Viola labradorica, June 4, 2020
Common & scientific name
Alpine violet, Viola labradorica
Family
Violet, Violaceae
Location
Midway ridge, 12,000’
Fun, weird, helpful, or little known fact
As lovely as violets are, they do not rely on pollinators as their primary means of reproduction. Rather, certain of a violet plant’s flowers don’t develop pollinator-attracting attributes, never open, and stay underground or emerge only after their seeds mature into fruits. Such self-fertilizing flowers are “cleistogamous.”