心叶堇菜 xin ye jin cai

Viola bhutanica H. Hara; V. concordifolia C. J. Wang; V. cordifolia W. Becker (1929), not Schweinitz (1822), nor Schur (1877).

Herbs perennial, acaulescent. Rhizome short, robust, 4-5 mm in diam., densely noded; roots numerous, whitish, elongated, robust. Leaves numerous, basal; stipules short, ca. 1 cm, 1/2-3/4 adnate to petioles, free part spreading; petiole usually subequaling blade at anthesis, conspicuously exceeding blade at fruiting, very narrowly winged in uppermost part, sparsely puberulous or glabrous; leaf blade ovate, broadly ovate, or triangular-ovate, rarely reniform, 2-8 × 2.5-7 cm, abaxially sparsely puberulous or glabrescent, sometimes purplish, adaxially spreading white puberulous or glabrescent, base deeply or broadly cordate, margin deeply crenate, apex acute or slightly obtuse. Flowers white or violet; pedicels not exceeding leaves, glabrous, 2-bracteolate near middle; bracteoles linear-lanceolate. Sepals broadly lanceolate, 5-7 × 1.5-2 mm, apex acuminate, appendages white puberulous or glabrous, ca. 1 mm, apex truncate or slightly dentate. Upper and lateral petals obovate, 1.2-1.4 cm × 5-6 mm, lateral ones conspicuously white bearded, anterior one narrowly obovate, ca. 1.5 cm (spur included), apex emarginate; spur cylindric, 2-3 mm, ca. 2 mm in diam. Ovary conic, glabrous; styles clavate, base slightly geniculate, thickened in upper part; stigmas flat at top, conspicuously margined on lateral sides and abaxially, shortly beaked in front, with a broad stigma hole at tip of beak. Capsule ellipsoid, 7-10 mm, glabrous. Fl. Feb-Apr, fr. May-Oct.

Grasslands, thickets; below 3500 m. Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, S Xizang, Yunnan [Bhutan].