Flora of New Zealand Series

Type locality: Not stated. Type: K, Colenso "914?Viola".

Small glab. tufted herb up to 15 cm. tall, with deeply descending main root; stock short, often multicipital, sts woody. Lvs on slender, flattened, ± pilose petioles (5 mm.)-1-2-5-(10) cm. long. Stipules adnate at base, ovate-oblong, acuminate, entire, up to 1·5 cm. long. Lamina 1-3 × 1-2.5 cm., broad-ovate to deltoid, crenulate, cuneately narrowed to base or sts truncate. Fls 1-2 cm. diam., on very slender peduncles 5-10- (15) cm. long: bracts below or above middle, filiform to linear, 3-5 mm. long. Sepals narrow- to broad-oblong; petals white, streaked with lilac and yellow lines, lateral ± fimbriate. Capsule 7-10 mm. long; seeds pale, 1-1·5 mm. diam.

DIST.: N., S., St., Ch. Lowland to subalpine damp places.

FL. 10-3. FT. 11-4. Also in Tasmania.

Hooker (loc. cit.) named 3 vars (one later raised to specific rank as V. lyallii): var. multiceps "caulibus eradice plurimis brevibus, petiolis elongatis 2-8 uncialibus, foliis late triangulari-ovatis basi subcordatis in petiolum angustatis". var. radicata "radice valido multicipite, caulibus brevissimis, petiolis 1/2-2 unc. longis, foliis ovato-spathulatis v. subtrapeziformibus interdum minimis."

Var. perexigua (Col.) Kirk Stud. Fl. 1899, 41. Viola perexigua Col. in T.N.Z.I. 16, 1884, 326 was based on very small specimens collected "on dry open upland heaths between Matamau and Dannevirke . . . also in adjoining ' scrub '". At present a complex group of forms is included under the name V. cunninghamii, which should not be very difficult to resolve by modern methods.