A Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Update of the Violaceae in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

McKinney, Landon; McKinney, Lela

A study was completed on the Violaceae of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Objectives were to update the taxonomy and nomenclature in line with current treatments, and additional fieldwork was accomplished to further document populations of all violets throughout the park especially those considered rare or historic in nature. Currently, there are 22 species, three varieties, and one hybrid from confirmed occurrences. This survey documented 85 populations of violets in the park at 32 different sites in Sevier and Blount counties,Tennessee, and Swain County, North Carolina. Out of 85 populations, 41 were documented by specimen collections. Three new violets documented for the park were V. sagittata var. ovata, V. sororia var. missouriensis, and V. subsinuata. Viola tripartita was originally considered to be part of the park’s flora; however, after annotating the existing collections, it was discovered these locations for this species were actually outside of the park boundary. Viola pubescens var. pubescens was known to occur in the park; but since existing collections were made prior to 1940, it is considered a historical occurrence. Our recommendations for future study include additional fieldwork to document occurrences of V. pubescens var. pubescens, V. tripartita, and V. sagittata var. sagittata, and V. pubescens var. scabriuscula.