Viola lutea

Viola lutea is a compact plant with bright oval green leaves, growing to a height of around {{convert|20|cm|0}}. Its flowers are {{convert|20|-|35|mm|1|abbr=on}} in diameter, and are typically golden yellow, although some individuals may have blue, purple or blotched flowers instead.{{cite book |author=Clive A. Stace |author-link=Clive A. Stace |year=2011 |title=New Flora of the British Isles |url=https://archive.org/details/newflorabritishi00stac |url-access=limited |edition=3rd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-70772-5 |chapter=Viola L. – violets |pages=[https://archive.org/details/newflorabritishi00stac/page/n367 332]–335}}

Viola lutea was first described by William Hudson in his 1762 Flora Anglica.{{cite book |author=William Hudson |author-link=William Hudson (botanist) |year=1762 |title=Flora Anglica |publisher=published by the author |location=London |chapter=Viola |pages=330–332 |url=https://archive.org/stream/gulielmihudsoni01hudsgoog#page/n352/mode/2up}}

The Latin specific epithet lutea means “yellow”.{{cite book | last=Harrison |first=Lorraine | title=RHS Latin for Gardeners | year=2012 |publisher=Mitchell Beazley | location=United Kingdom | isbn=184533731X }}

V. lutea subsp. lutea is native to central and north-western Europe, from the British Isles to Austria; another subspecies occurs further east, from Hungary to the Balkans.{{cite journal |author=O. E. Balme |year=1954 |title=Viola Lutea Huds. |journal=Journal of Ecology |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=234–240 |jstor=2256996}}

Two particular infraspecifics are V. lutea subsp. calaminaria which occurs in the southernmost Netherlands and eastern Belgium, and V. lutea var. westfalica, which only occurs at an extremely small locality near Blankenrode in East Westphalia, Germany. Both taxa have relatively recently evolved to take advantage of the local pollution left over after centuries of mining for metals in these locations. The subspecies calaminaria grows in areas where the mine tailings for zinc ore have been dumped, and the variety westfalica grows on heaps of lead ore waste. Both taxa have managed to become the dominant plant species in their extremely small habitats.{{cite journal |last=Hildebrandt |first=Ulrich |last2=Hoef-Emden |first2=K. |last3=Backhausen |first3=S. |last4=Bothe |first4=Hermann |last5=Bożek |first5=M. |last6=Siuta |first6=A. |last7=Kuta |first7=Elzbieta |date=March 2006 |title=The rare, endemic zinc violets of Central Europe originate from Viola lutea Huds |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Elzbieta_Kuta/publication/226402710 |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution |volume=257 |issue=3 |pages=205–222 |doi=10.1007/s00606-005-0387-4 |access-date=26 October 2020}}

Within Great Britain, Viola lutea is found only in upland areas north of a line drawn between the Severn and Humber estuaries; it ranges in altitude from {{convert|200|m}} in Derbyshire to {{convert|1070|m|-2|abbr=on}} in Breadalbane. In Ireland, its distribution is more scattered geographically, and ranges vertically from sea level in County Clare to {{convert|380|m|abbr=on}} in the Wicklow Mountains.

Viola lutea is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for a position in full sun or partial shade with rich soil.{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/71784/viola-lutea/details | title = Viola lutea | publisher = RHS | access-date = 27 September 2023}}

It is the main progenitor for the common cultivated garden pansy, V. × wittrockiana. This hybrid was created by gardeners in Britain in the early 19th century.{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite web |url=http://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/index.php?q=plant/viola-lutea |title=Viola lutea (Mountain Pansy) |work=Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora |publisher=Biological Records Centre}}
• {{Commons category-inline|Viola lutea|Viola lutea}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q164447}}

lutea

Category:Flora of Europe

Category:Plants described in 1762