Violets of the Atlantic Coast. 91 



purple-flowered violets are here maintained as distinct. Pursh 

 and Schweinitz, two of the earliest authorities in this century, 

 recognized each ten species, Nuttall accepted six, Le Conte thir 

 teen, and Torrey and Gray six. In the first edition of the Man 

 ual, Gray admits but four species, in the second five, and in the 

 fifth and sixth editions three only. In the most recently pub 

 lished work, the Synoptical Flora, above referred to, there are 

 included three species and four varieties. It seems obvious that 

 the most logical course of procedure for a conservative botanist 

 is the reduction of all possible forms to the Linnsean species 

 palmata, for the differences between palmata and sagitlata, the 

 validity of both of which is everywhere admitted, are scarcely 

 more than those between any others of this group selected for 

 comparison. 



SYNOPSIS OF SPECIES. * 



Leaves all pedatel y divided ; rootstock short and abruptly 

 perpendicular V. pedata. 



Leaves broadly lobed or undivided ; rootstock ascending or 

 horizontal. 



Plants glabrous or with very slight pubescence : 



Leaves somewhat pinnately 7-lobed V. septemloba. 



Leaves deltoid-cordate or panduriform V. dentata. 



Leaves hastate or sagittate, basally incised. . . V. sagittata. 



Leaves cordate-cucullate V. obliyua,. 



Plants pubescent or villous : 



Leaves palmately lobed V. palmata. 



Leaves ovate or oval V. ovata. 



Leaves cordate-orbicular. V. mllosa. 



Viola pedata L., Sp. PI. 933, 1753.f Not of subsequent authors. 



V. pedata bicolor Pursh, fide Raf. in D. C., Prodr. 1 : 291, 1824. 



Viola pedata inornata Greene, Pitt. 3 : 35, 1896. 

 V. pedata of authors, not of L. 



* In this connection it should be stated that V. pedatiftd,a Don, which 

 is closely related to V. pedata, is omitted as not belonging strictly to our 

 coast. 



f Prof. E. L. Greene has proved that the type of the Linnaean pedata 

 must have been a plant of the bicolor variety rather than the mono- 

 colored form which we are accustomed to regard as pedata. This is con 

 clusively shown by an examination of the plate of Plukenet to which 

 Linnreus refers. 



