Botanical art
Common names
Stately Violet
Ivy-leaf Violet
Etymology
Viola from Latin for violet; referring to the violet genus. Eminens from Latin meaning prominent or eminent; referring to its habit.
Distribution and status
Found on Kangaroo Island, Mount Lofty Ranges and the lower South-east in South Australia, growing in moist areas. Also found in New South Wales and Victoria. Native. Rare in South Australia. Uncommon in New South Wales. Common in Victoria.
Herbarium regions: Murray, Southern Lofty, Kangaroo Island, Green Adelaide
NRM regions: Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Kangaroo Island, South Australian Murray-Darling Basin, South East
AVH map: SA distribution map (external link)
Plant description
Stoloniferous perennial herb, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Leaves broad-reniform, to 25 mm long and 60 mm wide, truncate or nearly so at base, or with a broad sinus, apex rounded or very broadly obtuse, margins shallowly 7–20-toothed. Flowers 2-coloured, mauve-violet near base and white near apex (rarely the apical part pale violet) with sharp demarcation between colours. Flowering between December and March. Fruits are ovoid capsule to 9 mm long, containing many black seeds. Seeds are black ovoid seed to 1.5 mm long and 1.2 mm wide Seed embryo type is spatulate fully developed.
Seed collection and propagation
Collect seeds between January and May. Collect capsules that are maturing, drying off with dark seeds inside. Keep an eye on the capsules as they can ripen and split open quickly. Place the capsules in a tray and cover with paper to prevent seeds popping out and leave to dry for a week. Then rub the capsules gently with your hands to dislodge the seeds. Use a sieve to separate the unwanted material. Store the seeds with a desiccant such as dried silica beads or dry rice, in an air tight container in a cool and dry place. This species has physiological dormancy that need to be overcome for the seed to germinate.