Viola lactea Pale Dog-violet

A perennial violet similar to Common Dog-violet (Viola riviniana) but taller and with milky-blue, almost white flowers which have a short greenish spur. It is an Oceanic species which is very uncommon in Britain and confined to Wales and the very south of England, parts of Ireland and with a distinct western distribution. It grows in open, well-drained, nutrient poor sites often near the sea. Like other violets, Pale Dog-violet has undergone a severe decline throughout its range in Britain, mostly as a result of habitat loss and inappropriate management. It is rare in West Glamorgan where it is found only on the Glower cliffs, particularly in areas kept open by fire. It hybridises with Common Dog-violet but the extent to which this occurs in the Gower populations is unclear. In addition to flowering in spring with the familiar chasmogamous flowers, plants from the Gower population also produce abundant small pink cleistogamous flowers during the autumn, a self-fertilization reproductive strategy that guarantees gene preservation and reproductive assurance.

Native