Ma) i 2, 1 910 45 



"Var. vENOSA. A small subalpine form; more or less pu- 

 bescent; leaves ovate or sometimes rhomboidal, cordate or trun- 

 cate at base, conspicuously purple-nerved; flowers purplish-yel- 

 low, small. — Low, (2-3 inches high,) showing the same tendency 

 to the elongation of a single pedicel from each stem. It much 

 resembles V. pcdunculata, but the flowers are only a third as 

 large. Frequent in the mountains from the West Humboldt to 

 the Wahsatch, usually near the snow line; 6-9,000 feet altitude; 

 May-July. (145.)" 



The above description has not been improved upon, and the 

 plant is apparently not well known, although it is plentiful on 

 the Sierra Nevada in the Donner Lake region and northward. 

 It has been confused with V. purpurea Kellogg, a species whose 

 natural habitat is in the Coast Range of California, and which, 

 in typical form, resembles this species but little. We have two 

 specimens from Nevada that seem to belong here. One is my 

 9253, collected on the Clover mountains back of Deeth, Elko 

 county, elevation 9000 feet, in the extreme eastern part of the 

 state, while the other is from the extreme western part, from 

 Franktown creek, Washoe county, elevation not given, but pre- 

 sumably near 8000 feet. It was collected in July, 1907, by Mr. 

 C. L. Brown. Watson's statement that this species "much re- 

 sembles V. pedunculated except for the smaller flowers, is alto- 

 gether misleading, for there is no likeness whatever. V. venosa 

 is a small alpine or subalpine species, dull and gray, with pur- 

 ple veined leaves, while V. pedunculata is a species of low ele- 

 vations, confined more especially to the coast region, is often 

 very large, has conspicuously leafy stems, bright green foliage, 

 and large golden-yellow flowers. 



Viola Nuttallii Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 1: 174. 1814. 



At present we have no specimens in our herbarium from 

 Nevada that may with certainty be referred to this species. 

 Watson, in the Botany of the King Report, cites specimens from 

 the East Humboldt mountains, and my 9252 from that range is 

 labeled as such, but should perhaps rather be referred to / '. ve- 

 nosa. The leaves are rather strongly purple veined, but most 



