Viola labradorica

Schrank

American Dog-violet

G5Secure Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.942406
Element CodePDVIO044G0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderViolales
FamilyViolaceae
GenusViola
Other Common Names
Alpine Violet (EN) alpine violet (EN) Labrador Violet (EN) Violette du Labrador (FR)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Taxonomic Comments
This record is for Viola labradorica in the broad sense following Kartesz (1999) and FNA (vol. 6, 2015), including V. conspersa, which has been treated as a distinct species by Kartesz (1994).
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-09-18
Change Date2015-02-04
Edition Date2024-09-18
Edition AuthorsSoteropoulos (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Viola labradorica is a perennial herb in a variety of forests and widely distributed in northeastern North America, especially the Appalachian Mountains though extending southward and into boreal western North America, from Greenland and Newfoundland and Labrador to Northwest Territories in Canada, south to North Dakota, Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the United States. Threats include development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, succession, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and large number of occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Viola labradorica is widely distributed in northeastern North America, especially the Appalachian Mountains though extending southward and north and northwestward into boreal western North America, Greenland and Newfoundland and Labrador to Northwest Territories in Canada, south to North Dakota, Georgia and Alabama, and slightly disjunct in southwestern Georgia and the panhandle of Florida in the United States (Ballard et al. 2023). Range extent was estimated to be over 7 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1983 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, photo-based observations, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1983 and 2024, it is estimated that there are almost 1,800 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, NatureServe 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, this species is threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, logging, succession, recreational activities (especially off-road vehicles), invasive species, and other threats in some places (NatureServe 2024). However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Viola labradorica grows in moist to wet loamy, peaty, or mucky soils in mesic to wet-mesic woods, forests, and alluvial woodlands, swamps, seepage slopes, bogs, marl ravines, hammocks (Ballard et al. 2023, FNA 2015, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - HardwoodForest - MixedWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - Mixed
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDBog/fen
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
SaskatchewanS1Yes
ManitobaS3Yes
AlbertaS2Yes
Northwest TerritoriesSNRYes
QuebecSNRYes
OntarioSNRYes
Nova ScotiaS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS4Yes
LabradorS4Yes
New BrunswickS4Yes
Prince Edward IslandS3Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
West VirginiaSNRYes
VirginiaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
North DakotaS2Yes
FloridaS1Yes
MaineS4Yes
New JerseySNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
New YorkS4Yes
AlabamaSNRYes
DelawareSNRYes
VermontS4Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
ConnecticutSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
IllinoisSNRYes
GeorgiaSNRYes
South CarolinaS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
PennsylvaniaSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
MichiganSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
Threat Assessments

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (7)
Kentucky (1)
AreaForestAcres
WolfpenDaniel Boone National Forest2,835
Minnesota (1)
AreaForestAcres
Wood LakeSuperior National Forest596
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Chunky Gal (addition)Nantahala National Forest3,336
West Virginia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Dry ForkMonongahela National Forest657
Mcgowan MountainMonongahela National Forest10,504
Middle MountainMonongahela National Forest19,020
Wisconsin (1)
AreaForestAcres
09154 - St. Peters DomeChequamegon-Nicolet National Forest4,002
References (10)
  1. Ballard, H.E. Jr., J.T. Kartesz, and M. Nishino. 2023. A taxonomic treatment of the violets (Violaceae) of the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 150(1): 3-266.
  2. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2015. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 6. Magnoliophyta: Cucurbitaceae to Droserceae. Oxford University Press, New York. 496 pp + xxiv.
  3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  4. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  5. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  6. Kartesz, J.T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: Kartesz, J.T., and C.A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C.
  7. NatureServe. 2024. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  8. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  9. Weakley, A. S. 2012. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Working Draft of 30 November 2012. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Online. Available: http://herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm (Accessed 2012).
  10. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.