Helena,
Lovely foliage. V. chaerophyllodes does have lovely leaves (Vv. eizanensis and dissecta also; the former has fragrant flowers).
Yes, V. labradorica hort. is actually V. riviniana Purpurea Group, though one can't rule out the true V. labradorica occasionally being sold as well. The purpleness varies from plant to plant and depending on the growing conditions (I think we've discussed anthocyanin in foliage before on this forum).
David,
Just a technicality:
- in apomixis, reproduction of an embryo bypasses the usual process of meiosis and fertilization;
- in cleistogamy, reproduction does involve fertilization, though with male and female parts of the same flower.
With violets, cleistogamy applies.
Of course, they have chasmogamous flowers as well.
That is my understanding, but there may be room for opinion. I would be interested if you have an alternative view to mine.
Everybody,
- Many species of violets produce chasmogamous ('open marriage') flowers early in their season (what you'd call normal flowers, with proper petals, which are able to reproduce sexually), and cleistgamous ('closed marriage') flowers, which have negligible petals and reproduce asexually.
- Many confusable terms are explained in a well-illustrated lecture from the University of Kentucky's College of Agriculture
"The weird and wonderful ways plants reproduce" (no author cited)
http://dept.ca.uky.edu/PLS440/lectures/geophytes/Alternativepropagation.pdf