Viola macloskeyi
This small violet can be as short as 2cm, hiding in the moss and leaf litter of the boggy woods of Saskatchewan.
One of Saskatchewan’s smallest violets is Macloskey’s small white violet or Viola macloskeyi F.E. Lloyd, which is typically between two and ten centimeters tall. It’s habitats include wet, boggy or moist areas, and swampy/mossy woods.
They can be quite difficult to spot since they are a short plant growing amongst mosses and leaf litter. Judging by the smaller one shown above, the 2cm tall plant would be easily passed over while hiking. The taller 10cm plant gets most of it’s height from the elongate scape that has the solitary flower at the end, with the basal leaves sitting below.
A common trait in flowers of the Violet family (Violaceae) is cleistogamy, which is a method of self-pollination where the flowers will remain closed while pollen in released which leads to self-pollination. In this flowers case, it does still open following the self-pollination phase. In violets, this is easy to identify as the flower buds begin in a closed, twisted state. This type of fertilization can help ensure offspring are created, but at the cost of reduced genetic diversity, since all the genes are coming from a single individual.
These plants also produce stolons (runners), similar to a strawberry plant. The new plants grown from the stolon are also clones of the original plant and have the same genetic makeup. Again, this strategy is a good way for a plant to establish and reproduce at the cost of genetic diversity.
This plant is currently ranked S2, or very rare, for the province. If you do happen across one in your travels take all the pictures you can, but please do not disturb it.
