Viola tenuisecta

From Ballard et al. (2023) in the taxon account of Viola tenuisecta, "It was previously confused with, and is superficially most similar to, V. pedatifida in its slender ultimate leaf segments and ‘‘prairie-like’’ shale woodland habitat. Besides its leaf dimorphism and more extensively dissected summer leaf blades, the new species differs from V. pedatifida in its consistently glabrous foliage, eciliate sepals, short auricles in chasmogamous flower only slightly elongating in cleistogamous fruit, glabrous spurred petal, purple-spotted (very rarely unspotted) cleistogamous capsule on a very short declined peduncle, gray to reddish-brown seeds typically with minute raised black spots, and restriction to less acidic soils of open woodland ‘‘glades’’ bordering shale barrens and of closed canopy woodlands in western montane Virginia." Listed in Weakley et al. (2022) as "Viola species 1 ["tenuisecta"]."

Viola tenuisecta is a perennial herb endemic to shale barrens in western Virginia in the southeastern United States. Its full range extent is unknown as populations could be found in West Virginia, and access and rugged terrain have precluded complete surveys. Its rugged habitat and protection by state parks and national forests protects it from many threats, though active management including invasive species treatment and prescribed fire benefit the shale barrens habitat and this species. Monitoring of populations should be conducted to improve our understanding of reproduction, plant abundance, threats, and trends, as well as continuing conservation measures to protect the species. Searching for additional sites to protect is a high priority.

Viola tenuisecta occurs in western Virginia in the southeastern United States where it is known from northern Alleghany and southern Bath Counties, and it could occur in adjacent West Virginia (Ballard et al. 2023).

By applying a 1 km separation distance to NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between the years of 2007 and 2021, it is estimated that there are 21 extant sites known which may be considered four occurrences (NatureServe 2023).

Viola tenuisecta faces threats from habitat degradation. Roadside occurrences could be impacted from maintenance activities, including herbicide and invasive species, such as Alliaria petiolata, Elaeagnus sp., and Microstegium vimineum. All known populations are located on public lands with recreational activities, though the impact from recreation is slight. While in a matrix of potential logging threats, this species occurs on relatively steep, shaley slopes likely protected from logging activity. The greatest impact to this species is likely canopy closure from fire suppression (NatureServe 2023).