swollen joints,<ref>Hellson, John C., 1974, Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 79</ref> give an infusion of the leaves and roots to asthmatic children,<ref>Hellson, John C., 1974, Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 74</ref> and use the plant to dye their arrows blue.<ref>Hellson, John C., 1974, Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 123</ref> The Dakelh take a decoction of the entire plant for stomach pain,<ref>Smith, Harlan I., 1929, Materia Medica of the Bella Coola and Neighboring Tribes of British Columbia, National Museum of Canada Bulletin 56:47-68, page 60</ref> the Klallam apply a poultice of smashed flowers to the chest or side for pain,<ref name="Gunther, Erna 1973, page 40">Gunther, Erna, 1973, Ethnobotany of Western Washington, Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition, page 40</ref> the Makah chew the roots and leaves while giving birth,<ref name="Gunther, Erna 1973, page 40"/> and the Tolowa apply a poultice of chewed leaves to sore eyes.<ref>Baker, Marc A., 1981, The Ethnobotany of the Yurok, Tolowa and Karok Indians of Northwest California, Humboldt State University, M.A. Thesis, page 62</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{Commons-inline|Viola adunca|''Viola adunca''}} *{{CalPhotos|Viola|adunca}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2705497}}
adunca Category:Flora of California Category:Flora of Michigan Category:Flora of the United States Category:Flora of Canada Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine Category:Edible plants