Place of Publication
Int. Rock Gard. 122: 33 (2020)
Type citation
Valparaíso Region, Aconcagua Province, to the south of the Aconcagua River valley and SE of Salto del Soldado, ca. 32º57'24"S 70º42'53"W, at over 3000 m, 29 November 2013, leg. Carlos Celedón s.n. (= F.& W. 12592) (holotype SGO; isotypes CONC, herb. Flores & Watson)
References
-
Watson & Flores 2020a
Watson, J.M.
and
Flores, A.R.
2020. Queen of all she surveys. A remarkable and distinct new rosulate viola (section Andinium W. Becker), a single-site endemic from the central Andes of Chile. International Rock Gardener 122:
Regions
Valparaíso
Distribution and habitat
Only known from an east-west spur of the central temperate Andes south of the Aconcagua River as a diffuse population of several dispersed colonies of variable sizes. (Watson & Flores 2020a). Occurs at the subnival zone just over 3000 m, forming colonies of scattered individuals on shallow rocky slopes and gently rounded to flat-topped ridge crests almost devoid of other vegetation (Watson & Flores 2020a).
Descriptions
Key characteristics
This is a very distinctive as it differs from most others of the alliance (section Andinium) by its usually wide, frequently dome-shaped rosettes, and from all others by its large, heavily and densely black or inky blue-veined corolla, the lateral petals bearded with long, flattened, translucent white, clavate hairs. The flowers are set as a corona on and within the face of the rosette, a character otherwise only found in Viola coronifera and Viola comberi, both of which have smaller-sized yellow or orange flowers and lateral petals short-bearded at the base only (Watson & Flores 2020a)
