Oral Paper

         Floristics & Taxonomy

Taxonomic diversity in violets (Violaceae) of the Great Plains and eastern North America

Presenting Author
Harvey Ballard
Description
A comprehensive taxonomic treatment of the violets of northeastern North America was recently published and will be briefly introduced. This treatment and ongoing studies of violet diversity in the southeastern U.S. and Great Plains provide sufficient information to explore patterns of violet diversity in the Great Plains and eastern North America and make preliminary comparisons with violet taxa in western North America. Following the author’s recent taxonomic concepts, the region includes 81 confirmed species, plus 20 infraspecific taxa and phenotypic variants which require further study. While many taxa in the region are widely distributed, some are nearly or fully within the limits of certain recognized ecoregions, and a few taxa are local endemics restricted to a small area. Taxonomic overlap between the eastern states and provinces and the Great Plains states and provinces is substantial. Conversely, few violet taxa are transcontinental or shared between the eastern region and western North America.