About Viola flettii Piper
Viola flettii Piper is a rhizomatous, hairless herb. Its stems grow between a few centimeters and around 15 centimeters in maximum height. Basal leaves have green, reniform blades marked with purple veins, and grow on petioles. Leaves growing on the flower stem are similar in shape but smaller. One solitary flower grows on a slender, upright stem. The flower has five purplish-violet petals with yellowish bases; the lower three petals have purple veins. Both the lateral pair of petals and the stigma are bearded. The spur on the lowest petal is much shorter than the petal itself. During the last glacial period, the Olympic Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, acted as a refugium isolated by glacial ice and outwash channels. Viola flettii is one of seven plant species that are endemic to the Olympic Mountains. Classified as a vulnerable species, it is federally protected within Olympic National Park and appears on the Watch List of Vascular Plant Species of the Washington Natural Heritage Program. Only 36 populations of the species have been identified to date. 22 of these populations lie inside Olympic National Park or near the park boundary. The remaining populations are protected within Olympic National Forest. Most populations are small. In 2001, just 20 individuals were counted on Mount Townsend, and only eight were counted on Mount Ellinor. Populations growing at higher elevations have lower genetic diversity, and populations growing on southern slopes are small. A potential threat to the species is herbivory by Oreamnos americanus (mountain goats), which were introduced to the Olympic Mountains in the late 1920s.
