臺灣堇菜屬植物

Notes on the Genus Viola in Taiwan

There is only one genus, i. e., Viola, of Violaceae in Taiwan. The species are mostly localized on the mountains and in the northern parts of the island. Since W. Becker’s classical work “Die Gattung Viloa” (1925) was published, additional species of Viola have been described from Taiwan by Japanese botanists such as B. Hayata, T. Nakai, etc. The species of Viola often hybridise with each other which renders their classification more difficult. The taxonomy of some of the species are in a state of confusion, misidentifications being frequent both in the herbarium and in literature. Cytological and ecological studies in this group are highly desired which may bring light to real distinctions between some of the species.