About Viola stipularis Sw.
Viola stipularis Sw. is a 20–30 cm tall herb that spreads via creeping rhizomes. Its petioles reach up to 8 mm in length, and are surrounded by fringed, triangular stipules that grow up to 2 cm long. The leaves are elliptic to lanceolate-elliptic, reaching up to 9.5 cm long and 3.4 cm wide. Leaf margins are serrate, crenate, or sometimes dentate; leaves have an acuminate apex and a cuneate base. Flowers grow on thin pedicels up to 6 cm long. Flower petals are pinkish, lavender, or bluish-white with blue veining. The lower petal is obovate, while the upper petals are oblong-ovate or oblong-elliptic. All petals reach up to 9 mm long and 4.5 mm wide, and all petals have a rounded apex. The flower spur is approximately 1 mm long; the anthers and ovary together measure almost 2 cm long. The fruit is an ellipsoid capsule 6–7 mm long, holding seeds that are approximately 1 mm long. This species is distributed in Costa Rica, Panama, the Lesser Antilles, and northern South America, extending south to Peru. It grows in forested hills and montane forests at elevations between 840–3400 m, occasionally as low as 150 m. Viola stipularis occurs in open areas or near mountain summits, and acts as a colonizer of disturbed habitats including volcanic debris, and natural or human-caused landslides.
