Viola renifolia A. Gray. Section: Plagiostigma. Subsection: Stolonosae. Kidneyleaf Violet. Phen: Chasmogamous flower Apr-Jul; chasmogamous fruit Jun-Aug; cleistogamous fruit Jun-Sep. Hab: Dry organic-rich often sandy or rocky soil, or ledges in dry or dry-mesic forests, somewhat of a calciphile and often on limestone. Dist: NL west to AK, south to ne. PA, MI, ne. IA, w. SD, CO, ID, and WA.

ID notes:This species is most similar to other Stolonosae violets with leaf blades nearly as broad as to broader than long. It differs from all Stolonosae in our region in the total absence of stolons, and from most species except V. blanda in its widely spreading to prostrate leaves. In chasmogamous flower it is obviously different from V. palustris and V. suecica in its white corolla. It can be distinguished from V. minuscula in its petioles and leaf laminas being glabrous, densely hirsute, or one or both laminas hirsute, its proportionally broader leaf blades with noticeably serrate margins, heavily purple-spotted or -blotched cleistogamous capsule on a short prostrate peduncle, and orange-brown to brown seeds. It is most similar to and often confused with V. incognita; if its lack of a horizontal stoloniform rhizome and stolons, and widely spreading to prostrate leaves are ignored, it can be separated by the glabrous or wholly densely hirsute foliage or one or both leaf blade surfaces densely hirsute, its orbiculate to reniform leaf blades, glabrous or occasionally sparsely bearded lateral petals, and slightly larger seeds.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Synonymy: = C, FNA6, GrPl, K3, K4, Mi, NE, Pa, Ballard, Kartesz, & Nishino (2023); > Viola renifolia A.Gray var. brainerdii (Greene) Fernald – F, G; > Viola renifolia A.Gray var. renifolia – F, G

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
• Great Plains: FACW
• Midwest: FACW
• Northcentral & Northeast: FACW

Heliophily: 3